ASSINIBOIA - A bright and sunny day for the Wood Mountain memorial victory ride gathering held on June 25 at the Wood Mountain park Lakota First Nation.
Local residents with a Lakota background were united by a common commitment to preserve and sustain their history and culture, during the spiritual and cultural guidance of the Elders and Knowledge Keepers.
This gathering commemorated our Ancestors who were victorious over Custer and the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of Greasy Grass on June 25, 1876. Those who attended are the legacy of the great Chief Sitting Bull and those who journeyed to the uplands of Wood Mountain.
The Elders lifted their pipes to acknowledge and honour the Wanagi - the Spirits of our relatives and Ancestors who are in Spirit World. By lifting pipe, we acknowledged their victory in the Battle of Greasy Grass and asked them to guide us in a good way moving forward.
Relatives, community members, and friends gathered for a day of commemoration and sharing. We shared meal and laughter, and listened to guest speakers share their Lakota knowledge.
Dr. Claire Thomson, a Lakota historian and relative from Wood Mountain, honoured participants with sharing her extensive knowledge about Lakota history from the 1890s onward, centred on Wood Mountain Lakota family connections. Corey Yellow Boy- relative, Lakota language teacher and Knowledge Keeper from the Oglala Lakota of Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, gifted us with singing victory songs, Chief honouring songs and oral histories of Lakota wichoni (way of life).
All this was done with intentions of passing knowledge to our future generations of the Wood Mountain Lakota First Nation. It was a day filled with remembrance and unity. The gathering was open to all people who wished to honour the history and legacy of the Wood Mountain Lakota First Nation and the Battle of Greasy Grass of 1876. It was a very impactful day for us all!
