North Dakota Books

Historians discovered many years ago that oral history is a vibrant cornucopia of information. Even better, integrating oral history into traditional modes of inquiry opened up more chances for earning a Ph.D., or getting that career making book contract. In the case of "Through Dakota Eyes: Narrative Accounts of the Minnesota Indian War of 1862," oral history is the only game in town. Every selection in the book is an oral story from Indians or mixed-blood Indians about the disastrous uprising that killed hundreds of soldiers, settlers, and Indians. One of the editors of "Through Dakota Eyes" is none other than Gary Clayton Anderson, the premier scholar on Dakota history. As usual, Anderson goes above and beyond the call of duty in researching the narratives, providing background color on the people involved (and also providing information about what happened to these people after the uprising, something I greatly appreciated).

For nearly a century after the uprising, articles and books concerning the 1862 war only used white narratives as sources of information. There is definitely nothing wrong with relying on these narratives; they are invaluable sources of information on the uprising. The white narratives also reveal the tragic dimensions of the conflict, showing how innocent men, women, and children died (or persevered) in especially brutal ways. With the addition of these Indian narratives, however, historians can now go inside the camps and meeting places of the Dakotas intimately involved in the conflict.

The narratives are lumped into distinct categories dealing with different stages of the uprising. Each category then provides a succinct description of that particular phase of the war. With each narrative, the editors provide a small capsule of information on the person telling the story, allowing the reader to understand that person's place in the overall scheme of things. It is recommended to read the endnotes for each narrative, as they provide excellent information on each narrative. Excellent maps and pictures of many of the people involved also help the reader to understand the accounts.

Some of the narratives are more helpful than others. A few are difficult to understand due to poor grammar or contradictory information. Several of the narratives appeared in newspaper articles or as testimony in a case against the government in 1901, and there is a possibility that someone altered or changed them as they saw fit. That does not mean there are not any "WOW!" moments found here. In Cecelia Campbell Stay's account of the attack on the Redwood Agency (also known as the Lower Agency, where the killing began in earnest on August 18th), Cecelia describes seeing the sunlight flashing on the bayonets of Captain Marsh's patrol as they headed to their doom at the ferry crossing. Another narrative, now widely used in accounts of the uprising, comes from Wowinape, the son of Little Crow (the leader of the warring Dakota). Battle narratives allow the reader to feel as though they are at Fort Ridgely, New Ulm, or Birch Coulee as the cannons roar and the bullets fly.

As the editors point out, many of the mixed-blood Indian narratives identify a central tension of the conflict, namely the division between Indians who adopted white modes of civilization (the farmer Indians) and those who stayed true to traditional Indian values (the blanket Indians). Many of the mixed-blood Indians worked closely with whites; they feared the war parties of the traditionals just as much as whites did. As the war began to wind down, it was the mixed-bloods along with some full-blooded Indians who confronted the warring Indians, forcing these hostile forces to turn over their white captives in an effort to make peace with the military forces sweeping into the area.

This is an absolutely essential book for anyone interested in the Minnesota 1862 uprising. Actually, anyone writing a paper on this conflict without using this book as a source could find themselves in hot water. Since the editors graciously organized the narratives in chronological order, there is no reason someone unfamiliar with the conflict and its principal figures would have any difficulty understanding the book. Gary Anderson and Alan Woolworth have made an important contribution to Indian scholarship with this impressive tome.

A number of years ago, I was privileged to take an Internet class on the Dakota War of 1862 that was being taught by none other than Mr. Gary CLayton Anderson. After the course was over he took us to all the battle sites, trading posts, and places where treaties were signed. The good professor had a very great knack for evoking the visuals. That is a tendency that has carried over into his books. To write this book he has spent literally hundreds of hours combing through manuscripts, museum archives, and musty old books and newspapers in order to find first hand accounts of Minnesota's only Indian War. The results are absolutely stunning. The Dakota warriors and tribal chiefs who waged war on the whites come across not as peaceful children of nature or even as blood thirsty savages, but as men of flesh and blood. Although there are heroes and villains in this book, there are times when it is very difficult to tell them appart. At the same time as Chief Little Crow countenanced bloody massacres of women and children he secretly ordered his foster brother to save as many of them as he could. In addition, there were very few "hostile" Indians who didn't have some white people or Americanised Indians they desired to protect. Most of the people in this book seemed only interested in protecting their families and friends. One of the most sympathetic figures proves to be a Dakota "half breed" known as Joseph Coursolle or Hinhankaga, depending on which language you spoke. To Coursolle, after his daughters were taken prisoner by "hostiles," getting them back became his obsession, one understandable to any parent. The most fascinating thing about this book was that there were Indians who favored the whites and whites who favored the Indians. Coursolle, whose mother was Dakota, would go on to become a Corporal in the US Army, serving as a scout and a sniper against the men who had stolen his family. And among the "hostiles" hanged at Mankato was a white man who had been adopted into the Dakota Nation. In closing, this book reveals what happened in all it's complexities and brutal truth. History, no matter how hard one may try to change it to fit one's own politics, is so complex that even the characters you come to know intimately can still surprise you. No matter how hard some people may try, it cannot be pushed into a box. I am very much surpised that noone has tried optioning this book for TV or a movie. It would make a very powerful tale.

