Final answer:
Devoting one's whole body to Wanka Tanka in the Sun Dance involved intense acts of self-sacrifice, including bloodletting as a profound form of spiritual devotion, meant to renew the world and show commitment to the Great Spirit.
Step-by-step explanation:
To devote one's whole body to Wanka Tanka or the Great Spirit during the time of the Sun Dance meant engaging in a profound religious ceremony that was a vital aspect of Plains indigenous culture. The Sun Dance, a significant religious ceremony among the Plains cultures, was a form of world renewal ritual. It was sponsored by an individual wishing to offer themselves through self-sacrifice for the well-being of the tribe and to commune with the supernatural.
This act of devotion involved prayer, fasting, the erection of a large structure with a central pole symbolizing the Tree of Life, and often included intense physical trials such as piercing the skin and being attached to the central pole or dragging heavy buffalo skulls until freed.
These acts of bloodletting or self-torture were meant to represent the individual's deep commitment and sacrifice to the Great Spirit, and participants carried the scars with honor as symbols of their devotion.