The Red Race Track: A Lakota Creation Story

Among the Lakota people, stories are more than tales — they are teachings. They preserve history, explain the world, and guide our responsibilities to the land and to one another. One such story is the creation of the Red Race Track, a sacred place near the Black Hills, where earth and spirit meet in memory.

The Challenge Between the Two-Legged and the Four-Legged

Long ago, when the world was still young, the two-legged beings — humankind — and the four-legged beings — the animals — shared the earth but struggled to live in balance. Each claimed a greater right to exist, each feared being dominated by the other.

To resolve this, the Creator decreed a great race. Whoever won would determine the order of life. If the animals won, they would hold dominance. If the humans won, they would carry the responsibility of caretakers.

The Great Race

The animals gathered in their multitudes: buffalo, elk, deer, wolf, eagle, and countless others. The humans stood ready as well. The race was to be run around a great track near what is today known as the Black Hills.

The signal was given, and the runners leapt forward. Hooves thundered, wings beat the air, and feet pounded the earth. The buffalo, massive and powerful, surged ahead, their breath making clouds across the prairie. The humans struggled to keep pace, but they did not run alone — for some of the birds flew alongside them, allies in the contest.

Around and around the track they went, the dust rising, the land shaking beneath the weight of the race.

The Victory of the Two-Legged

In the final stretch, a magpie — small but determined — darted ahead with the humans. With swift wings and unyielding spirit, the magpie crossed the finish line just before the great buffalo. Because of this, the humans claimed victory, but the magpie was honored as well, forever remembered for its courage and partnership.

From that day forward, humans were given the responsibility of being caretakers of the land, the animals, and all creation. It was not a victory of domination, but of duty. The two-legged were charged with walking in balance, guided by the lessons of the four-legged, the winged, and the creeping ones.

The Sacred Red Race Track

The path of that race is remembered as the Red Race Track — a great circle around the Black Hills, its soil marked by sacred red earth. To the Lakota, this place is not just geography, but memory. It is a reminder of the covenant between human beings and all living relatives, that life is bound together by respect, responsibility, and humility.

Why This Story Matters Today

The Red Race Track story continues to teach us about relationship. It reminds us that humans are not rulers of the earth, but caretakers entrusted with its well-being. In a time of climate change, loss of habitat, and disconnection from the natural world, this teaching is as vital as ever.

For the Lakota, the story affirms an ancient truth: that life is a circle, and all beings have a place within it. To honor that circle is to honor the Creator’s design.

✨ At petaomniciye.org, we share these stories so they live on — not only as history, but as living teachings for future generations. The Red Race Track reminds us that every step we take should honor the circle of life, just as our ancestors once did.