The Sun Dance Thread

In very general terms, there are features common to the ceremonies of the sun dance cultures. Some of these commonalities include dances and songs passed down through many generations, the use of a traditional drum, a sacred fire, praying with a pipe, fasting, and, in some cases, the ceremonial piercing of skin. Certain native plants are picked and prepared for use during the ceremony. Natural medicines are used for health and well being, as are traditional foods. Wood is harvested for a sacred fire, and a firekeeper must tend the fire that burns for many days and nights.
- Wikipedia

OOC: Can everyone who's participating in the ritual sound off here? We need fire tenders, drummers, and dancers. If any of your kinfolk are participating in supporting roles, please post that also.

Daniel assists the Ritual Leader with opening the rite, lighting the fire and setting up the maypole. When the dance begins he allows himself to be pierced and dances until he passes out.

There's fire-tending involved? Why didn't somebody say so? Dancing and piercing not so much, but Mitch will happily fire-tend.

OOC:  I work in sales, this week is the end of the fiscal quarter.  RL is crazy, sorry for the delay.  
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The Sun Dance for the Wendigo tribe is one of Great Sacrifice. It has been a secret rite for true Wendigo to make a plea to Helios, give back to Gaia, and honor Great Father Wendigo.   The Wendigo Elders have decided to let knowledge of the rite be shared with the Nation in hopes that through the sacrifice of many more Garou it might allow Helios to overcome Nightmaster’s poison.

-- The ritual will be done in the glade on Goat Island in the physical world.  Arrangements were made in advance to block off the island to mortals.  

-- A Lodge of Mysteries is made. The Lodge is a circle with many poles and a hole in the center. This is our sacred space for the Dance to ensure that proper respect for the land is kept.

-- A favored warrior of Gaia is chosen from those that will dance. Thus far the means is to be one that has protected the Pure Lands and has kept themselves pure of taint as Great Wendigo commands of his children.  Folkvar of the Get of Fenris, Wyrm Foe of the Sept had agreed to be our favored warrior.  In his place, Judges Harshly, also of the Get of Fenris will have this duty.

-- A cottonwood tree from Long Point State park is chosen to be the center pole for the ritual. Judges Harshly, as the favored warrior, will chop down the tree. He should approach the tree 3 times while counting coup. On the third approach he chops down the tree.

-- Next, a group of Garou is to hunt for an animal to adorn and decorate the lodge. Wendigo choose Caribou to hunt, but they’re not native to WNY. Instead we will hunt a Stag. The hunt will also take place in and around Long Point State park.  After the hunt we will pay respect to the Stag’s spirt. Its skull and hide will be used to decorate the center pole. Attached to it will be straps with sharpened hooks.  Dancers have the choice to use either bone or silver hooks.

-- The next step is purification. In the early morning before sunrise, the group goes to an inipi, a sweat lodge. The inipi burns sweetgrass. The dancers let the weight of their bodies and souls melt away. Once we are pure again we are ready to dance.

*** IMPORTANT!  No gifts, no talens, and no fetishes are used. Your pain and blood is how we renew our relationship with Gaia and Helios.

-- Traditional music is played and the dance begins at the lodge. The air is filled with sweetgrass and tobacco. We dance around our center totem honoring Helios with songs. As ritemaster, I will act as healer for the group. As the dance continues I will pull a dancer aside and insert the hooks into their body. Those bravest will have the honor of having the hook inserted through both chest and shoulder.
-- Those that are not hooked will continue dancing and sing Howls of introduction to announce our intention to Helios and the Spirit world.

-- Those on the pole will now endure the pain. The rite does not end until your flesh has been ripped from your body. The longer you endure the greater the sacrifice and greater the honor we show for Helios. Our blood returns to Gaia so that we may return to our mother what she has given us and bind ourselves again to Gaia’s favor. The suffering is great, and so is the sacrifice.  

