Pete S. Catches Sr. (Petaga Yuha Mani)

Pete S. Catches Sr. (Petaga Yuha Mani) is renown and beloved in Indian Country for bringing the Sundance out into the open in the early 60’s, when it was still against the law to practice Native American religions until 1979, with a ten year prison sentence. He not only brought it out into the open but he and his son for nine years brought the
Buffalo Sundance back to Sitting Bull’s people, the Hunkpapa’s at Standing Rock Reservation. That sundance is still going. They helped bring back the sundance to Cheyenne River Reservation, Rosebud Reservation, and Lower Sioux Reservation over the years. Pete was the first medicine man who wrote about his life and the seven sacred rites given to the Lakota who wasn’t heyoka.

As the Lakota were going back to books to learn about themselves, they were doing everything backwards because the true medicine men like Nicholas Black Elk and Lamedear, Seeker of Vision were both
heyoka. Pete hoped that his book would eventually be a school book for the Lakota. It is now being used in many high schools and colleges.