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WoLakota Project & Teachings of Our Elders

All Living Things Are Holy with Jerome Dancing Bull

Explore All Living Things Are Holy with Jerome Dancing Bull with available transcripts, learning questions and source alignments in the South Dakota and North Dakota Elde

Interview · North Dakota · Jerome Dancing Bull · NDNAEU 1

Themes: Kinship & family, Spirituality & ceremony, Values & generosity, Food & plants, Arts & expression

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Learn About questions

What does it mean for a living thing to be holy? What is the difference between hunting for survival and hunting for sport? What are examples of rules around hunting similar to the ones Jerome shared?  Are they still practiced?

Learn From questions

Do I consider the living things around me to be holy?  The unloving things?  Why?  If not, how do I see them? What is my family’s experience of hunting?  Were/are there rules followed for the hunt?  What are they? Is there something I do in my life similar to the giving of left-overs to “those without a fire?” Have I ever been in a place of “having no fire?”  How did I get through that time?

Transcripts

06 Jerome Dancing Bull: All Living Things Are Holy

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All animals are holy all birds are holy you know hmm I respect that too because I know all birds are who I respect all the birds of you I was brought up that way my family was brought up le respect the birds in Wadena and although we hunt you know and we nowadays they hunt for the pleasure of it but we went through like it was a survival and I remember hunting and if you if you kill the deer or whatever you would get the back the back is the best meat that’s who they foo they would get ok that’s all we got and then first guy that was over I would always get they hide and the front shoulders and the rest would be split up go through you with those were rules you know and we still followed them you know but nowadays they don’t follow I mean I can understand that because hunting is a lot different it’s more of a sport than it is a survival now he knows but we and then whatever you had left gave it you gave it to the people there with no fire people that I having a hard time they don’t have a fire you know it’s like the Catholic religion the people in perdón glory is that neighbor they want to take you up they want to get up there but they cancel those are the people with no fire those are the people we pray for to get where they’re going you know that was stuff like that did you fed those kind of people I might have my answer you all right

Source materials

Supplied transcript documents. Text and transcription uncertainties are preserved as supplied.