Summer solstice marks a season of new beginnings, renewal

GP Ranch in Sulphur Springs, TX

Summer solstice, which takes place on June 21 every year,  celebrates a time for renewal and new beginnings, prayers and ceremonies for a good year ahead. 

For the Lakota, this is marked by the Wiwáŋyaŋg Wačípi or Sun Dance – translated as "Gazing-at-the-Sun Dance" or "Dancing while looking at the sun." This time is considered the beginning of a new year. 

Through prayer, fasting, and sacrifice, dancers seek blessings for The People, Buffalo, land, and water alike. Some of our rancher partners and staff members take this time away from work to be in prayer.

The Cherokee Nation's summer solstice observations reflect a deep connection to the natural world, frequently including ceremonies around planting, harvesting, and ensuring the abundance of resources — expressing gratitude for the earth's bounty and reaffirming commitment to balance in their ecosystems.

The Green Corn Dance, practiced by many Southeastern tribes including the Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole, is tied to the first harvest of new corn. The ceremony is a time of thanksgiving, forgiveness, and renewal — a fresh start where old grievances are settled, homes are cleaned, and new fires are lit, symbolizing purification and revitalization of the entire community.

And for the Hopi, a Sun Chief or priest is responsible for "sun watching" near the solstices and these observations form the entire basis of the Hopi calendar. Sacred ceremonies like Katsina dances and planting times are scheduled, and about 30 days after the summer solstice marks the Niman, or Home-Going ceremony — the final appearance of the Katsinam (spirit beings), signaling the ripening of the first early corn crop and their departure to their spirit home.

Across nations and their traditions, the solstice is a reminder that the cycles of the earth and the responsibilities of the people are inseparable. At Tanka Fund, we carry that understanding in our work every day.