3 comments about The Morning the Sun Went Down.

1. Every once in a while a book is written that changes everything. This is one of those books. This autobiography written by Darryl Babe Wilson about his Achomawi/Atsugewi (Pit River) Indian childhood in northern California is filled with wonder and lyrical beauty, and at the same time with painful tragedy and brutality. This is the masterful recounting of a personal journey that enfolds us warmly in a child eye's view ofWilson'sfamily and tribal relations, as well as the intrinsic and permanent relationship with theland in its ancient and essential dimensions. This book is simultaneously literature, an autobiography and the history of a People. Thebook begins with a dream in which Wilson is tested and reminded by the Elders of his responsibility to his People. It combines observations both minute and practical with those that sweepinglyencompass infinate place and time, understood both by the heart and mind. We are deftly drawn into a world that is simultaneously rugged and sweet. The family tragedy, the death of his mother and baby brother, and the subsequent family separation are described in wrenching detail, mirroring and paralleling the descriptions of historic events resulting from the lethal coming of whites into his homeland following the discovery of gold in California. Wilson places us, as readers, in a spot that is at the same time ancient, historical and contemporary. This is a story of growingself-assurance and human understanding as Wilson matures and comes to see the world from a broader vision, as well as his place and potential role within that world. He says, "...we must seek a power or a series of powers outside of ourselves which we identify as 'helpers.' Helpers can be a tree or animals, rocks or mountains, stars or flowers, frogs or rainbows. Helpers come to us in our time of need, and they guide our dreams." This book is utlimately the story of strength and power. Near the end of the book, he says, "For it was a song, according to our narratives, that caused all of the universe to have a beginning. We must seek within ourselves the spiritual terrain from our watu/ah'lo (spiritual umbilical cord) to the Great Power, cultivating our personal power and creating wholesomeness with our thoughts and intentions...It is taught in our lessons and legends, and by our Elders, that The People are responsible for life upon earth. Honoring the lessons then becomes a mandate from Great Power/GReat Wonder/Great Spirit that we are bound to obey. All people must obey the Great Law, so the sweetness of life can continue."



2. Every once in a while a book is written that changes everything. THE MORNING THE SUN WENT DOWN is one of those books. This autobiography written by Darryl Babe Wilson about his Achomawi/Atsugewi (Pit River) childhood in northeastern California is filled with wonder and lyrical beauty, and at the same time with painful tragedy and brutality. This is the masterful recounting of a personal journey that enfolds us warmly in a child eye's view of Wilson's family and tribal relations, as well as the intrinsic and permanent relationship with the land in its ancient and essential dimensions. This book is simultaneously literature, an autobiography and the history of a People. It is highly recommended.//This is a portion of the review by Susan Lobo that will appear in the journal NATIVE AMERICAS (Cornell)



3. from "Kirkus Reviews" (starred review): A slim, modest, and altogether extraordinary memoir of rural Native American life. Wilson, a poet and scholar from the Achumawe and Atsugewi tribes of northeastern California, came into adolescence in the mid-1950s, when his people had all but disappeared through assimilation or extermination. Blame for part of that disappearance he lays squarely at the door of whites; but, he adds, "the neglect of our Elders to teach us our traditions was equally damaging." His own parents did their best to teach Wilson and his siblings something of the old ways: how to hunt deer, how to tame rattlesnakes, how to listen for mountain lions, lessons that he imparts to his readers with precision and grace- and not a little humor. But when his mother and younger brother were killed in a collision with a logging truck, Wilson was sent off to live with white foster parents among unfriendly neighbors (he remembers, touchingly, one young girl "who did not accuse me with her eyes or attitude," principally "because we were not enemies"). Whe it appeared that his foster parents wanted to strip away his Indian identity, Wilson rebelled, for which he was sent off to a boarding school where the young California Indian charges were locked in their rooms at nights and punished by day for minor infractions. Wilson recounts these horros matter-of-factly but doesn't dwell on them; instead, he celebrates a teacher who sagely corrected his compositions, encouraged him to improve himself, and urged him to become a writer. Readers have reason to be grateful to that teacher as well. Wilson is a careful and compassionate obeserver of his life and those of other young Indians, and his book is a fine addition to the growing library of Native American autobiography.

