Awaxaawi Ishiibisha

Bear Butte rises apart from the northern Black Hills, a conspicuous landmark above the surrounding plains. The mountain is a laccolith, formed from molten rock that hardened beneath overlying layers. Known to the Lakota as Matȟó Pahá, Bear Mountain, it is also sacred to the Cheyenne, for whom it holds a central place in oral tradition. Peoples of the Plains have long come to this solitary height for prayer.