-- When your flesh has ripped from your body I will come to press healing herbs into your wounds and provide a tobacco pipe to ease the pain.

-- The dance ends when each person has pulled free from the hooks. The goal is to go from sun up to sun down on the longest day of the year so that Helios will hear our prayers.

-- After the dance ends we celebrate and feast.

Artemis shows up that morning wearing jean shorts and a tank top. She has a dangerous intensity in her eyes. "Let's fucking do this!" She will push away the bone hook, opting straight for the silver. She'll dance depending on how well she likes the music, but she won't do anything like a native dance. She's Greek. Also not good at dancing. She headbangs, she moshes, she does a two-step when she's tired. She'll tire out sometime just before dusk, rip the hook out, refuse tobacco, and eat like a pig.

Miguel will help hunt the stag and under goes the rite of purification. He will ask that he be hooked to the pole with silver. He will dance without reckless abandon, but with an enthusiastic but measured step. He dances for as long as he is able and when his legs give, he grimly turns so that his weight tears the hooks deeper, hanging himself until and unless the hooks, flesh, or rope give. He calmly accepts the poultice and eats a few choice bits at the feast.

J will arrive on time and strip out of his many layers, of hobo sheek.

he talks briefly with the Rights master and then takes his place. he Askes Stanley to use the silver hooks,any one Listing closely will hear well Folkvar was going to do it and he cant so im going to take his place with the silver. he is not a grate dancer but he clearly has some skill. J goes slowly at first watching learning the steps, and slowly picks up speed until the hooks ripp out or he maches pace with the fastest dancers.

When the dance is over he accepts the treatment, and then tares in to the feast with a realish that only a man who has starved can mange.

Clint arrives early, dressed in recently-acquired clothing covered in Fianna decoration, intricate Irish embriodery patterns, celtic runes, garou runes, done with various levels of skill from rudimentary to breathtakingly expert. His chest is bare, but the fabric wraps around waist and hips, colored pure white. Originally, he had mesnt these garments for somethong else, but the Sun Dance seems a perfect place to wear them.

Members of Clint's pack or those close to him will know the various decorations are contributions of his Kinfolk.

As the hunt is for a Stag, he cannot pass it up, and he will help in this before opting for silver hooks for the dance itself. He dances in great variance, from traditional dances of his homeland to mimicry of others, though no ill-will is meant. He is trying to learn, to share comraderie with the Nation, his sept mates, his pack mates, and trying to honor his pact with Falcon.

He dances until he has nothing left, and then he dances more, the physical pain here nothing compared to the pain of loss, the ache of failure, the burn of dishonor. He uses his past, his family, his friends, his losses and failures as motivation to push himself until the hooks rip from him.

Blood and sweat soak the white garments he wears, and it seems this is exactly the way he wanted it, his first smile of the day crossing his features as he moves to gorge himself on the feast and on drink.

"Dietrich will be there and he wears nothing but some shorts and Battle Scars he will opt also for the Silver Hooks"

Steelheart is there in support of his packmates, assisting with the ritual. He's tending the fire with Mitch, helping to provide herbs for Stanley to use in the healing of the participants.

"Shit," says Artie, shaking her head. "I haven't seen this much pasty white flesh since high school."

"Hey, Steelheart." Mitch's voice is pitched low. "Is it a bad thing if the fire get a little - hotter - during the ceremony?"

Steelheart shrugs. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I don't know this rite. Ask Stanley?"

No Mitch, keep the fires at a standard level. The dancers don't need to worry about the fire while they dance. You did a great job with the sweat lodge.

There is a large black wolf cub, 14 months old, named Jack that belongs to Clint who is good at fetching and carrying tasks, and will being various items to and from people upon request.

A few women and children are also present, dressed in attire similar to Clint's, if not covering a bit more as they are not participating in the dance itself. They help anywhere they can, their skills and skill levels varied, but enthusiasm amongst all relatively high.