Ate wiohpeyata Father, to the West
nawwajin yelo. I am standing.
Waayanka yo! Behold me!
Ite Otateya nawajin yelo The wind blowing in my face.
I am standing.
Vision Quest Song (Lakota Ceremonial Songs 1983).
Introduction
The term “vision quest” describes a psychological metaphor based upon or inspired by the spiritual practice among Native American Indians. As a psychological metaphor, the “vision quest” has been used by some clinicians to illustrate the journey of understanding one’s dreams and experiences in terms of archetypical symbols related to self-understanding and individuation (see Temagami Vision Quest Program, http://www.langskib.com/outdoor-programs-for-adults). However, as the indigenous, American Indian practice, “vision quest” is what the traditional Lakota call the Hanbleceya or “crying for a vision” ceremony (see Black Elk 1953; Lame Deer (Fire) 1972; Lame Deer (Fire) 1992). Elsewhere, this ceremony is also called a “pipe fast” since the individual faster seeking to...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Bibliography
Benedict, F. R. (1922). The vision in plains culture. American Anthropologist, 24, 1–23.
Black Elk. (1953). The sacred pipe: Black Elk’s account of the seven rites of the Oglala Sioux (Recorded & edited by J. E. Brown). Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Catches, P., & Catches, P. (1997). Oceti Wakan (Sacred fireplace). Pine Ridge: Oceti Wakan.
Hawk Wing, P. (1997). Lakota teachings: Inipi, humbleciya, and yuwipi ceremonies. In D. Sandner & S. H. Wong (Eds.), The sacred heritage the influence of shamanism on analytical psychology (pp. 193–202). New York: Routledge.
Lakota ceremonial songs. (1983). Performed by John Around Him (trans: White Hat, A. Sr.,). Rosebud: Sinte Gleska College.
Lame Deer, J., (Fire), & Erdoes, R. (1972). Lame Deer seeker of visions. New York: Washington Square Press.
Lame Deer, A. F., & Erdoes, R. (1992). Gift of power: The life and teachings of a Lakota medicine man (with an introduction by A. M. Josephy, Jr.). Santa Fe: Bear & Company.
Stolzman, W. (1995). How to take part in Lakota ceremonies. Chamberlain: Tipi Press.
Temagami Vision Quest Program, Langskib-Canoe tripping programs for young people and adults. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.langskib.com/outdoor-programs-for-adults/. Accessed 13 Mar 2000.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Voss, R.W., Prue, R. (2020). Vision Quest. In: Leeming, D.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24348-7_731
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24348-7_731
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-24347-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-24348-7
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences