can have a better understanding of their beliefs that signified every aspect of their unique culture.
             Native American spirituality was the backbone of their whole way of life. For thousands of years, Indian youth have relied on their elders for guidance, both spiritually and mentally. Elders related important stories about origins based entirely on oral tradition. They spoke of the Great Spirit, and how the people and the land interacted with one another according to Indian worldview. "Humankind was believed to have been created within the womb of Mother Earth...in a very real sense, humankind and nature were one...humankind existed not outside nature, but as a part of it (DeMaille 28)." As a part of nature, the Sioux Indians had an obligation to the land, and the Black Hills was a focal point in their belief and lore. The Hills represented the center of the universe- it was sacred ground. "For us, the earth was alive. To move a stone was to change her. To kill an animal was to take from her. There had to be respe
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