The Bear's Hill (Bear Butte)

From the Bear Butte hill, which rises 1.350 metres above the plains of South Dakota, you can see to the west the imposing peaks of the Paha Sapa (Black Mountains), while to the east extend large meadows that reach the horizon. Many peoples in the plains regard it as a sacred place, including the Lakotas Sioux who call it Mato Paha (or "Bear Mountain") and the Cheyenes who refer to it as Noavasse (or the "Magic Refuge"). Many lakotas and cheyenes come to the hill every year to pray and fast.

The hill is in conflict with that want to build a tourist and recreational area. It is part of Bear Butte State Park, which is administered by South Dakota. During the most important Indian ceremonies, visitors are forbidden access to the summit. Nor can they use the areas of fasting and searching for visions, nor the ceremonial trails. But many Indians complain that the authorities have contaminated the hill by building parking and camping areas at their feet, as well as a tourist climbing piste on the hillside itself. Despite the prohibitions, some areas considered sacred have also been invaded.

With regard to the 1978 Indian Religious Freedom Act, the Lakotas and Cheyen spiritual leaders filed a complaint before a federal court against the state. The court found that the interests of Indians were more relevant than the State's obligation to guarantee public access to a site of geological and historical importance and to protect visitors. The verdict was confirmed by the Court of Appeals in 1983, but the Supreme Court refused to consider the case. Despite this, the Lakotas and Cheyenes continue to protect these sacred sites.

The Lakotas believe that the Bear Hill was formed as a result of a fight between a giant bear and a monster named Unkchegila. The hill indicates the location where the bear suffered fatal injuries. The top of the hill, which is the highest point in a radius of many kilometers, is an ideal place for the Hanbleceya or the solitary search for visions for the Lakotas. This was where Crazy Horse, the famous Lakota chief, had a vision of a bear with supernatural abilities in 1876. Shortly thereafter, Crazy Horse led the Indian forces that defeated Custer's troops at Little Bighorn.

According to Cheyen tradition, the mythological hero Mutsoyef (Sweet Medicine) gathered a council on the hill, to which wise men from all communities of the planet attended. Mutsoyef received from Maiyun, the Great Spirit, four sacred arrows that gave him great power over the bison and people.