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Encyclopedia entry: Sun Dance
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REN R. GADACZ
Canadian Encyclopedia
01-01-2002
Sun Dance
Author: REN R. GADACZ
An annual Plains Indian culture ceremony given at midsummer when bands and tribes congregated at a predetermined location. The Sun Dance was forbidden under the Indian Act of 1885, but this ban was generally ignored and dropped from the Indian Act of 1951. The ceremony was arranged by an individual either as a request for supernatural aid or in response to a vision. Among theBLACKFOOT andSARCEE , women took the initiative. Following 4 days of preliminary ritual, the Sun Dance lasted another 4 ...