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Natural Entrance to Wind Cave

a small hole in the rock next to the sidewalk

Just outside the visitor center is the largest known natural entrance into Wind Cave. The entrance is only about ten inches wide at most and can be seen even after the visitor center closes. The Lakota call this place Maka Oniye or "breathing earth." This is a very spiritual place to many people. Lakota oral tradition tells of how the first bison and humans emerged from this very entrance. Once the last people left the cave, the Creator shrunk the entrance to its small size so that no one could go back and return to the spirit world.

U.S. National Park Service

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Wind Cave National Park, Code: WICA

Wind Cave National Park, Custer County, South Dakota
Latitude: 43.5802993774414, Longitude: -103.439002990723

NPS.gov Collection

7/16/2010 1:22:34 AM

Public Can View

Saturday, July 4, 2020 9:02:10 AM

Saturday, July 4, 2020 9:02:10 AM

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Canon Canon, Canon PowerShot S50

1/60 sec at f / 3.2

8.625 mm

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 11:58:37 PM

jpg

3.4 MB

Scenic