Heȟáka Wačhípi: Re-examining the Elk Dance to understand Lakota Women’s Sacred Roles in Ceremony through Rock Art

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Technique and Interpretation in the Archaeology of Rock Art" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Historically, researchers have interpreted rock art based on ethno-historical accounts of ceremonies as male-created and male-oriented experiences and spaces. This has led to researchers ignoring traditional women’s roles in the creation of rock art as well as women’s interaction with rock art spaces. I examine how Lakota women of the North American High Plains created and experienced ceremonial imagery at rock art sites specifically focusing on elk iconography. These sites containing elk ceremonial imagery are widespread throughout the plains but the current focus of the project is on sites in Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming. The project synthesizes ethnography of Lakota individuals, both men and women, with more traditional archaeological methods to analyze the elk images and interpret them through an indigenous perspective.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Technique and Interpretation in the Archaeology of Rock Art   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23071