AFTER THE COUNCIL

It’s an early spring morning in Wyoming and the male members of the Sioux nation are heading back to their own villages after a council. Councils, gatherings of the male population from various villages, were convened to discuss war plans, peace offerings by the white man or other issues of great importance that required the full tribal membership. These meetings could last for days, as braves, chiefs and village elders voiced their opinions. In many cases, no decisions were made. Usually, however, the group that was perceived as the strongest prevailed.