The Ponca Sun Dance

This illustrated volume was published in 1905.Introductory Note: The account of the Ponca Sun Dance here presented may, at best, be considered imperfect and unsatisfactory. Thisis due chiefly to the fact that I have been able to witness theceremony but once, and that opportunity has not been affordedto investigate the ceremony by questioning the priests. It mustalso be noted that, owing to the rapid deterioration of thePonca in recent times, the ceremony has lost much of itsformer hold on the tribe. Owing to the poximity of the camp-circle to the railroad and to white communities of considerablesize, the ceremony is witnessed each year by a large numberof white visitors. This has contributed much to weaken thegenuineness of the feeling for the ceremony. Not the leastdifficulty which I encountered in the brief time that I have beenable to devote to the Ponca, was my inability to secure theservices of a satisfactory interpreter. This does not meanthat there are no educated young men in the tribe, or thatthe priests are unwilling to give such information as theypossess about the ceremony. The real difficulty lay in secur-ing an interpreter who would be willing to confine his attentionto the subject inhand. Imperfect as this account is, however,I offer it as a contribution to the study of the Sun Dance in general. It is with much pleasure that I acknowledge my indebtedness to White-Eagle, the chief of the Ponca, to the minor chiefs, and to the priests and dancers of the ceremony for their uniform willingness to assist me, both in securing information on the ceremony and in photographing the more important events. George A. Dorsey. November 1, 1905. Read more