LakotaArchives.com - A General Outline of Lakota Sioux Philosophy 1

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Lakota Sioux Articles

A General Outline of Lakota Sioux Philosophy::

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A General Outline of Lakota Sioux Philosophy::

This article is based on an extensive review of literature relating to Lakota Sioux philosophy and is supplemented by material gathered during the author's 12 months of interviews and field research in South Dakota between 1998 and 1999 as part of anthropological doctoral research on Lakota Sioux environmental activism at the University of Oxford.

Introduction

Within a Lakota framework, the physical world is the visible manifestation of the invisible, spiritual world. The visible landscape is saturated with symbolic representations of the invisible, awaiting discernment from an intuitive and open body and mind. Discernment is possible because all things share of the same wakan, or sacred, substance, and all things ultimately have their coalescence in a spiritual totality known as Wakantanka. Because visible symbols speak of invisible truths, and because the Wakantanka inheres in all things, identifying symbols is imperative in the Lakota worldview. "Be open to everything you see, because Wakantanka speaks through everything," is a common refrain, even today.

This article and the ones that follow it in the Lakota Religion section presents a description of some of these symbolic representations of Wakantanka: numbers, shapes or patterns, colours, animals, plants, stones and astronomical phenomena. It also summarises the basic tenets of Lakota philosophy that still endure to the present day.

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Lakota Sioux Articles A General Outline of Lakota Sioux Philosophy:: Introduction Wakantanka, Wakan and Wakan Entities: The Foundations of Lakota Theology I Wakantanka, Wakan and Wakan Entities: The Foundations of Lakota Theology II Wakantanka, Wakan and Wakan Entities: The Foundations of Lakota Theology III Concepts of Life and Death I Concepts of Life and Death II Conclusion Print Entire Article		A General Outline of Lakota Sioux Philosophy:: This article is based on an extensive review of literature relating to Lakota Sioux philosophy and is supplemented by material gathered during the author's 12 months of interviews and field research in South Dakota between 1998 and 1999 as part of anthropological doctoral research on Lakota Sioux environmental activism at the University of Oxford. Introduction Within a Lakota framework, the physical world is the visible manifestation of the invisible, spiritual world. The visible landscape is saturated with symbolic representations of the invisible, awaiting discernment from an intuitive and open body and mind. Discernment is possible because all things share of the same wakan, or sacred, substance, and all things ultimately have their coalescence in a spiritual totality known as Wakantanka. Because visible symbols speak of invisible truths, and because the Wakantanka inheres in all things, identifying symbols is imperative in the Lakota worldview. "Be open to everything you see, because Wakantanka speaks through everything," is a common refrain, even today. This article and the ones that follow it in the Lakota Religion section presents a description of some of these symbolic representations of Wakantanka: numbers, shapes or patterns, colours, animals, plants, stones and astronomical phenomena. It also summarises the basic tenets of Lakota philosophy that still endure to the present day. © 2002 by Bornali Halder Next>>>>

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