"Travelogue: Mato Paha (Bear Butte), SD"

Before I begin with pictures, let me direct you to some information about "Mato Paha", which is Lakota (loosely) for "Bear Butte" NW of Rapid City. This mountain is far more sacred than other sites, full of historical significance within the Native Nations, and site of "vision quests" for some of the greatest of tribal leaders that lived...a special location where the Teton Nations had gathered at times, with tens of thousands from various tribes surrounding the convening council...and I'm glossing over the major points of importance...


Contrast that with the annual decadent and massive Sturgis Motorcycle Rally which is centered a stone's throw away, and you have your classic conflict of Tradition vs. Society...complicate that even further with 'developers' who want to buy land as close to Bear Butte as possible and put in "bars with a view" and you have a real railroad crash of principles that know no middle ground.

The site is actively used by Native Americans for their ceremonies and rituals...luckily, one attempt to put a shooting range right beside the State-owned property was itself shot down...

And so I share with you pictures from my hike up Mato Paha on a February day in 2005, where on the sunny side it reached near 70, yet on the shady side was decidedly colder...and I met no one until I ran into some Lakota folks heading up as I reached the bottom on my return hike...which being 'alone' was all helpful in taking in the views, recalling the history I read, and honoring the numerous prayer cloths tied to vegetation, prayers of those gone before me...


God has many names and definitions. Most of us accept the power of a supreme being whose infinite handiwork created the Beauty we see all around. It's all Good and Appropriate...the Lakota, like all Native Nations, hold sacred personal experiences known as 'vision quests', which among other things involves time alone with Nature and the Elements for several days, fasting and praying, 'questing for visions' that will guide them through the rest of their life...Mato Paha was and continues to be a classic destination for the above.

The brightly colored cloths seen tied to vegetation are associated with prayer ties, which as their name implies are basically associated with prayer and mindful attention to Spirit in general. A few traditionalists argue that they are personal and shouldn't be photographed...my take is I am sharing with you something positive, beautiful, and something sacred, whose explanation serves to enlighten us all...giving attention to things Spiritual in our lives is extremely important, and Mato Paha is such a sacred destination...


And so you see the beauty as you climb the heights of Mato Paha, aided by beautiful winter weather that was anything but...it was a peaceful and introspective hike, as well it should be...the energy is very different there, and is best 'known' through being quiet and listening to the wind and the rocks speaking.

Here is a link to the Video Postcard I made for it back in 2005. FYI, the closing words "Pilamaya ye, Wakhan Thanka" basically means "Thank you, Great Spirit" in Lakota.