Traditionally, the Lakota, like most Plains Indians, used social pressure to correct unacceptable behavior. The Lakota rarely used corporal punishment or banishment. Below is the tale of One Dress, a children’s story with a lesson for all ages.

One Dress was the village gossip. She loved hearing and telling stories about her neighbors. One day, while walking through the village, she heard a young, newlywed couple arguing. She quickly hid herself to listen.

After a while, the couple quieted, and the man left his lodge with several buckskin bags, mounted his horse and left the village.

Before nightfall, One Dress had told most of the village the young couple had divorced, and the man had left his young wife to marry a woman in another village.

When the wife of the young couple heard what One Dress said, she was so ashamed she ran off into the night crying. When morning came, and she had not returned, the village was very concerned. Her brother mounted his horse and rode out to look for her. It was three days before he found her and brought her back to the village.
It was then learned that the young wife’s husband had actually gone to visit his father in another village and would return in one moon. The village was so unhappy with One Dress that whenever they saw her, they turned away and did not speak to her.

It was not long before One Dress was sad, regretted what she had done, and sought help from the oldest medicine woman in the village. “What must I do to get people to talk to me again?” she asked.

The old medicine woman gave her a handful of duck down and said, “You must place a little pinch of this down beside the door of the lodge of each person you have ever gossiped about.”

When One Dress fulfilled the task set before her, she returned and said, “I have done as you asked, now what do I do?”

The old medicine woman said, “Now you must go back and collect all the duck down you placed and return it to me.”

One Dress started crying and said, “I cannot because the wind has carried it away!”

“That’s right,” said the old medicine woman, “Just as you cannot take back the words you spoke about your neighbors.”

“What shall I do?” cried One Dress.

“Go with a present to everyone you have gossiped about and tell them you are sorry.”

So One Dress did as the old medicine woman said and gave away all that she had, but for the one dress that she wore. After that, the village forgave her and called her One Dress.

One Dress never again gossiped, instead becoming quiet and reserved.

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