5 comments about Seven Arrows.

1. Seven Arrows
   
   Seven Arrows
   Hyemeyohsts Storm (1972)
   First Edition
   
   
   A heartbreaking story of victory, defeat, and of a spiritual search in a profane world, this is the story of Night Bear and his people. It is the tale of the land they cherish and the lives they hold sacred, lived until the enemy can no longer be stopped, and the dead have few left to weep for them. "Seven Arrows is the first book about the Ancient Ways of the Plains People to be written entirely by an Indian. Hyemeyohsts Storm is a Northern Cheyenne, born on the Lame Deer Agency in Montana. His first teachers were the elders of his tribe. From them he learned about the Sun Dance and the Medicine Wheel, and he was trained by them to be a Shield Maker. He has written Seven Arrows to tell us of these things he learned."



2. Storm's Seven Arrows was first read by me in 1973. My order replaced my original version with another rare find and perfect condition book that I will never part with again.
   
   This is a literary work of genious that offers insight into the realm of Native American Spirituality. This work is a true gift to those that chose to follow a path blazed by those who walked in the traditional wisdon of hundreds of generations.



3. I love this book. I was interested from the first page. It really discribes i full detail what our ansetrial Native Americans believed and how they saw the world and God.



4. This was one of my favorite books in college. I then only was able to find a soft cover edition, twenty years ago. Having a hardcover edition now, in such good condition--better condition than was advertized--brings back many good memories.



5. Anyone interested in the story tellings of Native Americans will find this to be a must have read. Not only does the book share many stories that reflect and teach one about life but the book weaves these stories into the books plot and story line. It is a wonderfully written and insightful book.

5 comments about Lightningbolt.

1. I was on a vision quest in my life looking outside and was taught by elders and others to look within and with the help of this Book and Hyemeyohst Storm and other books he wrote I was able to learn more and feel more in touch with the earth medicine of Nature and its often looked over healing power The Power of One "Nature" may we all find our way to a place of peace and serenity within and share it by being.. JG



2. I found this book over two years ago and I have yet to finish. I can't bring myself to accept that it will end, so i've been doing everything i can to avoid turning that last page. It's that kind of book. There are so many layers of brillance and value to this amazing piece of artwork. Athough it is psychologically complex and metaphysically profound, it is Storm's simple love for the Earth and his masterful, unassuming language that set this book apart. The characters have a fully developed humanity to them that is unparalleled. Truly destined to be an all time classic. This is more than a book.



3. This is a book about more than the guru-guided personal search for self-understanding of a half-breed, more than a remarkably profound exposé of the life-philosophy (not religion) of the native american peoples. More even than a confirmation of the inner validity of other ancient systems of thought and knowledge to be found in other parts of the world, for example in Scandinavia. This book is exactly what it claims to be: the revelation of A WAY, an approach to life and the problems of identity, balance and peace, second to none, and applicable to everyone, where ever in the world they may live, and whatever religious and cultural tradition they may formally adhere to. Something that if widely spread, and attended to in the right way, might just ... just ... (to coin a heavily misused, but in this context really appropriate phrase)"save the world". In other words, not without subversive, but highly life-enhancing social and political connotations. My advice: Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest. And then practice, as best ye may. Good luck, and may the Spirit give you strength in the quest for yourSELF.



4. The Red Road curves through a parallel universe with only tenuous ties to contemporary reality. Storm speaks to the wanna-be warrior in all of us, with humorous vignettes spiked with hidden awareness, as he looks back at the valiant fool he was, beginning his quest before he even knows he was on it, missing all the clues to his personal Grail. (The sign said "Stop", he looked at it, but he couldn't see the message for the word...) Conservative Native Americans shun this guy for letting the cat out of the bag...But for the rest of us waschisus, this is as close to understanding life on the Res as we'll ever get. No matter what your path to personal enlightenment has been, any spritual trekkie will enjoy this guy's experiences. Great read!!!



