The story of our sun dance could be related in different ways. Let’s say that about fifteen undisciplined and jolly frenchies met in an Indian reservation in 2008 ; let’s say that an unlikely Lakota Indian named Steven and his cousins from Rosebud were necessary. Let’s say that in the middle of Hollow Horn Bear‘s sundance, a small man with a soft voice in between 2 rounds of powerful songs started talking about the canunpa, of the white buffalo calf woman, of peace.

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Howard Bad Hand had been invited that day, like every year, as in many other famous sundances, to talk about peace. For Howard it was not about telling orders, uses and advice ; for him, it was about sharing the fruit of a genuine meditation, registered in duration. One could feel in the quiet tone of his voice, that he knew what he was talking about. Moreover, it was as if Peace was talking through him, as if the white buffalo calf woman was teaching again that day. Peace starts from oneself, he could say. And peace was here, obvious and tangible within this small man ; sometimes one asks oneself if this small man is the son of some great warriors from the plains or the son of these skinny wise men from ancient China.

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When the time came for me to dance near the sacred tree, it was obvious to go near Howard, at Red Valley. My attention had been drawn by a small detail. At Red Valley, Howard did not mind that women with menstruation could dance, carry the canunpa or do whatever the other participants and dancers were doing. It was not a small detail.

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We felt at home at Red Valley. It was just like being in a Bison Noir’s camp. Every day there was a talk circle, any time there were jokes and kindness. People came from everywhere, from every tradition and from every nation. We got to discover the Navajos with their beautiful songs , Polynesians, Japanese, whites, blacks, some in between… We felt good.

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Year after year, our group, named “the French connection”, was growing so much that one day I said that it would be the Americans’ turn to come and dance in France. The tree agreed with me and the visions came. When I asked the Spirit what I could do for the earth, a voice whispered me its answer :” I will give you a sacred tree”.

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It was then in 2013. We had just about finished setting the “wolf camp“. At the end of the vision quest that year, just a few days after us returning from the States, I could hear again the voice :”I will give you a sacred tree”. In front of me ,on the road leading to Alayrac, as if out of my dreams, I could see a cottonwood, the tree we dance with. That tree in fact was much too big to be used but it was the very first cottonwood I could notice on this place. There are many of them along the road leading to the camp, as if planted intentionally. We adopted this big cottonwood as the elder of the sacred trees ; we honour him and go to him before choosing the tree for the dance so he can guide us in our choice.

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During the next summer, I was planning to ask Howard for his support but in fact it was in summer 2015 that I offered Howard a canunpa to ask him for his help to create this Sundance in France. I remember as our common elder,Sitting Bull himself, was standing behind Howard, and encouraging me to tell him about my visions of a Sundance in France. I remember that Howard –who already had told me about his wish to come and help us – expressed the one condition :"I do want to help you dance as long as you dance for peace”. I remember answering then :”For what else would we do it ?”. Facing the canunpa, he accepted to come and help us create this Sundance for peace in France. For 4 times and more if necessary so that we could learn in a good way.

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Peace comes from the earth. It is its breath, its love and its harmony. I only recently understood that the Sundance was the answer to my prayer. What can we do for the earth? We can dance our prayers for peace.

We are all connected .

Mitakuye oyasin.

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Mathieu Loup Gris

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