The RitualThiyóšpayeand the Social Organization of Contemporary Lakota Ceremonial Life

Abstract

AbstractThis paper examines continuity and change in Lakota belief and ritual, focusing on the social organization of contemporary Lakota ceremonial life. For many Lakotas of Pine Ridge Reservation ritual structures life. The contemporary religious landscape consists of a number of ritual groups, which I call ritualthiyóšpayes, after the Lakota word for band or lodge group, the extended family and historical basic unit of kinship. At the center of these groups is a religious practitioner, a symbol of group identity and solidarity. Ritualthiyóšpayes consist of core and sub‐core member families that regularly attend rituals and other corporately sponsored social events. The cohesion of a ritualthiyóšpayeis based largely on equality, mutual help, participation, and one‐mindedness. The relationship between a practitioner and his ritualthiyóšpayeis dynamic, characterized by reciprocity, mutual influence, and exchange: the practitioner shapes the beliefs, worldview, and identity of his followers, symbolizing the group to both members and nonmembers, while simultaneously being shaped by his followers as a representative of their social, psychological, and religious needs, beliefs, and values. Although patterns of social interaction have changed since the dawn of the reservation period, there remains a distinct and undeniable continuity with past traditions.