Oglala Sioux Holy Man
The life of an Indian is like the wings of the air. That is why you notice the hawk knows how to get his prey. The Indian is like that. The hawk swoops down on its prey ; so does the Indian.
In his lament he is like an animal. For instance, the coyote is sly; so is the Indian. The eagle is the same. That is why the Indian is always feathered up; he is a relative to the wings of the air.
"You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours.
Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves.
A. Take care of Mother Earth and the other colors of man.
B. Respect this Mother Earth and creation.
C. Honor all life, and support that honor.
D. Be grateful from the heart for all life. It is through life that there is survival. Thank the Creator at all times for all life.
E. Love, and express that love.
F. Be humble. Humility is the gift of wisdom and understanding.
G. Be kind with one's self and with others.
H. Share feelings and personal concerns and commitments.
I. Be honest with one's self and with others. Be responsible for these sacred instructions and share them with other nations.
By far the largest of the Sioux bands, representing the majority of the Teton Sioux, the Lakota of the Pine Ridge Reservation have one of the best known Indian tribal flags. The 2,782 square mile reservation in southwestern South Dakota (NAA, 36-43) is bordered by the State of Nebraska to the south, the Rosebud Sioux Reservation to the east and Badlands National park to the west.
The Oglala Band of the Teton have given the Sioux,and the United States two of the most famous Indians of all times. Both Chief Red Cloud and Chief Crazy Horse were Oglalas.
The 14,500 plus residents of the reservation utilize a red flag that, when fringed for indoor or parade use, employs a deep blue fringe to incorporate the colors of the United States into the design. This red flag bears a circle of eight teepees representing the eight districts of the reservation.
They stand for the Porcupine, the Wakpamni,the Medicine Root, Pass Creek, Eagle Nest, White Clay, LaCreek and Wounded Knee districts.
This last district is home to the small chapel and graveyard that mark the site of the last major engagement in the Indian wars. The battle, more justly called a massacre, finally broke the spirit of the Sioux when the United States military killed between 150 and 200 followers of the Ghost Dance religion founded by a Paiute Indian named Wovoka.
The military grew alarmed by the size and fervor of the Ghost Dance participants, and alarmed by the spin added to the new religion when a pair of Miniconjou Sioux started teaching that the wearing of "ghost shirts" would protect the wearer from the white man's bullets.
Today, the flag of red, symbolizes the blood shed by the Sioux in defense of their lands and the very idea of the "red men". The flag is a very common sight at all Native American powwows, not just at Sioux gatherings. Since its inception in 1961, the flag of the Oglala Sioux has taken on a larger role. More than any other flag, the flag of the Oglala Sioux could be considered "the" flag of the Native American peoples.
In the late 1960s or early 1970s, another flag appeared to represent the Oglala Sioux people. The flag, shown in a black and white newspaper clipping (the estimated date comes from the reverse - an article about "President" Nixon- therefore 1969 to 1974) supplied by the Flag Research Center. The flag had a light colored background bearing a warrior's shield with what might have been a thunderbird. Behind the shield were a pair of spears crossed to form an 'X'. This flag bore the legend "Oglala Sioux Nation. No other references to this flag have been found. Perhaps after reading this it may inspire a reader to provide additional data about this "lost flag".
"The nation's hoop is broken and scattered. There is no center any longer, and the sacred tree is dead."
Black Elk, Oglala Holy Man...on the aftermath of the Massacre at Wounded Knee
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