sun dance

noun

1. a religious ceremony associated with the sun, practiced by North American Indians of the Plains, consisting of dancing attended with various symbolic rites and commonly including self-torture.

sun dance

noun

1. a North American Indian ceremony associated with the sun, performed at the summer solstice

Word History and Origins

Origin of sun dance¹

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

“We don’t want them flying around trying to watch our sun dances or ceremonies or something,” he said.

From Seattle Times

For years, meals at the summer sun dance ceremonies on the Eastern Shoshone tribe’s lands in Wyoming were missing something that was once a staple of the sacred rituals.

From New York Times

Black Elk grew up in the community with a mother who was deeply traditional and a father who had been a Benedictine monk, attending traditional sun dances every summer and Catholic Mass every Sunday.

From Washington Post

He said that fans made from the feathers are used for healing and blessing purposes while eagle bones can be shaped into whistles for sun dance ceremonies and other rituals.

From BBC

In just an hour’s drive, you’re transported from landlocked Lecce, where the sun dances across limestone churches and streets paved in marble, to a quiet seaside town.

From New York Times