"Once I heard a young boy ask an older friend of his why a certain [spiritual] practice was done a particular way, and the older one said, 'Because that's the tradition.' That statement really struck me, and I wondered why - why is it tradition? If you don't know the history behind a practice, then the living meaning is lost, and it becomes an empty tradition. There's no feeling or connection except to the form, and it continues only because it's the way it's always been done. It's important to ask WHY a practice or ritual is done, why it's a tradition, and then to go further and learn how it came to be."
Albert White Hat, Sr.
Lakota chief
Photo: Ponderosa Pine and Bear Lodge, Devil's Tower National Monument, WY; May 18, 2013. Bear Lodge (Devil's Tower) is the site of many ceremonies.
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