The Sun Dance, a four day ceremony, happens once a year in each Native tribe. "In 1941, the sun Dance was banned by the U.S. Dept. of the Interior because...they viewed it as self-mutilation. Not until the 1970s was this ban lifted, giving the Native peoples their lives and spirits back." This gave religious freedom back to the peoples. Sun Dance ceremony honours the sacred Tree of Life and Four Directions. Warriors give prayers and selves, in sacrifice. Some Warriors pierce. Bits of bone placed under the skin are then tied by rope to the Tree. After a period of time the Warrior breaks free, signifying breaking free from our bonds in Life. Both Sundance Warriors and Women dance, fast, pray for the good of the people. They receive "the opporturtunity to prove worthiness to be Protectors of the People." The Warriors experience the sacrifice women experience by virtue of the Moontime (feminine earth cyle) -TalkingFeather.Net Original painting of the Cottonwood tree of life by Kate Purdy. All rights reserved. Any profits from the sale of this card support our Brothers & Sisters with the Tipi Village and the Buffalo Restoration program on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. It was their kindness and friendship that allowed me to participate in this Sacred event.