5. This book speeks to me about the inner turmoil and multitude of voices that haunt the uninitiated and estranged males in our society. To not belong, to be cut off from community is a plague on our youth and spirit. The feeling of isolation leads to antisocial behavior, unhappiness, stupidity and violence. Herein is the story of a disenfranchised man and how, with a mentor and female partner, he finds strength in the Self to command and conquer the demons of a disfunctional conformist society. This is a primer on taming the destructive, finding peace and living with beauty. Great insights for all!

3 comments about Etok: A Story of Eskimo Power.

1. I was a childhood friend of Charlie. We called him "Etook," not "Etok," if the spelling is any indication of pronunciation. It's a curious difference that makes me wonder about the real depth of the author in penetrating this man's story, but it's certainly accurate in respect to the living conditions and culture I knew as a young white boy, the son of a missionary, living in the village of Barrow.



2. Etok is my uncle. I knew it had a lot about Alaska Native land claims, but it was so much more. I learned more about my own family, more about Inupiaq culture, and of course, more about Native rights and the political resurgence of Alaska Natives. It was a really good book! I couldn't put it down.
   
   I recommend it to anyone who's interested in Native Land Claims, or Native rights in general.



3. The author has captured the man who is Etok and at the same time given us a look into politics in early Alaska statehood. Etok's intensity of feelings for his people and his land was powerful and unharnessed. This is demonstrated well here. Also, we get a look into both congressional and presidential politics of this era. This book is more than about this one man.

5 comments about Looking for Lost Bird: A Jewish Woman Discovers Her Navajo Roots.

1. In the 40"s many Indian children were adopted from the reservations. I also was one of them, the B.I.A. put my mother in a home in Phoenix while she was pregnant. My adopted parents were also Jewish , the same as yvette's, I do not know why so many Indian babies went to Jewish familys. Yvette is called an Urban Indian by the Navaho, because she can never fully be Navaho, birth or not. She was raised and loved by a Jewish mother and father, and she just tossed her Jewish life away. Further, I tried to communicate with her and she did not respond.it was her choice not to help other Indian babies who were adopted. > I do not know just how much of An Indian she thinks she is, Navaho or not. I did not throw my heritage away because of my Jewish family. I also do not know just how truthfull she is because people in Winslow are very friendly to their Indian friends. The navaho and Apache spend lots of money there and trade a lot. I truly think Yvette made that up because as the Navaho got to know her she no longer was a "lost bird"' just another Urbin Indian . The navaho will really dislike a person if they are a show off like she is. I am Paiute and was adopted by a navaho family in crown point, and I know not to act better than anyone. I am their brother and there are three sisters who are older than me. Yvette wrote a book and thinks she knows all about the navaho, and maybe thought her life was special. I can tell you now she is not and they don't think so. if she were a good person she would help others instead of writing a bad book and showing off. Her comments about the Indians being mistreated SIMPLY ARE NOT TRUE. She should go back to her kibbutz and be a jew like she really is. I went andl ived on a kibbutz, and I can be an Indian and be a Jew at the same time.Shame on Yvette for not helping others. I go to Winslow on occasion, I never had a problem, shame on her.



2. This book that I ordered came in a few days, in excellant condition. I was smart to order it through an Amazon seller for a few dollars vs. the option of purchasing it at a book store for $12.



3. The book came and it was like new--maybe it was new. I thought it took a bit longer to get to me than usual, and, if so, it's no big deal



4. This is an amazing and detailed story - and I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has not read it - suffice it to say that 'discovering ones roots' is neither an easy nor a direct path to tread - the brave people who undertake this quest never cease to amaze me .......



