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The parade started at 4 mile (4 miles east of Eagle Butte) and came up along Highway 212 and into Eagle Butte stopping at the Cultural center. The parade was led by police escort, a pick up with traditional Lakota drummers on, drumming and singing, and then a hearse, which when it arrived at the cultural center swapped the hearse for a horse drawn wagon.
They gather in that order, Veterans in front of the coffin with flags of the state, USA army units and the Tribe flag, with immediate family behind the cart with the coffin, then a line of horseman and then everybody else and then cars...hundreds and thousands of cars all coming over the hill on Highway 212, all you could see was headlights....
We were allowed to join.
We continued down the road, with TV crews either side (only 2 South Dakotas have been killed at this time), when we stopped it was because people stepped into the road to pay respects, the road was also lined with people holding star quilts, hundreds of them which are given to the family afterwards.
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At 11.30pm I went with Julie to the gym to see the final roll call. The gym was packed full of people, flags everywhere of the country, State, Tribes and Army Units again. His coffin lay at the front with pictures and flowers on and people were speaking about knowing him.
At mid-night the veterans lined up around the gym, they had all signed a veteran list earlier in the day, the names were to be called and if a veteran didn't respond it is deemed disrespectful and they shouldn't have signed their name. The veterans replied 'here sir' when their name was called, only one didn't respond to his name.
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It reminded me greatly of Princess Diana's funeral, the parade etc. At the roll call with Julie I cried, it was so moving.
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…the Spirit Horse
The spirit horse is a rider less horse that is present in order to allow the spirit of the dead person to be carried off to a great place. Often the spirit horse will have a handprint on his hind leg, this is deemed by the Lakota to be the “hand of God”. In the case of Private Sheldon Hawk Eagle, the spirit horse wore the stars & stripes flag of the United States of American.
…Lakota Star Quilts
The Lakota Culture is a very giving culture, and star quilts have become over the years and main item for giving to people/families on special occasions. For births, deaths, birthdays, weddings, graduations, congratulations and Thank you’s etc Star Quilts will form the main presents. To receive a Star Quilt is a great honour, and in Lakota tradition, every other Star Quilt is given away, if someone shows a liking for your Star Quilt you give it to them.
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In the case of Private Sheldon Hawk Eagle, Star Quilts were made by the Lakota people in order for them to be given to Hawk Eagle’s family to thank them for having him, thank them for teaching him what they did, to thank you them for bring him up they way they did, to thank them for his life generally and to honour the person he had become. After the Roll Call at midnight, a meal took place whereby the Star Quilts were handed over to the family and relatives of Hawk Eagle, the family members then gave out these Star Quilts to other people and members in the Tribe to thank them for their involvement in his life (teachers, friends etc), to thank them for everything they did for him and gave him during his life. Star Quilts would also been given away as a thank you to those who helped organise and arrange his parade, funeral and his journey end in the Black Hills. In a year’s time, on the same date, another meal will take place, where more of the Star Quilts will be given away by his family members to other people who have helped with things, and this meal and “give away” will end the mourning of Private Sheldon Hawk Eagle.