This book has some wonderful narratives from the very people who were caught up in the middle of the uprising in Minnesota in 1862. The author does a good job of explaining how the book is laid out. You definitely need to read the intro to understand this. While I was reading the book, I felt as though I was there in the middle of it with all those involved. I don't excuse what was done, but I have a better understanding of what horrors the indians went through that drove them to this place. I would definitely recommend this book.

"The August Sleepwalker," by Bei Dao, has been translated into English by Bonnie S. McDougall. She also contributes an introduction and a preface. McDougall notes that Bei Dao is the pen name of Zhao Zhenkai, who was born in Beijing in 1949. McDougall adds that he was one of China's "underground poets of the seventies," and that he was "in involuntary exile abroad" at the time she wrote her preface (1989). I found this to be a compelling volume of poetry. Bei Dao's work is often quite sad and haunting, and at times very passionate and beautiful. Particularly interesting is his use of parallel structures in his poems. He uses a rich variety of different parallel forms; this structural diversity brings a continual freshness and vitality to the book as a whole.

Bei Dao makes frequent use of nature imagery--a mountain range, a snowflake, lightning, wild geese, the "rustle of wind through the grass," etc. At times his work has a haiku-like quality. But he also uses very concrete phenomena from the human world in his poems: a lavatory wall, the wail of a fire engine, "a silent cigarette." His voice in some poems sounds like that of an iconoclastic prophet--a tragic outsider who remains engaged with humanity and who challenges us to look at the world with a fresh new perspective. His imagery is often quite startling; consider such lines as "a baked fish dreaming of the sea" and "piles of endlessly bickering books."

Some standout poems in the collection are as follows. "Hello, Baihua Mountain": an invigorating poem with great nature imagery. "You Said": interesting use of dialogue within one of his parallel structures. "The Artist's Life": beginning with the line "Go and buy a radish," this poem has a satiric, even absurdist flavor. "Resume": another poem with a strong satiric flavor. "Language": a critique of language and rational thought. "Smiles, Snowflakes, Tears": evoking a sense of wonder and beauty, this poem reminded me of Pablo Neruda's "Book of Questions." But my favorite poem in the collecton is definitely "The Orange is Ripe." With a particularly well-crafted parallel structure, this poem appeals to both the senses and the emotions.

dao's poetry may be difficult for the reader of conventional poetry to comprehend at first, but any sustained concentration on his verse reveals what he is really doing: rather than creating poetic stories or boring political drivel, he is creating images and sensations of the imagination, things that can only 'be' because of the word. if one were to categorize him permanently, which i would be hesitant to do, he would fall into the surrealist camp. he is a poet of the inner world rather the outer. there is a pessimism in his poems that some will find repulsive, others attractive. great stuff

Is there really witchcraft or do people produce it by believing?
The Townspeople of Glover, Norht Dakota wanted to believe it of Lavender Holland.
She had the courage to be different -the reasons you will never guess.

But Wyatt Archer was beginning to wonder - because he kept returning to Lavender. She and her attraction was not in his game plan. Wyatt was a tall, dark half-blooded Sioux in a town of Scandinavian blondes. He was hired to coach wrestling to the high school team. This town took wrestling seriously. And so did Wyatt.

Wyatt had several good boys on the team -- one was John Tiger, the only other Native American in the high school and we meet Ally Nordstrom, not a wrestler but hopefully a manager ot the team. His sister, Teri, sixteen, works with Lavender, perfecting the art of weaving and falling in love with John Tiger.

Everything falls apart when John Tiger takes a flying leap off of the train tressel and can no longer wrestle. Killing all of his hopes and dreams. Now the question is why?

Marge Nordstrom makes a pass at the coach, Wyatt, even embarassing her children. She has quite a reputation around town for her many men and she definitely tries to stir up trouble for Lavender.

Not to give away too much of the story but I loved the beginning of the story with a personals ad and ending with one. It was very romantic.

Excellent story but --M -- recommended for a good read.

To Each His Own is another //can't put it down// Kathleen Eagle book. I had read Diamond Willow BEFORE I read To Each His Own and recognized the characters. Both are must reads if you're a Kathleen Eagle fan! She's my favorite author, because you know you'll not be disappointed with ANY of her books.

BATTLE CRY is a historical fiction novel written by award-winning Minnesota author, Jan Neubert Schultz. This book would be a good choice for those children considered "reluctant readers". Although this is fiction, Jan is historically accurate when writing about this very volatile time in Minnesota's state history (inaccuracies are clearly stated in her Author's Note).