5. I look through thousands of books a year as a reseller, but I read about 2 books a year. This one got my attention because I have a son who is 1/2 Navajo. His mother suffered the same sort of fate as Yvette. "voluntarily" seperated from brothers and sisters at the age of 5, sent to Utah, a mom she has not met, alcohol, violence etc etc etc . . .
   
   This book does a very good job of relating what rez life is really like, and gives a good insight into Navajo culture.
   
   I am a classically stoic, but I had tears in my eyes all the way through this book. I encourage anyone who is interested in the journey of the Navajo to spend some time on the reservation. Drive around, meet the people. Western culture has a lot to learn from this society.
   
   Read Ward Churchill's writings too, don't judge him by what the media has said about him.

5 comments about Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux, Twenty-First Century Edition.

1. Black Elk Speaks is a fascinating book about the life of a Lakota Medicine Man named Black Elk. He was interviewed by John G. Neihardt, a poet, over the course of many years and this book is the result.
   
   It's very good and I highly recommend it. It gives an honest portrayal of the life and massacres the Native Americans endured. If it has one fault it's that sometimes the writing is a little too "poetic" as if Neihardt sometimes takes personal liberty with the descriptive passages. But other than that there is every other reason to recommend this book that purports to be, and probably is, a transcript of on man's remembrances.
   
   If you are writing westerns and went to get some insight into the culture and thinking of Native Americans, and the horror they had to endure, this life story of Black Elk would be hard to beat.



2. This is a very good book about Native American spiritual life of a medicine man. I highly recommend it.



3. I can only express that the book has arrived quite earlier than predicted and in good conditions. I cannot say much about the content as I did not start reading the book yet. However, I bought this book along with others on the same topic as I am interested in the spirituality of the Lakota tribe and I guess this author is one of the best in the matter
   
   cheers



4. What a chance of a lifetime that this author met this great American hero at a time when he would tell his extraordinary life story. Don't let the reader of the preface in the audio book bog you down, because he is a poor reader, but the reader of the book is stately! The first part is Black Elk's vision is hard to follow, but it becomes clearer as he tells his life story. Black Elk is a master storyteller who reveals the inner thoughts and perspectives on the American Indian life. I have studied American Indians all my life, including college courses at MSU and this is by far one of the best accounts of Indian life I have ever read. Black Elk has wonderful insight into life, the value of our relationship with others, man's relationship with the world, etc. His philosophy echoes the greatest philosophers of all time back to Aristotle. His religion recognizes the reality and truth of a spiritual world that is more real than ours. Black Elk is a remarkable and wise person. I am thankful his wisdom and stories were not lost by the whites who considered the American Indian substandard humans and put all his people on a reservation to die of starvation in misery and humiliation. Everybody needs to read or listen to Black Elk's words to understand what a great people were destroyed.



5. I personally didn't mind the interpretation of a white man (Neidhart) translating Black Elk's legendary stories into a published work of art. The book was a very easy read and insinuated deep emotion and spiritual awareness. I higly recommend this book to anyone who has the slightest interest in Indian culture and tense relations between Indians and Cowboys (Federal Government)

5 comments about Kabloona: Among the Inuit (Graywolf Rediscovery Series).

1. 
   After I finished this fantastic audio book, I looked it up on Amazon to buy a used hard copy. I was little chagrined to discover the original printing date. Wow, this contemporary, quirky book -- that I just fell in love with -- was written 70 years ago. What a fun twist in time travel! Of course, three things aided the modern day allusion; first, it was read to me (on my ipod) by a modern audio book legend, Grover Gardner; Second, the setting is timeless, the remote wild's of the Canadian Arctic, and finally; I assumed the charming French-to-English translation was to blame for forcing just a hint of formality. Regardless, this classic adventure will stick to your ribs long after you have finished it. It is incredibly well written. It reads very fast for a book from the 40's. The story begins with Panches leaving Paris to live and study among the most remote tribal people on earth, the Canadian Arctic Inuits. For 15 months he moved among three remote Arctic tribes, living as they do, from day to day, absorbing their primitive, almost prehistoric, way of life. Their nomadic life was driven by hunger and thrashed about by the harsh laws of nature's violent forces. In this barren sub zero land, the Inuit face the daily threat of starvation and exposure with great indifference. Past physically freezing to death, Panches biggest mental challenge turned out to be isolation. In addition, he had to reinvent his composure, severely modifying his natural inclinations with every Inuit interaction (several, life threatening). Panches describes his cunning effort in breaking through the cultural barrier; interpreting, in his words, "a truly primitive mind." The book barks of some prejudice, but this was a man's fair conclusion after keenly studying the unique Inuit mind and method (...in 1940). Light a fire, and read this adventure book during a cold snap. How cold? Cold enough to yank a 30 lb. fish out of the water and have it flash freeze before it skids across the ice. That's cold baby!



