What does a butterfly mean in Sioux native American culture?

Answer 1

The butterfly (kimimela in Lakota) and the dragonfly (suswecha) were often viewed as the spirits of departed relatives, returning to visit the living. This is sometimes the meaning of those designs when used on war shields.

Another meaning of the butterfly is transformation or new birth, with reference to eternal existence and particularly meaning newborn children.

In beadwork, the many tribes of the Sioux often used a double-triangle design symbolising a butterfly - this had absolutely no meaning at all, but was simply a favoured image.

It is clear that just as with all native American symbols, there is no single meaning for the butterfly - it meant different things in different situations, according to the feelings or ideas of the person using that design at that time.