The Sun Dance ritual was conducted once a year in the middle of the summer and lasted four to eight days from sunrise to sunset. The significant part of the Sun Dance was the spiritual retreat that led participants to fast, pray, and dance for a period of days to seek answers and knowledge for their lives. Beside the sacred song, all the dancers share prayers asking for blessings for all creations …show more content…
It represents the center of the world, connecting the heavens to the earth. The cottonwood tree was extraordinarily scared for two reasons: it was the tree that taught the Lakota how to make a tipi by using it's leaves, and when cut, the tree's upper limb crosswise, inside hold a perfect five-pointed star that represents the presence of the Great Spirit. Before the tree is cut down, an elder speaks a prayer over the tree for success. The eagle and buffalo are the Plains Indians’ most sacred animals; they have a place on the tree center. Being flies closest to the Sun, the eagle acts as a messenger that delivers prayers from man to the Wakan-Tanka (God). Besides acting as the messenger, the eagle also represents the human traits; courage, swift, and strong. He has great foresight and knows everything. The medicine man could use this eagle feather to heal the patient after transferring energy from the center pole to his feather. The buffalo symbolized life because the Plain Indians’ relied on it for foods and