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How did Sun Dance participants express devotion to the sun?
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Native American dance
Aztec round dance for Quetzalcóatl and Xolotl (a dog-headed god who is Quetzalcóatl's companion), detail from a facsimile Codex Borbonicus (folio 26), c. 1520; original in the Chamber of Deputies, Paris, France.
Participants in the Sun Dance expressed their devotion to the sun and the divine through rigorous acts of personal and community sacrifice, often to fulfill a vow or seek spiritual power and insight.1
The ritual involved several key expressions of devotion:
- Fasting and Exertion: Supplicants danced intermittently for several days and nights, during which time they abstained from all food and drink.12
- Symbolic Connection: Dancers performed within a structure featuring a central pole, which served as a physical symbol of the connection to the divine as embodied by the sun.1
- Self-Mortification: In some tribes, the most committed individuals practiced ritual self-mortification. This often involved piercing the skin of the chest or back with skewers, which were then attached to leather thongs. Dancers might drag heavy objects, such as buffalo skulls, or pull against the central pole until the skin tore free.1
These sacrifices were undertaken not only to fulfill individual vows but also to ensure the well-being of the entire tribe.1