The Traveling TInkers - Devils Tower

 Perspectives of the Tower

Gazing up at the Tower, you see only one side at a time. Driving from the park entrance to the visitor center offers you views of the different sides. The Tower Trail and other hikes offer changing views of the Tower. Even approaching the Tower from the highway, one is offered varying viewpoints. The myriad faces of the Tower offer us many perspectives of the geologic formation. To truly see the Tower, one must observe it from all perspectives.

To understand the place called Devils Tower also requires many perspectives. Ancient peoples have lived around the Tower for thousands of years; their modern descendants still maintain a connection with this place on a physical and a spiritual level. Oral histories passed down by various American Indian tribes, as well as their present-day ceremonies, offer us important perspectives of the Tower.

 

Willard Ripley and William Rogers, two early settlers of the Tower area.

The first white settlers and explorers offer us another perspective - how this land was viewed and used during the late 1800s. The Tower and surrounding area received early protection at the behest of Wyoming's first residents and political representatives. It was used as a summer gathering place for locals, drawn to the massive rock just as humans were from antiquity.

More perspectives were added as the Tower received national recognition and protection. The National Park Service was created 10 years after its designation as the first national monument. The dual mission of protecting this place and providing recreation opportunities for the public are an ongoing challenge as people's perspectives of the Tower continue to evolve.

Prayer bundles left at this sacred space.

Affiliated Tribes

The following peoples have geographical, historical and/or cultural ties to the Tower:

Lakota	Cheyenne	Crow
Arapahoe	Shoshone	Kiowa

Aside from the Kiowa, all of these tribes are considered Northern Plains Tribes. All six of these groups lived in or near the region known today as the Black Hills. The Tower is situated in the northwest corner of this region. In addition to, or inclusive with, the six groups listed above, there are over two dozen individual tribes affiliated with the Tower.

 

Ceremonies may occur at the Tower any time of the year, and are not always visible to visitors.

NPS photo

Cultural and Spiritual Connections

The connections which tie American Indian culture to the place known as Devils Tower are both ancient and modern. Oral histories and sacred narratives explain not only the creation of the Tower, but also its significance to American Indians. They detail peoples' relationships with the natural world, and establish those relationships through literal and symbolic language. Today there are several sources one can reference to read the various oral histories. 2

Modern connections are maintained through personal and group ceremonies. Sweat lodges, sun dances, and others are still practiced at the monument today.1 The most common ritual that takes place at the Tower are prayer offerings. Colorful cloths or bundles are placed near the Tower - commonly seen along the park's trails - and represent a personal connection to the site. They are similar to ceremonial objects from other religions, and may represent a person making an offering, a request, or simply in remembrance of a person or place. As with many religious ceremonies, they are a private to the individual or group. Please do not touch, disturb or remove prayer cloths or other religious artifacts at the park.

It is important to note a key difference between American Indian religions and many other contemporary religions (referred to as "western" or "near eastern" religions): a sense of place dominates the religion of American Indians, as opposed to the sense of time that dominates many western religions. Instead of a focus of chronological events and the order in which they are presented, American Indian religion focuses on a place and the significant events that are connected with that location. Although western religions have their important places, they do not hold the level of sacredness associated with the important places of American Indian religions.