There is an abundance of wildlife, medicine and food plants, and places of prayer. Within Hesapa are many sacred sites where the Lakota go on pilgrimages. Lakota people have an oral tradition. Stories that are passed down from one generation to the next serve different purposes. Stories connected with the Sacred Sites in Hesapa are Ehanni and Ohunkakan stories.
Ehanni stories are creation stories that explain how the world and everything on earth was created.
Ehanni Wicowoyake are the stories of Lakota history. Many times they are written on winter counts but many are oral tradition. When Mahpiyato created humans, they were placed in the subterranean region. At this time the Lakota called themselves the Pte Oyate, Buffalo Nation. In Lakota philosophy Pte Oyate is a metaphor meaning born of woman, physically and spiritually.