The story is set in 1862 Minnesota during the Dakota Conflict. The plot centers around two fictional teenage boys, Johnny Preuss, who is the son of a white Minnesota farmer and his best friend on the next farm over, Chaska, a mixed blood (half white, half Dakota). Both families are caught up in the horror of the uprising, and the boys struggle to remain friends throughout the conflict.

The Dakota people ceded their land to the U.S. government in exchange for cash and annuities. Their land was opened to white settlement while they were given reservation lands administered by U.S government agencies. Over time, the U. S. Congress changed the terms of the treaties with the Dakota, lessening the annuity and goods amounts, and the Dakota were soon at the mercy of unscrupulous traders and agents. When cash annuities arrived, the agents gave the traders their money "owed" by the Dakota people first; many Dakota were then left penniless and starving.

It was just too much for the Dakota to bear, so the ingredients were in place for all-out hostilities between the starving Dakota and the white settlers. Throughout the story, the boys struggle to help each other and their families survive. Jan does a terrific job of weaving the boys into actual events.

As a result of this bloodbath, President Lincoln ordered the largest mass execution in U.S. history to take place in Mankato, Minnesota. On December 26, 1862, thirty-eight Dakota were hung by the neck till dead on the public square erected specifically for this purpose. Many of the Dakota were innocent and had actually protected the whites, but in the end, it didn't matter - they were hung anyway. If you were an Indian, and you were caught, then you were guilty. Through the help of his friend, Johnny, Chaska was spared the hanging when Johnny was able to prove him innocent of the charges. The friendship bond between these two boys was strong enough to endure all.

A riveting, excellent story that really explains both sides of the issue so that the reader can feel good about understanding the whys and the wherefores of a small part of American history from 145 years ago.

Stories for Children Editor, VS Grenier

I read Battle Cry in one sitting unable to put it down until I came to the last chapter. I had to take a break because I knew what was going to happen. I came back and cried as I read what happened because of a few bad people on both sides of the conflict. Battle Cry shows what happened during the Sioux Uprising of 1862. The Sioux Uprising took place near Mankato, MN and was the beginning of the Dakota Wars, including Custer's Last Stand and ending with Wound Knee.

I love this book. It is exciting and interesting. It involves war, bravery, and honor to be a sioux!

I picked up this children's book thinking that it might be appropriate for my church's library (a Native American Episcopal Mission). After reading it, I'm not really sure if it is appropriate. The story is exciting. The character of Jumping Badger (later to be Sitting Bull) is strong and develops well. The illustrations, while not marvelous, are fine. Values and morals are taught fairly well in this novel.

One of a few things that worried me (as a Santee Sioux person) was the use of the denigrating and dehumanizing word "squaw" throughout the book. Among my people, it would be a great, great insult to call a woman such a terrible thing. I think if the story were to be re-edited, the wonderful word "woman" could be placed in those instances. Another instance that worried me was the calling one woman a "witch". While there have always been "medicine women" throughout many ages, the use of the word takes the reader to another place that is not consistent with Dakota/Lakota/Nakota history and culture. An afterword by the editors on the use of the name "Sioux" and the words mentioned above may be of good use.

These two instances do not deter me from recommending this book. If anything, they may lead to conversation and a better understanding of Sioux cultures (note that there are more than one) and the use of language around concepts not indigenous to our own culture, i.e., "witch" vs. "medicine woman".

This is a great book for kids, but they may need a little guidance with it. I still haven't decided if it would be appropriate for my church's library and will first talk about this book with other elders.

Ella Deloria's classic 1932 collection has been reprinted fully by the University of Nebraska Press (ISBN 080326660X) and partially by the University of South Dakota Press (ISBN 0882490257). Both editions include all the tales collected by Deloria, and give her polished English translations, her cultural notes and her introduction. The Nebraska edition includes all this plus the Lakhota language originals and Deloria's literal word-by-word translations. Those interested in the ethnological and story-telling aspects of the tales will find either edition to be a masterly rendition into English by one of the first native American anthropologists of her culture's literature. Those interested in the linguistic aspects of the Lakhota/Dakota language should get the Nebraska edition. (Since Amazon's computers apply the same rating and review to both editions, I have removed one star for the Dakota Press version.)

If you are interested in Siouan languages, this and Deloria's
Dakota grammar are the books to get - and modern materials published
by the Lakota Language Consortium.

Jakarta Missing is an absorbing book, with a wonderful girl, Dakar, at the center of the story. Dakar is creative and smart, but also shy and scared by all of the changes in her life. All of Dakar's family and friends, including her sister Jakarta, also seemed like very real people with interesting stories to tell. Dakar's story includes fascinating descriptions of her life in different parts of Africa. And Dakar showed me how what I think of as ordinary life in the U.S. can seem very strange and new to a girl who has grown up elsewhere. Anyone who has had to deal with the difficult times of moving and changes in a family will identify with the problems Dakar faces in this book. This is a great read that I didn't want to put down!

