Yellowstone’s Kayce Dutton undergoes the Hanbleceya ritual, which literally means “to cry for a vision.” Here’s what Kayce Dutton’s visions mean.
Yellowstone season 4 sees Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) going through a difficult ritual that results in visions of his past and clues about the show’s future. Kayce underwent the Indigenous ritual to be accepted as a full member of his wife Monica’s (Kelsey Asbille) tribe, and it also foreshadowed the plot Yellowstone season 5. The ritual is called the Hanbleceya (han-bi-lech-ia), one of seven sacred ceremonies of the Lakota people. Also called “crying for a vision,” the Hanbleceya is a rite of passage for young Lakota warriors, and it involves crossing into the spirit world to seek one’s purpose.
What did Kayce saw in his Yellowstone vision was pivotal for the show. In Yellowstone season 4, episode 10 “Grass on the Streets and Weeds on the Rooftops” Kayce’s visions provided an in-depth look into what was going on inside his head. Moreover, Kayce’s visions also revealed obscure details about the future of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch — veiled premonitions that are already bearing fruit across Yellowstone season 5. Here’s everything that Kayce saw during his vision quest explained.
The Owl Foreshadows Death In Yellowstone Season 5
The Death Of Baby John Was Fortold In Kayce’s Vision
The first thing that Kayce saw in his Yellowstone vision was a flying owl, and most Indigenous American tribes regard the owl as a symbol of death. This spells trouble, as the conflict between Market Equities and the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch seems to be coming to a head in Yellowstone season 5. It could also mean that John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) cancer could rear its ugly head during John’s campaign for governor.
For Kayce, the owl meant that he was crossing over into the spirit world. As Mo told Kayce before the ritual, “You must stand on the cliff of death to understand your purpose in life. It’s the only place where you can see it.” In hindsight, the owl’s presence and Mo’s words foreshadowed the death of baby John Dutton in Yellowstone season 5’s premiere.
Kayce’s Lee Visions Were Warnings Against Jamie Dutton’s Betrayal
The Ritual In Yellowstone Gave Kayce A Heads-Up About His Brother
During the ritual, Kayce awakened to the familiar voice of his brother Lee Dutton (Dave Annable), which foreshadowed Jamie Dutton’s storyline in Yellowstone season 5. Kayce’s last memory of Lee was when Lee died in his arms, and in the vision, he told Kayce to open the doors so he could help in Kayce’s vision quest. Although Kayce dearly missed his brother, he insisted that he had to keep the prayer ties closed as instructed.
This prompted Lee to get mad, scream at Kayce, and spit blood from his mouth. As Kayce’s vision of his brother turned into a nightmare, Kayce was reminded that in the face of bad spirits, the only safe place is inside the prayer ties, as he was told by Mo and Thomas. The way Kayce’s vision of Lee turned on Kayce foreshadowed the culmination of the bitter sibling rivalry between Yellowstone’s Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie (Wes Bentley).
After Kayce’s vision of Lee has passed, Kayce was comforted by a woman whom he thought was his wife, but was then revealed to be Avery (Tanaya Beatty), the former Yellowstone Dutton Ranch hand that expressed interest in Kayce and made Monica jealous. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Kayce will be unfaithful to Monica in Yellowstone season 5. Unfaithfulness comes in many forms, especially for Kayce, who remains torn between saving his family’s ranch and doing what’s best for his own wife and child.
Kayce’s Army Flashbacks Are About The Weight Of The Past
Not Every Scene In Kayce’s Vision Was A Premonition
Kayce sat in the sunlight and remembered a memory from his military days, during which he inadvertently lead his squad into an ambush — a painful reminder of Kayce’s heavy past and why he bears the iconic “Y” brand of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. Although John branded Kayce as a form of punishment, the brand is typically given to former convicts and men looking for a second chance in life. Because of his military experience, this also describes Kayce.
After the vision has passed, Kayce was awakened by the sound of coyotes howling. Before undergoing the ritual, Mo warned Kayce to beware the coyote, which is regarded as a clever trickster. In short, Kayce’s past actions are playing tricks with his mind, which means that Kayce still hasn’t come to terms with his dark past. This foreshadowed not just John and Rip’s flashback scenes in Yellowstone season 5, but also how the ranch’s murderous past now threatens to end its existence.
The Girl In White Represents The Wolf, Kayce’s Spirit Animal
The Final Vision In Yellowstone Was Its Most Ominous
In Yellowstone season 4’s final visions, Kayce saw a girl in white, the representation of Kayce’s spirit animal, which, in hindsight, puts even more weight on when Yellowstone ranch hands Ryan and Colby killed wolves accidentally and tried to cover up their crime. In the Yellowstone season 4 ending, the wolf finally spoke to Kayce through the girl, who lead him to a cliff where he saw two difficult paths, both of which were hidden from viewers.
Facing trouble in either path, Kayce told Monica that he “saw the end of us.” This clearly meant that it’s time for Kayce to choose between his two lives: being a Dutton and being a member of the Broken Rock Indian Reservation. Though Yellowstone season 5 sees Monica teaming up with John and allowing Kayce to merge his two lives instead, Kayce somehow finding a way out of choosing just one path may not sit well with the spirits that guided Kayce in his vision.
That said, with the reveal of John Dutton’s conservation easement plan and his opposition to the federal government’s pipeline, perhaps the wolf spirit was guiding Kayce towards a unifying solution for the ranch and Broken Rock. By choosing Monica over the ranch, Kayce may just be on the way to ensuring that the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch has a future, even though John himself could be impeached from his post as governor.