Lakota trained young men for fortitude and bravery. When they pass the first sets of test they are givin "Kasniyayala." A stick with 3 feathers attached. The feathers are trimmed so only the tips were left in a fan shape. They are then so light that any breeze however small, the feathers will tremble. The Kasniyayala is givin to the boy to make him ever alert to any and everything, so he will be sensitive as the feathers to the breeze. He will be aware to disturbances others may not know are there. This symbolizes watchfulness, a great requisite for a scout.
- Ella Deloria

An Oglala Lakota man. Photo from 1880-1891. Source - Denver Public Library.

Kicks the Iron. Sioux. Early 1900s. Photo by F.B. Fiske. Source - State Historical Society of Nebraska

Russell Means, Oglala Lakota Nation (November 10, 1939 – October 22, 2012)

“Before I was six years old, my grandparents and my mother had taught me that if all the green things that grow were taken from the earth, there could be no life. If all the four-legged creatures were taken from the earth, there could be no life. If all the winged creatures were taken from the earth, there could be no life. If all our relatives who crawl and swim and live within the earth were taken away, there could be no life. But if all the human beings were taken away, life on earth would flourish. That is how insignificant we are.”

Joseph White Bull. Dakota man. 1940. Photo by Rise Studio.