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Material Type: Exam; Professor: Myscofski; Class: Introduction to Myths/Rituals; Subject: Religion; University: Illinois Wesleyan University; Term: Fall 2010;
Typology: Exams
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Nate Nesbit Myths & Rituals: The Purposes of Rituals Topic 2 The primary purpose of the Lakota Vision Quest is for the person going on the quest to be alone with Wakantanka, in order that Wakantanka will impart upon them a gift. The ritual begins with the cleansing ceremony in the Yuwipi as the tobacco offerings, flags and pipe are blessed. Then Plenty Wolf leads Wayne up the hill and sets up the sacred area that Wayne will be restricted to, after which he smokes the pipe with Wayne. Then Wayne is left alone on the hill for two days (a day and a night), during which time he isn’t allowed food or water. It is during this time that he receives a vision from Wakantanka that comes in all shapes and sizes. After his vision Plenty Wolf returns to lead him down from the sacred hill. In the beginning of Yuwipi Wayne’s father becomes ill and he decides that he needs to go on a vision quest to help his father to be healed. This is Wayne’s personal reason for going on the vision quest, he is looking to go on the quest so that he may converse with Wakantanka about his father. That is the main purpose of the Vision Quest, to seek a personal audience with Wakantanka. In many Lakota rituals those involved will speak to Wakantanka through prayer, singing, and even dancing but it is always done in a communal fashion. This communal theme is transparent throughout the values of the Lakota, in their daily lives and in their myths. Sending a single individual out to do anything is out of the ordinary and is most cases is something that is looked down upon. The case of the vision quest is unique for just that reason, it is a break from the norm where the individual going out becomes honored rather than questioned for their solo action.
The reason that this anomaly is so tolerated and even encouraged by the Lakota is because having a personal relationship with Wakantanka is highly valued and something that is sought after. The participant in the vision quest goes out and waits with only a single hope carried in their heart. They want to see a vision, they aren’t sure how they will see the vision, when or where but they want to see a vision. They want Wakantanka to communicate with them while they are alone on a hilltop, and the message that Wakantanka conveys to them has some hidden meaning that will help the community of the person on the quest. In this way the one on the quest is granted a gift that they in turn carry back to their communities. That gift is the main purpose of the vision quest and it isn’t attained through a community it is granted to an individual by Wakantanka. The ritual leader views the vision quest in a very similar light as the participant on the quest does. Both see the vision as a gift from Wakantanka to the participant, but the participant sees the vision as something raw and untamed, whereas the ritual leader sees through the images and delves into their meanings. The ritual leader “translates” the vision and it becomes the gift for the community that the participant had hoped to find on his quest. From the ritual leader’s perspective the vision has the dual purpose of also bringing the one going on the quest into his flock. The vision quest is a way for the ritual leader to solidify the beliefs and support of the participant. The community’s view on the ritual is similar to the ritual leader in that the quest is a symbolic pledging of the participant to Wakantanka and the ways of the Lakota. As we see in Yuwipi, Wayne is a drunk who doesn’t resemble anyone’s idea of what an ideal Lakota Indian should be. Once he tells Plenty Wolf that he wants to go on the vision quest he is proving to himself and the community that he wants to dedicate the rest of his life to following the ways of