Sacred Texts Native American Plains Index Previous Next
(As explained by One-star, July 8th, 1897 and interpreted by Elmer Red-eyes.)
A Sicun is like a spirit. It is the ton-ton sni, that is, it is immortal and cannot die. A Lakota may have many Sicunpi, but he always has one. It is Wakan, that is, it is like Wakan Tanka. It may be the spirit of anything. A Shaman puts the spirit in a Sicun. The Bear taught the shamans how to do this. A Lakota should know the songs and if he sings them his sicun will do as he wishes. One Sicun may be more powerful than another. The Sicun may be of the Great Spirit. If it is opposed by
the Sicun of herbs it is the most powerful. The Sicun of a good spirit is more powerful than the Sicun of a bad spirit. The power of sweetgrass is always the spirit of the spirit that is with the south wind. This is always pleasing to the good spirits. The bad spirits do not like the smoke of the sweetgrass. The smoke of sage will drive bad spirits away. A medicineman knows the songs of his medicines and they are his Sicun. The Sicun that has the power of the spirit should be colored. Red is the color of the sun; blue, the color of the moving spirit; green the color of the spirit of the earth; and yellow is the color of the spirit of the rock. These colors are also for other spirits. Blue is the color of the wind; red is the color of all spirits. The colors are the same for the friends of the Great Spirits. Black is the color of the bad spirits. A man who paints red is pleasing to the spirits. A Sicun is a man's spirit. A man's real spirit is different from his Sicun spirit. Ni is also like a spirit. It is a man's breath. It is the spirit of smoke. It is the spirit of steam. It is the spirit of the sweatlodge. It purifies the body. The bear taught these things to the shamans.