I really enjoyed reading Jakarta Missing. The story focuses on the life of a girl named Dakar who grew up in East Africa and who has been transplanted to North Dakota. Her recollections of her life in Africa provide insights into what it is like for a kid to live in and be a part of several cultures at once. Third Culture Kids (those growing up in a culture different from their parents' "home" culture) will definitely identify with Dakar.

The book also reflects a lot on several significant issues. Dakar and her family struggle with finding the balance between safety and living joyfully unrestrained by fear. In other words, how much of the joy of life are you willing to give up in order to feel safe? Different members of the family strike this balance in different ways and with different results. Those who struggle with taking risks will find an empathic friend in Dakar.

Dakar's family also struggles with balancing concern and responsibility for the well-being of all of humanity with concern for the more mundane but also important issues of "being there" for those you love. Is it more important to save the world or to be there to watch your kid's basketball game? A related issue is how women and girls balance taking care of others vs taking care of themselves. This issue is played out in various family members and female friends in the book, and the various characters resolved the issue differently.

There is a lot to think about in this book, but it's so engaging and fun to read that I wasn't left feeling heavy or weighed down by it. Dakar's stories about growing up in Africa are fun to read and different from your average book about a teenager in America. As a newcomer she struggles to fit in but still be herself. Anyone who has ever been in that position will be able to relate to Dakar's feelings.

Overall a great book. It kept me turning the pages long after I should have put it down and gone off to do other chores.

This book describes the life of a hoop dancer for the Lakota. I found it very informative and pleasant to read. You get a real flavor for a person who has chosen to try to maintain the culture of his people. It's not easy.

Lakota Hoop Dancer not only explains about the dancing and dancer, but gives a feel for the land of the Lakota, their views of the world, and the people themselves and their values. The brief glossary and explanations of Lakota expressions within the book help. Students and others interested in American Indian tribes will enjoy this and gain insights. Excellent photographs enhance the text.

Being a fanatic of Native American writings and lore I find again Mark St. Pierre, top of the list. I understand he has lived in the Lokata nation for the last thirty years and writes from the heart. Follow this writer because he is destined for fame. No writer has captured this beautiful culture with more passion than he has. I look foward to his next work.

If you are a "Little House on the Prairie" fan, this book, based on a true story, is for you. The story follows a Native American woman's life as she survives tragedy and ultimately triumphs. I'm not usually much of a reader, (in fact this was an assignment) but I just couldn't put it down! The author did an excellent job capturing the reality of the Native American way, and depicting the main character's struggle with TB; the isolation, loss of friends and her own illness. This book really makes you appreciate your health and everything you have.

Tom Lewis spent ~ 10 years at Pine Ridge, working as a psychiatrist in the local hospital. During that time he had the opportunity to interact with many prominent Lakota healers, including Frank Fools Crow, the most eminent of them all at that time. In this book he presents us with a sympathetic account of his encounters with yuwipi men, Eagle ceremony leaders, herbalists and other medicine people; he also includes interviews with white and Indian informers and his own observations of the life on the rez. He tries to be nice, but many details are quite scathing; the books describes graphically the Lakota disregard for their own environment, health and traditions; the drunken brawls, the dysfunctional family life, the distrust of the white man. The high rate of medical problems among the Oglala is associated with poverty, education difficulties, family disorganization, a disintegrating culture, the absence of an economic base, and pervasive difficulties with role, status and motivation.

The weakest point of the book is that Lewis never bothered to actually learn about Lakota healing; the book is written from a Westerner's "rational" perspective, taking no account of the reality of the indigenous view of the world and its mysteries. "Why", asks Lewis, do these people "rely on the imagery of the unreal, the mysteries of mythological formations, the magical techniques"? His answer is that the modern Lakota healer acts basically as a psychotherapist, reassuring his clients and weaving them back into the web of mutual social obligations. In my opinion, and experience, Lewis' contrast between the "magical thought" of the healers he encountered and the "scientific thought" he ascribes to himself look nowadays a bit naive and passe. They certainly do not reflect modern anthropology or psychiatry. Rather, they represent a white amateur's view of the fascinating world where people are still connected to nature and its whispers, where ancestors and spirits still have a stake in our survival, where conversation and listening become one and the same.

Lewis a psychiatrist and medical anthropologist who stayed at the Pine Ridge Res in the late 60's and early 70's. From the book: "...he describes the Indian Healers - their techniques, personal histories and qualities, the problems addressed and the results obtained" . This is an excellent book for Native American studies, those interested in non AMA healing techniques and also should be required reading for all med students.