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The Importance Of The Vision Quest In Stephen Ambrose's Crazy Horse

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Introduction
For many Native Americans, a sense of unity with all living things fundamentally influences many of their customs, societal roles, and aspirations.1 One critical element of their spiritual beliefs comes from the “vision quest,” which entails a significant ordeal of chastening, deprivation, and even self-mutilation in hopes of receiving a vision. These dreams are said to reveal profound wisdom, instruction, and often divination for individuals who seek them. In Stephen Ambrose’s Crazy Horse and Custer, we are given a continuing account of a particularly notable Oglala Sioux warrior and leader, Crazy Horse. The purpose of this paper is to recount his unique vision quest that illustrates the process and its impact on his life, as …show more content…

Although the rituals prior to a quest vary across different tribes3, they tend to share common attributes; these include a spiritual cleansing of some kind, counsel from a spiritual mediator, isolation, fasting, and self-mutilation (Ambrose 67; Torrance 252). Even with these preliminaries, an individual is not guaranteed a revelation (Lowie 160). For those who are successful, however, a supernatural entity or animal will impart knowledge of the future4 and provide them with a “potent medicine” that demands specific requirements. (Torrance 251–252). Afterward, a shaman or medicine man interprets their dream and informs them on how to fulfill their destiny (Ambrose 67). Most importantly, if they fail to heed the specific instructions given to them, their medicine will be rendered ineffective (Lowie 160).5
The choices made by the individual thereafter can not be questioned or interfered with because an individual’s dream is considered wakan, but once they choose their life path, they typically have to assume the role and responsibilities associated with it (Ambrose 46, 49).6 In a sense, if something is wakan, the sacredness of intuition allows for personal freedom in theory, but visions usually conform to familiar tribal patterns (Lowie

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