Hi Vivien, Margo and Misti26,
Unfortunately I'm not the fastest typist and my original post timed out. Drat!
The Sun Dance like anything really can be looked at in many ways. You can get the old form of the Sun Dance from ,
www.elexicon.com, and general cultural and historical information form,
www.lakota.com and puffin.creighton.edu/lakota/. Any of the Black Elk books are excellent references but for the Sacred Rites the best one is
The Sacred Pipe (ISBN 0-8061-2124-6) So much for references, background and history.
The present day Sun Dance:
The Sun Dance I will be participating in is held in Missouri, on a twenty acre parcel of farm land. The Arbor is about forty-four feet in diameter, made of upright posts (tree trunks) and roofed over with pine boughs for shade. In the center of the Arbor is the Tree of Life. A Cottonwood specially selected and Ceremonially cut. At no time is the tree allowed to touch the earth once it is cut. Traditionally the last cut that fells the tree is made by a virgin girl.
The Tree of Life is brought into the Arbor and set upright in the prepared hole along with Spirit Food and Medicine plants. This is the first official day of Sun Dance although the Dancers will have been on site for several days before hand for purification Inipi (sweat lodges) and to set up the Arbor and their camp area. Once the Tree of Life is in place all present attend a feast, the last meal the Dancers will have for the next four days.
The actual conduct of The Sun Dance depends on the Chief and the Intercessor, sometimes the same person. Each day begins with an Inipi. There are four round s of dancing every day, each round is form four to six hours long, with rest periods in between. During the rest periods those requiring food or medicine because of health issues (diabetes, heart conditions etc.) are allowed to eat and drink as needed. We don't want anyone to suffer from serious ill health because of the Ceremony. At the end of every round the Canunpa (Sacred Pipe) is smoked to offer prayers to The Creator and at the end of every day all of the Dancers all have another Inipi.
The third day is the healing day and the Dancers pray for those who come to the Arbor and touch them with their Eagle feathers to take away pain and illness. This is also known as the Heyoka (contrary or Sacred Clown) day when people known to be Heyoka behave badly to teach lessons.
Piercing also begins on the third day. This is the bit some people find disturbing. Usually the Intercessor does the piercing. He makes incisions in the skin of the Dancer, (men are pierced on the upper chest or upper back, women are pierced on the upper arm or fore arm) and inserts piercing pegs. Rawhide ropes are fastened to the pegs and tied to the Tree of Life or buffalo skulls, for men ; women have Eagle feathers attached to theirs. The object is to pull free, men pulling against the Tree or skulls women have Elder women pull the feathers off. OK, yes the skin is torn in the process, yes it hurts it is after all a sacrifice for The People. Some of the men choose or are directed by The Spirits to fly. They are suspended from the Tree until they break free. The wounds are treated with Medicine plants ( yarrow, sage etc.)
The forth day continues the piercing until all of the Dancers who are going to be pierced have done so. After the final Inipi there is another feast for everyone.
Some other interesting information about Sun Dancers:
Traditionally they are celibate during the whole of their commitment. They must not use recreational drugs or alcohol and are not allowed to fight or shed blood in anger. In short they are to be the best people possible. As far as I know all Sun Dancers Carry a Canunpa, and as such do not cut their hair, lie, steal or consume alcohol.
My Perspective:
Why do I Sun Dance? I Dance for The People not just the Oglala or the Lakota but for all mankind. I Dance in the hope that everyone everywhere learn to treat one another with respect, honor and honesty. I Dance for The Grandmother (The Earth); to end pollution of all kinds, to restore the land, air and water to their natural clean and wholesome state. I Dance for all living things for the plants, the animals, the insects, for the rocks, the water, the air and the land because The Creator made all and we are all related to everything. I could go on and on but... Last of all I Dance to be the person I can admire.
Sam
I suppose as a professional, this is the sort of thing I dread and look forward to at the same time, dread for the work, look forward for the challenge.
I like that so much I'll give you a story, not third party but personal. This happened to me in Chalis, BC three years ago. The Two Spirit gathering had just ended and Billie and were left to dismantle the Inipi frame. For your information this is a hemispherical construction composed of saplings tied in place with strips of bark. While Billie loaded the saplings into the truck for proper disposal in the Fraser River. I was going to burn the bark ties on a raised platform that had been used for the Sacred Fire. I tested the ashes by stirring them to a depth of my hand. Not a trace of heat or live coals. I piled all of the bark onto the ashed and turned to get a lighter from the truck. I had not gone moore than two steps when I looked back, all of the bark was in flames. There is no rational explanation for what happened. 
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