Our Lakota Way

The Lakota Dakota way of life was considered illegal by the United States Government until the Freedom of Religion Act was passed by President Carter in August of 1978. In the past, the United States Government threatened the spiritual leaders with a 30-year prison term if they were reported and were caught conducting ceremonies and praying in their native language. The psychological effects of religious suppression, oppression and depression by the United States Government has created an enormous amount of fear within the spiritual leaders and the belief system of the Lakota and Dakota Nation. Through this fear, the spiritual leaders have retained a 99.9% silence about the Lakota and Dakota ceremonies and it is shared with only a few chosen people. This spiritual knowledge was and never will be available to the public unless the people are sincere in their spiritual growth and have no interest in marketing the system of the Lakota/Dakota. Many of the books that have been written and published concerning the ceremonies of the Lakota/Dakota do not scratch the surface of the spiritual belief system of the Lakota/Dakota because they are written by individuals who were just passing through or just spending a few weeks on the reservations. These authors and journalists in a few cases have good intentions and are by no means experts or professionals on the subject of Lakota/Dakota spirituality. These "authors" result in countless "dreamcatcher" societies of people without their own ethnic identities that want to secure ours as their own. Our practices and traditions are misrepresented and misunderstood, resulting in a "dilution" of what is ... and what was.

Christianity has played a major role in cultural and spiritual genocide among the grassroots people of Turtle Island. Religious denominations were contracted by the United States to Christianize the "pagans" and they were often given the rations the Grassroots people needed for survival. These rations were used as a tool to get Grassroots people to come to church and learn the ways of being a good Christian. Those individuals that committed their efforts on preserving their spiritual and cultural ways were often reported and the rations for the month were taken from them by the religious orders. Many children were left without food and many grassroots people succumbed to Christianity for the sake and survival of their children.

Christianizing the Grassroots People has had a devastating effect on the Lakota/Dakota people themselves. Christianity had created a division amongst the Lakota/Dakota people and the Government's Policy of "divide and conquer" had been accomplished. Traditionalism and Christianity are now the two major differences amongst the Dakota/Lakota people. Traditionalism has remained the same, but Christianity on the reservations is also in question because of the different religions that have appeared.

The religions on the reservations now consist of Catholics, Presbyterians, Protestants, Mormons, Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists and many more of the 386 different religions that have all said they are the true religion. This religious system spells religious and spiritual chaos. These different religions have also added to the division within the Grassroots people. However, many Christians have strayed from the "flock" and have returned to find their answers among the traditionalists. In our sovereignties, we will unite our strengths and our resolve to keep our tribes wakan (holy).

Niya Wi