How Indigenous peoples are reclaiming their summer solstice celebrations − and using them for resistance

If we were to observe the sunrise every morning, we might notice that its position seems to shift somewhat bit day-after-day.

During spring, the sun appears further north on the horizon within the Northern Hemisphere day-after-day. Every 12 months, around June twentieth or twenty first, this movement seems to stop in the so-called summer solsticeDuring this time, the Earth's axis is tilted toward the Sun and the intensity of sunlight is best within the Northern Hemisphere.

As a Historian of AstronomyI’m thinking about the role that astronomical events played for people in precedent days and still play today. My ancestors lived on the Central Mexican Plateauwhere for a lot of indigenous cultures, each past and present, the rising and setting of the sun through the equinoxes and solstices were sacred events.

North American Solstice Rituals

The significance of the summer solstice for the indigenous peoples of Mexico depended largely on regional agricultural cycles. The summer solstice was celebrated within the Aztec ritual calendarThis could also be since the rainy season within the Mexican Basin begins in early May and there was little agricultural activity in June.

In the Sierra Madre Occidental northwest of the basin, nonetheless, the rainy season doesn’t begin until the tip of June. The Wixárika people of the region have a good time the summer solstice with the festival of He calls Neixwhich marks the start of their planting season. The Wixárika are subsistence farmers who grow mainly maize, beans and pumpkins. They are known for his or her annual pilgrimages to the Wirikuta Desert, which they imagine is the birthplace of the sun.

For most of the indigenous peoples of the United States and Canada The summer solstice is related to a ceremonial sun danceIt is believed that the ceremony has its origins among the many Sioux people and spread across the Great Plains within the early nineteenth century after it was taken over by neighboring tribes.

This period also coincided with the Forced displacement of indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands, leading to extreme cultural changes wherein bison hunting and communal land use were replaced by sedentary living and farming on individual plots of land.

Suppression of indigenous culture

In 1883, the US government began a campaign to suppress the Sun Dances, labelling them as crimes for which Punishments included prisonThe dominant culture of the time didn’t consider Native American rituals and beliefs to be true religions—subsequently, they believed they weren’t entitled to the protection of the First Amendment.

In the fight for Religious freedom and to preserve their traditions, many tribal leaders presented the dances as social events and celebrations of national holidaysespecially on July 4th. In other tribal communities the dances were held in secret.

It was not until 1934 that the US government has partially revised its policy and allowed the performance of the dance again, although some ritual features were still forbidden.

In 1972, almost a century after the primary suppression, the Lakota Sun Dance held again within the Pine Ridge Reservation in its full traditional form. Six years later, Congress passed the Native American Religious Freedom Actwhich recognizes the rights of Native Americans to take part in traditional ceremonies, enter sacred sites, and possess sacred objects.

Ritual of resistance

Today, indigenous peoples face many other challenges, including environmental degradation and cultural appropriation.

In the Wirikuta Desert in north central Mexico, industrial agriculture it result in, accelerated groundwater extraction and the decline in biodiversity. The Wixárika individuals are increasingly concerned concerning the impact that is having on their traditional lifestyle.

Around the summer solstice 2023 special pilgrimage was made by members of a regional Wixárika council to wish for rain, protection of their sacred land and “renewal of the world.” The region has experienced heat waves and droughts recently. After the ceremony, the council released a public statement In it, they asked the Mexican government to guard their lifestyle and the environment.

In the USA there’s a brand new conflict over the Sun Dance: In the Eighties, foreign entrepreneurs began to Commercialization of indigenous products and practicesThis includes the organization of Ceremonies and dances for profitwhich are frequently devoid of history and cultural context. The profits rarely flow back to communities, a lot of which struggle for basic resources. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services One in three Native Americans lives in poverty.

In response, during a global gathering of the Sioux in June 1993, it was unanimously Declaration of war against the exploiters of Lakota spirituality was passed, calling on all indigenous peoples to withstand the exploitation and abuse of their sacred traditions. This has resulted in participation in lots of sun dances being restricted to tribal members. Today, Native Americans are still actively working to preserve their culture and spirituality.

The two words “solstice” and “resist” come from the Latin verb to stopwhich suggests “to stop” or “to stand still.” Interestingly, among the resistance actions of indigenous peoples to preserve their traditional lifestyle revolve across the solstice.

The Wixárika individuals are calling on the skin world to stop industrial practices which can be damaging to the environment. The Sioux are demanding an end to the exploitation of their sacred traditions.