2. What can I add to the other reviews? This book is special, unique, it should never, never be out of print. I keep lending out copies (I have all of the different editions) and most of them don't come back, they get loaned on to others or the recipient is so charmed they have to keep it.



3. I read Kabloona about 12 years ago, and it remains one of the very best books I've ever read. An amazing story that gives tremendous insight into the remarkable Inuit culture. It's fabulous. I'm on the site now because I'm purchasing a newer copy to read it again!



4. I read this book and thought, yes this Frenchman makes many derogatory and embarassingly insensitive remarks about the Inuit. However, contrary to what one reviewer said below in "Good descriptions, bad insights, July 27, 2005", the author slowly develops a great respect for the intelligence, culture and abilities of these people so much so that he begins to emulate them. It is a subtle conversion story wrapped in a fabulous adventure; thoroughly enjoyable and well worth reading.



5. The audio CD is outstanding...indeed the best I have ever listened to. For one thing, the narrator is marvelous in recreating both the 1930's world of France and Frozen Canada. I can't think of any other book or audio that so successfully transported me into an alien culture. Considering that there are quite a few films and books about Eskimos, why buy this one written 70 years ago? Answer: the literary quality of this work surpasses the prose of the last quarter century. When you listen to the narrator weave his tale, it mirrors the experience of hearing a tobacco chewing explorer slowly recounting his adventures in the wild. The story dives deep into the interior life of the author as much as it details an ethnographic examination of (primitive) Inuit life. The myths and values of the Eskimos contrast sharply with the borgeouis morals of a gentleman of Paris. For example, in Eskimo culture, there is little concept of private property...that's why an Eskimo man will let you borrow his wife or a snow knife. Language in the arctic is far more concrete. A polar bear is HE WHO HAS NO SHADOW. Far away, in the cold Arctic, author Grontran De Poncins learns what it means to be human, a man preeminently. This is a romance, a classic reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe. If you buy the audio CD, you will not be disappointed.

5 comments about The Lance and the Shield: The Life and Times of Sitting Bull.

1. I read this book after reading Dee Brown's _Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee_. If you've read the this book, you know that while it was certainly accurate, it was also written to be clearly sympathetic to the native Americans. There is no harm in this; Dee Brown was writing in response to decades of anti-native American popular culture that portrayed all Indians as bandits and murderers. The Indians deserved a fair shake.
   
   _The Lance and the Shield_ is a very different book, written from a balanced point of view. Make no mistake, Sitting Bull was a hard man (I'm tempted to capitalize that as Hard Man). He was, by Western definition, an unrepentant soldier in the preservation of his tribe, who would not think twice about killing those who opposed his cause. What is astonishing about this book is that Mr. Utley is able to describe the rift between the native Americans and the settlers in such stark terms, without resorting to sympathy for either side. Sitting Bull's intensity is portrayed without apology or amelioration. At the same time, the failures of the US government in dealing with the Indian problem are presented as fact without trying to put them in a positive or negative light.
   
   _The Lance and the Shield_ presents two dramatically opposed sides, without pandering to either one, and the final collision of the two points of view that resulted in Sitting Bull's murder. That's an impressive achievement.



