Thank You: Sue, Jessie, Vic, Stacy, Ben, Lakota and all those who stayed behind and left the communal kitchen looking like this:) We LOVE You!
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Cedar Call
The Call is out, for Four Cedar seedlings to be planted at the Sundance grounds, to replace the Four used in the previous round of dances.
West Coast, NZ are invited to donate One seedling.
Southern, NZ are invited to donate a seedling.
East, NZ are invited to donate One seedling.
North, NZ are invited to donate a seedling
We know where we live, we know who we are, please connect and present your Seedling via Representative or yourself for Tree Day 2016.
Vision Quest
When a person has a calling or is interested in participating in a SunDance as a SunDancer they must Quest before.
Questing involves sitting by yourself for four days, calling to Creation, Great Spirit for your vision or asking for a solution and guidance to a problem or question. A Quester is fasting with no food or water during these four days.
They sit in a circle of 405 prayer ties on a continuance string 100 Yellow, 100 Black, 100 Red, 100 White and 5 Purple. These should be done and prepared before your arrival.
On the 1st Day of Vision Quest, we do Inip Ceremony one round before taking you to your Vision Quest site. In your circle of prayer ties, you may have only what you can carry. Which pretty much means something to sleep in, your pipe or tobacco for praying, your prayer ties, sunblock, tarp, survival blanket and insect repellent.
The suggestion made to arrive early is so you can choose and clear your Vision Quest Site, prepare and slow down.
Vision Quest DATES will be added nearer to Dance commencement, please ensure your email address is added to receive notifications.
Kia ora and Greetings Sundancers
Kia ora and Greetings Sundancers
Sundance 2016 is fast approaching and no doubt you are making your own personal preparations. Sundance is realised by all Sundancers committing to give time, energy and resources to facilitate a spiritual and cultural exchange for peace and prosperity in Aotearoa.
Vision Quest dates are: Friday 5th February 2016 to Monday 8th Feb (Waitangi Day). Meet Sundance Grounds 10am.
All those wising to participate please make direct contact in advance with Simon or email your intention here. See Fees.
Sundance 2016 Shirts available!
7 Singlets, 15 x T-Shirts and are now available, just order what you need for now, ensuring enough to go round (contact us), we have sizes: small, medium, large, XL & XXL. (All-Black, shirts made in the Indian subcontinent.).
Cost: $22 each. (i’ll send you a bank acc,#.to deposit funds into when your sizes & quantity are confirmed)
We will try and deliver by hand where poss. (can also ship via A5 courierPost track -bag for $6 non-RD1 or $10.50 A4 (2xshirts) non-Rd1)
Big Thanks to Tim for the Joy & passion he put in to create the image.
SunDance 2016: Dates announced.
Feb 21st to 28th 2016.
Treeday: Wednesday 24th Feb. Closing feast Sunday 28th.
Koha towards participation : $250 – Sundancers. $150 Vision Quest.
All Sundancers must vision quest to be eligible to partake in the Full Sundance celebration.
The Drum
The “Drum” is the heartbeat for the Sundance ceremony.
We believe “The Drum” is about Unity, Focus, Support, Joy and Mystery.
- Unity in that we all choose to act together – providing a clear, strong and singular heartbeat for dancers
- Focus in that we pay attention to each other, the energy and our role within the Sundance ceremony
- Support in that we choose to give to those who are dancing (through the drumming and singing) so that they are nourished, strengthened and held safely during the dance
- Joy in that we are an expression of the “Earths” (Papatuanuku, Gaia, Mother Earth…) heartbeat
- Mystery
More background to the ‘Drum’ in relation to our Sundance, can be found by clicking here.
Sundance Protocols
The Sundance is a sacred ceremony from the White Buffalo Calf Pipe tradition of the Lakota people. Our Founding Dance Chief in Aotearoa/New Zealand, the late Chief Whitecloud (Patrick Hendrickson). Sundance is a ceremony where people come together to heal and bring renewal to the people and the land. It is a prayer for life. As it is a sacred ceremony belonging to the Indigenous people of North America and Canada therefore active respect needs to given to things around the “Dance”.
Inipi (Sweat Lodge)
For thousands of years different cultures have used ritual sweat baths as a way to assist in good health. The Sundance provides the opportunity for people to participate in a traditional Inipi or sweat lodge (purification lodge).
The sweat lodge is in the “White Buffalo Calf Woman” tradition from the Lakota people.
Patrick Hendrickson (WhiteCloud)
Whitecloud was a native from North America; and a member of the Anishnabe tribe. He lived much of his life on a reserve (White Earth Reserve) where he learned from a diverse perspective of a native growing up in a changing world for the native people. His guidance and experience in a ceremonial life, as well as a strong instruction of the native philosophy of land and life helped him stay within his culture and survive. This would be of great help to him in later years.
Whitecloud is a Sundancer and Pipe Carrier; he is a practitioner of many healing ceremonies taught to him by his elders and colleagues over a 50-year span. Whitecloud also facilitated Sundances in Canada and New Zealand (Aotearoa) along with all the related ceremonies, Purification Lodges, Vision Quest, and one to one sessions.