Landscapes of the Sacred: Inyan Kara


Inyan Kara Mountain is located in The Black Hills in the northeastern corner of Wyoming. Inyan Kara is not the highest peak in th Black Hills but is isolated from other major landforms, making it uniquely visible from afar. Local tribes consider Inyan Kara to be a sacred mountain. According the the local Lakota Sioux tribe, the Black Hills held the Great Spirit and the Inyan Kara Mountain was the home where the thunder gods dwelled. Other local Native Americans claim that the mountain rumbled by itself, even on quiet days. This is an example of how ancient tribes closely related nature to the divine. Most often tribes attributed natural landscapes to be closely associated the Gods, especially mountains.

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