Relationships form a core value for Native communities. White Hat gives a description of O’mitakuye Oyasin as an understanding of that phenomenon. In this paper, I will give a definition of O’mitakuye Oyasin, an example of how the definition plays out in Lakota culture and an American Indian cultural event, and the importance of relationships in the event. White Hat defines O’mitakuye Oyasin (Mitakuye Oyas’in) as “to remember that we are all relatives” (White Hat 92). This is very important to the Lakota’s because it’s a crucial part of all their ceremonies. It is how they address each other as they pray. This goes into play for everyone except the Wakiyan. When they talk to the Wakiyan, they ask the eagle or the coyote to translate their prayers because mistakes do not want to be made. They are all still relatives, though, even though they aren’t addressed directly and another nation is asked to translate prayers.…show more content… An example that I saw in the video about the definition of O’mitakuye Oyasin was how many Indians came together to fight for their culture. In February of 1973, cars packed with Indians drove towards Wounded Knee to save their traditions. They were angry about losing their land, language, and getting ripped off of their ability to live as Indian people, so they decided to take a stand because if they didn’t, they would loose what defines who they are. Many Native Americans from all across the nation came to Wounded Knee. Together, they all stood as relatives for 71 days to fight for what was hoped to be a new beginning for Indians. Relationships were important in this example because they were all fighting for each other, and without the kind of relationship they all have with each other, nothing would have happened and they could have lost everything that’s important to