2. 
   Robert Utley is one of the finest Western writers there is and I am a huge fan, having read many of his excellent works. This man can write and, as the chief historian of the National Park Service, he is an author who knows his topics well. But whatever possessed him to write a biography about a Native American from the Native American point of view, I will never understand. To write a biography about a Native American from the Native American point of view, by definition you have to be a Native American. He is not and that is where this book falls down.
   
   Sitting Bull is a fascinating individual. Caught in the very short transition period between his people's traditional way of life and the tidal wave of technological change the white man represented, he performs quite brilliantly in defending his environment, his people and the Sioux culture. Utley does a very good job of communicating this to his audience.
   
   But he goes too far in trying to become Native American. The results are that the background descriptions become almost mystical while the Native American cultural analysis is clunky, cumbersome. As a result, Utley alienates his reader, the very person he is trying to communicate with, with a book that is, well, quite boring in many sections. And that is a shame because the writing style chosen ultimately detracts from an interesting and important topic, Sitting Bull.
   
   There is no doubt that this is a scrupulously well researched biography about a very key leadership figure in the history of the American West. In the end however, I didn't really feel I knew much more about Sitting Bull the man after I had finished reading it. In the end Sitting Bull remains aloof and mysterious, a mythical figure that simply failed as opposed to the focused warrior facing an uncertain future that he had to have been.



3. Well researched and well rounded text. The story of Sitting Bull is
   told with respect for the man and his people without adulation. Sitting Bull's story is one of strength,integrity,and courage with enduring inspiration.



4. Robert Utley does a fine job of describing the world and worldview of the nineteenth century Plains Indians in this engaging biography of the greatest of the chiefs of the Sioux Nation, Sitting Bull.
   
   Sitting Bull was a traditionalist. Simply put, he lived the way Wakantanka, the Great Spirit, decreed. His life's task was to maintain the culture and lifestyle of his people. Mr. Utley paints us a surprisingly complex and sympathetic portrait of Sitting Bull. In Tatanka Yatanka, the man and the times had met.
   
   Sitting Bull came into a Sioux world which had only recently seen the tribe's transformation from a woodland people to the quintessential quasi-nomadic buffalo hunters of legend. The Sioux largely defined themselves by war, the hunt, and their relationship with both the natural world and the spirit world, between which they made no distinction.
   
   Sitting Bull's lifespan coincided with the slow destruction of the buffalo culture at the hands of Euro-Americans. Dedicated as they were to settling the wilderness country, the Whites finally denuded the Sioux of virtually everything imaginable. As the grand "refusenik" of the Indian nations, Sitting Bull rose to become a remarkably eclectic war chief, tribal leader, wise man and holy man of the Hunkpapa Sioux. He encapsulated in himself all of the greatest virtues of the Sioux, becoming the only High Chief the Sioux tribes were ever to have.
   
   But Sitting Bull, also encapsulated all the weaknesses of his people. Understanding and valuing only those things that were time-honored, he was (unlike his contemporary Chief Red Cloud) constitutionally incapable of grasping the import of the vast changes that were undermining his world even as the sun rose every day. Temperamentally unable to appreciate any mode of thought that was not Sioux, he was reactionarily set against any accommodation with the Whites, long resisted formalized alliances with peoples other than his own, and maintained intact the historical friendships and enmities that marked Sioux relations with other tribes. As a result, the Whites branded him as the leader of "hostiles" and "renegades." Yet, it is clear that Sitting Bull did not hate Whites so much as he would have much preferred of the White Man and the Indian that the twain should never have met.
   
   Unfortunately, this was not to be the case, and Sitting Bull fought a valiant rearguard action against White encroachment in a desperate and ultimately vain attempt to preserve the Sioux way of life. His greatest triumph against Custer at the Little Bighorn, was a pyrrhic victory marking the end of everything this gallant man had fought to preserve. Little Bighorn led to the virtual extinction of the Indian nations as free peoples, their mass hypnosis by the Ghost Dance movement, the tragic Wounded Knee Massacre, and Sitting Bull's own death at the hands of fellow Sioux.
   
