Spirit Dancer



Early Life

Spirit Dancer is a Lakota woman who was born and raised in Siha Sapa her mother is a clan mother who was known as Spotted Eagle who was once one of the leading healers in Siha Sapa before Owl it is said that her mother was close friends to Owl so the family has great respect for her as the new clan mother and elder of the community. Spirit Dancers farther was a Oglala man known as Sunset Turtle. Her farther was much older then her mother said to be a old War Chief in Oglala many years ago he died when she was young but she remembers several War Chiefs before Grey Wolf that come after Sunset Turtle. It is believed Spirit Dancer is related to most of the families that are local to Oglala and one or two in the Siha Sapa region.

Coming of Age Ceremony

Upon her coming of age ceremony to becoming a woman in the transition from girl she became active in learning and practicing traditions and ceremonies. Her grandmother taught her the teachings of a turtle on a rattle telling her this is the grand mother teachings each line on the turtles back represent something. We as clan mothers must hold the community and family together. She learned the common shores of a woman growing up but also learned how to counsel and speak when men could not decide things. She has some leadership skills that helps for when the men are off hunting she knows hot to use a knife better then most men. She may not be the finest healer in the village but she does gather or rack up more berries and herbs then most woman of her age in Siha Sapa.

Marriage

Growing up she was always close to a boy known as Morning Sun they fell in love and upon leaving Siha Sapa Morning Sun promised to marry her when he returned from his first great hunt with the white man he brought her grandfather three horses, two rifles and a cart full of buffalo meat he won the right to marry Spirit Dancer although the two would have married either way. They married in the traditional way each trip he returned with more to provide eventually giving birth to Little Thunder Bear, Spirit Dancer begun to focus on raising her sun, taking care of Siha Sapa and keeping the teachings going at the Sun Dance, praying circles and other ceremonies practiced in Siha Sapa. Some would consider her the keeper of wisdom and knowledge in Siha Sapa as she remembers better then most local Lakota how things where in her childhood before the coming of the first white man.