Lakota Legends

Before creation, there was only a pure nothingness, and in that dark emptiness existed only Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka, the great Mystery, who brought forth the four superior spirits of existence. The first of which was Inyan (Rock) a formless entity who with a singular thought of compassion exploded energy across the eons, the life force within flowed from the blue veins of the creator forming water & sky. Sapped of energy, Inyan coalesced into Maka (Earth). Still surrounded by darkness, Shkan was called forth to divide the darkness and shed light on Maka’s beauty. The light was without warmth however, and thus Wí, the sun was brought into existence to split light & warmth into the day, and the dark & cold, into night. With this delicate balance in place, the great spirits became lonely and together created the moon, wind, thunder, and passion…and thus creation was born, an endless cycle which story continues to this day.

And so, in a time long ago, the lands East of the Black Hills was abundant in lush grasslands, freshwater springs, wild game for food, and plants for medicines. Ordained by the great spirit and creator of all things, Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka, any peoples residing in this paradise agreed to live in harmony with the divine order of nature.

When barbarous tribes encroached upon the unspoiled land, the residents pleaded through peaceful means to regain the capitulated lands by offer of gifts, prayers, and negotiation. Proving to be futile in their aim, the scattered tribes struggling for survival formulated a plan to reclaim their idyllic home.

On the morning of a planned attack the great spirit, dismayed by such blatant disrespect, caused a powerful storm to formulate in the skies above. Dark clouds blocked out the sun, while Wakíyaŋ’s thunderous crack rumbled across the horizon. Lightning struck the lands and fire erupted from the depths of the Earth. A great chasm splintered the lands, swallowing the disobedient malcontents and with them all the lush grasslands, abundant streams, plants & animals, leaving behind the barren wasteland known as the Mako Sica (Badlands); forever reminding future generations the cost of hubris and greed.

Tribes would no longer take residence in the scarred landscape, and henceforth only traverse the lands for sacred ceremonial rights, such as the Ghost & Sun Dances, vision quests, or to hunt & gather from the few remaining plants and wildlife hearty enough to survive the harsh environment.

Heeding the warning of his friend, one of the scouts, lustful for a companion, approached the suspicious entity. Upon his forceful embrace, a cloud quickly enveloped the pair and once settled left only a pile of dust & bones where the young man once stood. Fearing for his life the second scout raised his bow to strike, but the holy woman assured no harm would befall him as his heart was pure, and not fouled by the lust of his companion. It was explained that she was wakȟáŋ, a spiritual being with supernatural powers and that the scout should return to his tribe and prepare the Seven Council Fires for her arrival.

After four days she emerged to reveal the mysteries of the divine and gift the people with the ancestral knowledge of the four ages of creation. She presented the Čhaŋnúŋpa and explained the ceremonial uses for the sacred pipe. How the smoke forms a bridge between the living and the scared; that all life forms are connected and of the universe which binds them. She taught the women secrets of the hearth and the children the importance of carrying forward such generational knowledge.

Having bestowed upon the tribes the seven sacred ceremonies, she departed into the horizon. Silhouetted by the setting sun, she rolled on the ground, shifting in form to a brown, black, and red buffalo, before transitioning into that of a white female calf…the most sacred symbol of Lakota culture. Upon vanishing great herds of buffalo began appearing, furnishing the people with the food, clothing, and tools necessary for survival. To this day the White Buffalo Lady is prophesied to return at the beginning of each of the 4 great ages to usher in an epoch of peace and tranquility for the native tribes of the vast great plains.

Various indigenous tribes have occupied the Black Hills region of Eastern Wyoming and Western South Dakota, each with similar origin stories regarding the rocky butte towering 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River, known today as Devil’s Tower. In a land before time however, it was better known as Mato Tipila, or Bear Lodge. The tales and name differing slightly from tribe to tribe.

One such legend tells the story of seven youthful sisters who playing beyond the safe confines of their camp heard a rustling in a nearby forest. Curious as children often are, they investigated the noise only to be terrified by the sight of an enormous grizzly bear grazing the fertile plains. Upon noticing the frightened children, the great bear began grunting & growling, eventually charging toward the innocent onlookers. Instinctually fleeing as fast as they could, the children attempted refuge atop a rock on a nearby mount, but with the great size & stride of the bear it quickly gained ground. Fearful for their lives one of the girls sent up a prayer to the great creator Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka asking for protection. Having granted the wish, the ground began to shake and the Earth rumbled as the outcropping came alive and started rising toward the heavens. Undeterred the legendary beast grasped on to the side of the growing mount, clawing and scrapping as it attempted to climb toward its dinner; its claw marks permanently etched into the sides of the tower. With the young girls safe atop the rock and the beast lurking below, the only way to ensure the children’s protection was for the spirit of the mountain to transmogrify the children into stars. To this day visitors of Bear Lodge can look into the clear night sky and see the seven sisters twinkling overhead in the Pleiades constellation.

As with all legends, such tales have been shared verbally through the generations with accounts and details often differing throughout history. Today we understand that these lands were shaped through 75 million years of geological evolution; only with the receding of the last great ice age did the glacial melt slowly erode the rocky facades, exposing the striations of compacted layered rock and the rugged landscapes known as the Badlands & Black Hills. One truly needs to experience these places for themself to begin to understand the mystery & myth interweaving through the peoples and cultures who have called the great plains home. It should also be noted that I’m not a scholar of Lakota (Sioux) culture, and these stories are a mere synopsis of an otherwise complex cultural history. My research is a culmination of a historically driven curiosity aiming to better understand such peoples & places in an attempt to help share their amazing stories, less they be forgotten…I can only hope this series does some justice in it’s homage.

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Each Image in the Series is a Limited Edition Print, Signed & Numbered by the Artist, and limited to only 20 Prints!

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