   During his life and after, Sitting Bull became a symbol of resistance and determination, a living legend and a man whose heart and mind did not countenance surrender.
   
   A fine book, well worth your time and attention, THE LANCE AND THE SHIELD is a testament to one man's spirit and fortitude in the face of an ultimate disaster.



5. A proud man. Chief of chiefs.
   Sitting Bull was one of the last to give in to the encroachment of manifest destiny. He fought countless battles, of which the Custer clash being the most famous, to save his people's way of life, culture and heritage. Seems as though every time he attempted a compromise with the government, he was duped.
   With provisions running low and no where to go, he went into exile to Canada, the "grandmother land", where he and his people were treated kindly.
   After a few years of Canadian hospitality, provisions and food ran low again. The U. S. government once more convinced him to surrender ponies and weapons and to live at the reservations. Due to hunger he and his people went back to the Dakotas. Little did Sitting Bull realize he was to be held as prisoner of war for a year and a half.
   Then it was life on the reservation which must have been agonizing for him. He did get to travel and see other parts of the country (Buffalo Bill Show, etc.) but his way of life had changed forever. His death was piercing and still somewhat of a mystery.

5 comments about Mabel McKay: Weaving the Dream (Portraits of American Genius, 1).

1. I really liked this book. At first it was difficult to follow, but then I kept wanting to read more. I chose this book because I live in Lake County and wanted to learn about the Pomo peoples and their history. I not only feel that I learned a lot, but also got an inside glimpse direclty from a true Medicine woman. The story is at times jumbled but always interesting because it isn't just a biography of facts. It is about her connection with spirit and the Dream world and how this was her life. And it's about a time and culture very different from how most people grew up. So it's a real learning-curve to read about these traditions that we just know so little about. I recommend this to anyone who's interested in learning about the rich history and traditions and peoples who lived (and still live) here today.



2. I bought the book used, but it is still in good condition. Fast shipping is a plus.



3. Thank you Greg Sarris for writing about Mabel McKay. Words cannot describe the beauty of Mabel McKay's story. Her baskets and stories still live in the whispers of Cache Creek.



4. I read this for my book club. It was pretty good, though let's be honest... i have a very low interest in native american culture. It was pretty cool to learn about the transition from back then to modern times, and how the native american indian culture transformed to adapt. Especially here in the northern california area. Worthwhile read with amazing information.



5. Mabel McKay, Weaving the Dream is a profound, poetic, and magical journey. I have read it aloud a number of times to savor its depths. If you have any desire to know Native Californians as human beings rather than museum pieces, you may want to start here. The book, which is steeped in the oral tradition inspired me to write the following poem which was published some years back through U.C. Davis.
   
   Mabel McKay (Weaving Poem) (by Norm Milstein, 7/97)
   
   Plumage of a Pomo basket
   Flame of feathers blue and black
   Strung with glistening abalone
   Rimmed with ivory disks of shell.
   
   Read her book slowly or not at all.
   She believed that stories should be heard many times
   To sink in and merge with the heart of the hearer
   To sink like pebbles in the soul of the listener
   To grow like seeds in the earth of our minds.
   
   Read her book slowly or not at all.
   Better still, read it aloud.
   Taste each word and savor the flavor
   Of willow and redbud and sedge.
   
   "I never knew nothing but the spirit," she said.
   "Only the spirit trained me.
   I only follow my Dream. That's how I learn."
   
   Plumage of a Pomo basket
   Flame of feathers blue and black
   Strung with glistening abalone
   Rimmed with ivory disks of shell.
   
   Read her book slowly or not at all.
   She believed that stories should be heard many times
   To sink in and merge with the heart of the hearer
   To sink like pebbles in the soul of the listener
   To grow like seeds in the earth of our minds.
   
   Read her book slowly or not at all.
   Better still, read it aloud.
   Taste each word and savor the flavor
   Of willow and redbud and sedge.
   
