Sundance Ceremony

We are on the Pine Ridge Lakota Reservation for the next few weeks, preparing for Christian to Sundance. I'll have wifi access very rarely so just wanted to pop on and let you know in case you are looking out for a message and wondering where I've got to! Haven't dropped off the face of the Earth entirely, although surrounded here by the Badlands and Prairie it could certainly seem so, in a good way.

Christian has been coming to the Rez here for 20 years. In 2009 a medicine man did a special ceremony to help us conceive, and Jaxon came along in 2011. Our committment with that ceremony was that Christian would return to Sundance, to give thanks, once our child or children were born. This year the stars were aligned allowing us to get back here, and here we are.

A lot of people think of Native Americans as tribes that used to exist long ago, but they are all still here today. Over 550 tribes living on 300 reservations across the US, still practicing their ceremonies, and praying for the people and the Earth. Amidst everything they have gone through, and are still going through today, they continue to pray, to do ceremony, and have faith in the Creator. I wanted to say this because I know that so many people aren't aware that Native American ways and people are still very much here today.

Thousands of men and women Sundance across a lot of these reservations every Summer, sending prayers out for humanity and Mother Earth. Thank you to all of the brothers and sisters that do this. They all appreciate prayers being sent their way, to help them through what is an awe-inspiring 4 days without food or water.

Aho, Mitakuye Oyasin.

(c) Dana Mrkich 2015