08/17/2026
There is a misunderstanding about Sundance that I want to explain. Some people believe that when we Sundance, we pray to the tree.
The tree gives us a place to focus while we dance and pray. We stare at that tree for hours, but our prayers are going to the Creator. The tree helps us focus our minds, our bodies and our spirits on the Creator.
We respect and love that tree because it gave its life so we could have our ceremony. That does not mean we worship it. We honour it as one of the Creator’s creations. That respect carries throughout ceremony. We respect the eagle, the water, Mother Earth, the Sun, the medicines, the animals and all living things. Everything the Creator made was given life through his Spirit and purpose. We don’t worship Creation. We respect Creation because it comes from the Creator.
There is another part of Sundance that people sometimes have difficulty understanding: sacrifice. When our physical bodies become weak, our spirits can become stronger.
Think about Jesus when he went into the wilderness to fast. He went without food for forty days and faced temptation while turning his attention toward God. He removed the comforts and distractions of the physical world and placed his faith in God. Jesus came to this earth not only to pay for our sins but also to teach us how we can become closer to God, through him, through his teachings. He didn’t only come to earth to give his life, he came to teach us and show us that we can do it to. His sacrifice, your sacrifice for God is similar in pain and suffering. When he spoke those words for you to give your life through him, he said you will sit at the right hand of the Father he was saying follow what I do and you will have that connection.
Also think about what Jesus endured when he was crucified. Christians believe he willingly endured suffering and gave his life for others. His suffering had spiritual meaning. His sacrifice was not about hurting himself for the sake of pain. It was about something greater than himself. When he suffered he became weak so his spirit can become stronger. In doing this, earthly things did not matter, only the spiritual did. In all his teachings he said do not concentrate what is on earth but those things in heaven, Spiritual things. That is something I think people should consider before judging Sundance.
When we Sundance, we fast. We go without food and water during the ceremony. We dance when our bodies are tired. We pray when our mouths are dry. We continue when our legs hurt and our physical strength is disappearing.
As the physical becomes weaker, something happens spiritually. The everyday distractions begin to disappear. You aren’t thinking about money, possessions, work or the things you normally worry about. Your focus becomes prayer, the Creator, your family, your community and the people who need those prayers.
We don’t always discover our greatest spiritual strength when everything in life is comfortable. It is when we are struggling, grieving, hurting or carrying something heavy that we reach toward the Creator the hardest. Those can be the moments when we recognize the Creator’s gifts and blessings most clearly.
Christianity has Jesus and its own sacred teachings and ways of reaching God. We respect that. We don’t call Christianity evil because its ceremonies and teachings are different from ours. We recognize it as another people’s way of building their relationship with God. I personally have been baptized, I still follow Christs teachings, he is my saviour. I never once thought Jesus was the issue, it has always been man and man’s interpretation of what Jesus came here for. Spirituality is not something we can just try to follow, it is something we have to commit ourselves to, have faith in him means have faith in his teachings and dedicate your life to his Word. I do this in Sundance, it is beautiful.
When I Sundance, I am not praying to a tree. I am praying to the Creator. The tree stands before me as part of Creation, just like the cross. My thirst, hunger, exhaustion, prayers and sacrifice are not worship of that tree or that cross, I give all my suffering to that tree and hold that cross tight. They are part of removing the distractions of the physical world so my spirit can concentrate on something greater.
Sundance is about sacrifice, prayer, respect for Creation and strengthening my relationship with the Creator.
“When the physical becomes weak, the spiritual becomes strong.”
