Circle Symbol Black Elk

The circle/hoop has many significant uses and purposes in the daily life of the Sioux. Many items and plans have a circle integrated into them. For example, the Sioux hold on to trust, relations, and connections. Another reason why the tribe values a circle, is because of their beliefs and ideas of the gods. When the tribe sets up the village, the people circle around the most powerful figures in the tribe. Not only do they live like a circle, they also have dances and rituals in a circular pattern. The hoop is a sacred and important figure to the entire tribe. To keep their religious life healthy, the Sioux often have offerings, honoring the spirits, and they have dances and rituals. When they have their spiritual activities, they form circles due to the fact that the hoop is a holy figure/shape in the daily lives of the tribe. They also claim that the hoop is a symbol of power "The wind, in its greatest power, whirls" (Neihardt 155). This shows that even the Earth has a hoop integrated into its system. As the tribe was getting ready for the Horse Dance, there were many references to the hoop "…the Grandfathers made a circle in the ground" (Neihardt 131). The Sioux tribe integrates a circle into all sacred things because the circle is the way of life to the whole tribe in every day of their lives. Not only does the circle get used for rituals they also use it for the way the way they live life with each other. As a tribe, connecting with each member and with other tribes are significant to the lives of the Sioux. Just like the hoop, they needed to be connected together to be more powerful and stay together. Black Elk's horse is injured during battle and needed help and he found a group of men "One of them men took some clotted blood…and put it in some raw bison hide and fastened it around my pony's hoof so that I could ride" (Neihardt 80). Without these connections and friendships, Black Elk would have continued with an injured horse who could have given up