Little Wound Elementary celebrated our 5th grade girls as they transition to   middle school during the “Elementary Girls Reviving Their Roles as Lakota   Women” event. Our young women learned about their roles as Lakota   Women. A special thank you to all of our speakers and families who   attended. A special thank you to Twila Hopkins and the Project Aware staff.

 

The history of the Pte Wa?na Sa Pi or the Communal Hunt.  The size of the hunt would depend on the size of community.  It usually happened anywhere from this time to maybe late September or later, when it cools down so the meat don’t spoil. The women and children would butcher the buffalos as they were shot.  

 

The last Pte Wa?na Sa Pi was held in 1877, the year after the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The people were camped at Ft. Robinson in Nebraska, and they heard of buffalo around the area of Lusk, Wyoming.  There was a herd of about 100 buffalo so they killed about 80 of them to feed the people. 

 

The young man who was chosen by the community or family would go through this Coming of Age ceremony called Wicaša Ihu??i Pi. Four nights of inipi would be held with this young man, and the older men would talk to him during those 4 nights. Then on the 5th day, he would shoot the buffalo.  After this was done, a wopila would be done where he would be taken into the inipi.