Self-Torture Rite of the Gros Ventre Indian Tribe

I shared this self-torture rite practice in class, but I forgot a few things, so I thought I would give some visuals and summarize the main points of this practice.

The self-torture rite is also known as the giving of the flesh, and it occurs on the third day of the four-day long Sun Dance festival. Those who choose to participate in the sacrifice often do so as a way of thanking the supreme being for things such as the return of a lost relative, or healing from a major illness. It is also done as a way of seeking wisdom or to attaining a desired object. Those who choose to participate are responsible to ask an older tribal member to act as his promoter in the ceremony. On the third day, the pledger sits on a robe near the center pole. His promoter pulls out skin from two places on his chest, cuts slits on either side of the stretched flesh, and thrusts a wooden skewer through the slits. A rope is tied to these two skewers. Two cuts are also made on the upper-right shoulder, a skewer is pushed through, and his war shield is attached.

The promoter has the pledger stand up, and holding the ropes attached to the skewers, he shoves the pledger backwards to show him what he is about to undergo. The pledger is also instructed to yank on his war shield to make sure its fastenings are sure. The ropes are then attached to a rope which is attached to the top of the center pole. The pledger begins dancing in an up & down motion in a half-circle around the pole, all the while leaning back in the attempt to rip the skewers from the flesh. He is also responsible to pull his war shield off his shoulder during the dance. If the skewers of a dancer do not rip through his flesh, and the pledger is going through prolonged suffering, a family member of the pledger may give a gift to a warrior of the tribe. He then stands to give a testimony of one of his war achievements to show he is worthy to aid in the ceremony. The warrior then throws his body against the dancer so that the skewers may rip from his chest.

(these are scars of  Ogalala Lakota Indian of South Dakota who had partaken in the Sun Dance rituals in his tribal community - this practice was very widespread among Native Americans)

During these four days of the Sun Dance ceremony, the pledgers and their promoters are fasting from food and drink. Also, if someone has pledged to participate in the self-torture rite, he is responsible to do it four times in his lifetime. For more information, you can check out http://www.jstor.org/stable/25666782 .

Stallcop, Emmett. "The So-Called Sun Dance of the Gros Ventre." Plains Anthropology, 13(40) : 148-
          151, May 1968. Web. 21 Feb 2013.