   "I never knew nothing but the spirit," she said.
   "Only the spirit trained me.
   I only follow my Dream. That's how I learn."

5 comments about The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk's Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux : Black Elk, Holy Man of the Oglala.

1. I like the detail in this book and it is easy to read. Readers should keep in mind that this is just one account of one type of Sacred Pipe. This is not a tell-all on the Sacred Pipe, as such a thing does not exist (at least not on paper).



2. "The Sacred Pipe," Black Elk's account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux
   
   Perhaps the most inhuman, cruelest and nonspiritual chapter in human history has been the assault of organized religion on earth religions aka paganism, animism. Sadly, Christianity in its attempt to evangelize the world has become the poster child for how not to spread the gospel; for instead of contextualizing itself in the cultures and religions it hoped to influence, it declared war (holy jihad) and tried to wipe earth religions out.
   
   Luckily remnants of the earth traditions have survived and have influenced the modern day earth/feminist movements. Many of which are eclectic manifestations of what we call the New Age. The book "The Sacred Pipe," is neither about Christianity's assault on paganism nor the new age movement rather it was written more like an Apologetic to show those who have misunderstood the Red Religion that the "Indians know the One true God, and that they pray to him continually," XX.
   
   While the book explains the Seven Sacred Rites of the Oglala Sioux, its focal point seems to be the gift of the Sacred Pipe (peace Pipe) which was given by the Buffalo Calf Woman. Her coming meant salvation for the Sioux in both the physical and spiritual, and her promise to return in every generation provided an ongoing revelation and evolving ritual for the tribe.
   
   In the bowl of sacred Pipe the entire created order of beings are gathered together and send their prayers to Wakan Tanka (the Great Mystery). This vision of connectedness and unity (based upon the pipe) gave Black Elk a more optimistic hope, than he had for the Christian religion. The following is from the Foreword of the book:
   
   "Most people call it a "peace pipe," yet now there is no peace on earth or even between neighbors, and I have been told that it has been a long time since there has been peace in the world. There is much talk of peace among Christians, yet this is just talk. Perhaps it may be, and this is my prayer that, through our sacred pipe, and through this book in which I shall explain what our pipe really is, peace may come to those peoples who can understand, and understanding which must be of the heart and not of the head alone. Then they will realize that we Indians know the One true God, and that we pray to Him continually.
   
   I have wished to make this book through no other desire than to help my people in understanding the greatness and truth of our own tradition, and also to help in bringing peace upon the earth, not only among men, but within men and between the whole of creation.
   
   We should understand well that all things are the works of the Great Spirit. We should know that He is within all things: the trees, the grasses, the rivers, the mountains, and all the four legged animals, and the winged peoples; and even more important, we should understand that He is also above all these things and peoples. When we do understand all this deeply in our hearts, we will be and act and live as He intends."
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone who thinks Indians are pagan devil worshipers. This book brought joy to my heart and a renewed appreciation for the legacy of the original occupants of Mother Earth!



3. Black Elk is and was sacred Elder. Through his life we are given this knowledge. He has helped many to understand the way of the Lakota; following the natural law. While not all Lakota follow the traditional ways as closely as they did before the arrival of the white man, they are still connected to these rites and inhierently understand these teachings. It's only to outside world that these things become suprising moments of clarity. Joseph Epes Brown took time before it was too late, to record these teachings, which is a blessing and a gift of knowledge to all who would read, understand and heed these words. If you wish to learn what dwells is in the hearts of Native American people, you would do well to open this book and your minds.



4. I haven't actually finished this book yet but I'm looking forward to doing so. This spirituality is deeply sophisticated and elevated. I think the whole world is greatly indebted to the American Indian Nation. Furthermore, thank you for wonderful service.



5. A beautiful book. You can learn about Siuox religious practie and beliefs. The reader will come away with a sense of how similar religios faiths can be. The Sioux it turns out are not so different from Christians, Hindus or any other group that uses faith to guide people through what is both difficult and beautiful in life.