Lakota Moon Experience

Enter the sacred circle on this expansive journey into Lakota native american culture. This odyssey traverses the wide open prairie, shining mountains, rolling plains and mighty rivers of the Lakota Indian Nation, the landscape of the dreamers and the dreams. We follow the history of the Lakota people through great leaders such as Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, and Crazy Horse, and attempt to appreciate the historic and contemporary realities of the Tetonwan Oyate.

Itinerary
Arriving at Rapid City, South Dakota, shuttle to your hotel and meet the next morning ready for the start of your Lakota Moon journey, and we begin by entering "He Sapa Wakan" – The Heart of everything that is – the sacred Black Hills, Holy Land of the Lakota people.

In the Black Hills we seek out Tatanka, the buffalo, and in sight of one of the last free herds of buffalo we will explore the spiritual and physical significance of the buffalo to the Lakota people

At Wind Cave we will learn of Lakota genesis. At the Place of the Thunders, Hinhan Kaja Paha, we ascend the highest point in the Black Hills upon which Black Elk experienced much of what embodied the story of his life as told in Black Elk Speaks.

At the Bear's Lodge (Devils Tower) we hear ancient tribal explanations of the sacred rock’s creation, then standing before the sacred mountain, Inyan Kara.

Traveling north to the band of Crazy Horse’s mother, the Minneconjou Lakota of the Cheyenne River Reservation, we visit the area where Pte San Win, the White Buffalo Calf Woman, brought the Sacred Pipe to the Lakotas and the knowledge of the Seven Sacred Rites. With tribal members, we discuss the significance and sanctity of the pipe. Continuing north, we reach the Standing Rock Reservation of the Hunkpapa Lakota, the band of Sitting Bull and Gall, whom are among the great leaders we will discuss. We explore the life and legacy of Tatanka Iyotake, the great Hunkpapa Lakota patriot and visionary – Sitting Bull. From his birthplace on the Standing Rock Reservation, to his resistance of white encroachment and inspiring leadership, we visit the sites and discuss the events that shaped the life of Sitting Bull Heading south through the Crow Creek Reservation, we visit the Akta Lakota Museum and Heritage Center, then we continue south to Fort Pierre on the Missouri River.

Amidst the incredible landscape of Mako Sica, the Badlands, we hear the perspectives of Lakota ambassadors whose ancestors gave all to protect Lakota culture: from the arrival of the Europeans, to ‘Red Cloud’s War’ of 1866 and the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, to the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Wounded Knee Massacre.

Driving through the Badlands to Pine Ridge Reservation we reach the land of Red Cloud, the Oglala Lakota Nation, and take the Chief Red Cloud trail on the way to Wounded Knee.

We finish our journey at one of the most sacred sites on the Northern Plains – Mato Paha - Bear Butte. Your final night will be in Billings, and this will be a time to relax and remember the people you have met and the natural environment that surrounded you for the previous days and nights. The final day you will awake, refeshed and we will transfer you to the airport for your journey home.

Highlights of Lakota Moon Experience:
He Sapa Wakan - the sacred Black Hills
Hinhan Kaja Paha – Harney Peak
Standing Rock Reservation of the Lakota
Sitting Bull’s birthplace
Crow Creek Reservation
Akta Lakota Museum and Heritage Center
Fort Pierre on the Missouri River
Mako Sica, the Badlands
Pine Ridge Reservation Oglala Lakota Nation,
Wounded Knee
Mato Paha - Bear Butte

Where: South Dakota, North Dakota
Tribes: Lakota Sioux
Start: Rapid City Airport, South Dakota        
Finish: Rapid City Airport, South Dakota
Duration: 12 days/nights, plus 2 travel days
Age: 17 yrs upwards. No upper limit.

Our Lakota Moon experience was recently voted one of National Geographic Traveler's 50 Tours Of A Lifetime. Come join us on the Lakota Moon, book online now by clicking the price below.