The True wisdom of a Lakota spiritual Leader and Sundance Chief. Lee Plenty Wolf shares the seven Lakota life values that guide one when walking the spiritual path (The Red Road). These simple, eloquent, and profound wisdom traditions have held together the peoples and prophecy of the spirit of The White buffalo Calf Woman. She bestowed and taught the Lakota people seven sacred rites and ceremonies to keep them walking here on Earth in a balanced and good way. These ancient rites are a true blessing for those of Turtle Island (North America). We honor this medicine by acknowledging our interconnections to all of nature and the cosmos.
A profoundly spiritual book, Yuwipi describes a present-day Oglala Sioux healing ritual that is performed for a wide range of personal crises. The vivid narrative centers on the experience of a hypothetical father and son in need of spiritual and physical assistance. The author combines the Yuwipi ceremony with two ancient Sioux rituals often performed in conjunction with it, the vision quest and the sweat lodge. Wayne Runs Again, suffering from alcoholism and worried about his father?s health, seeks out a shaman who, while bound in darkness, calls on supernatural beings to free him and to communicate. While the young man undergoes purification in a sweat lodge and waits on a hill for a vision, the community prays for him and his father. The ceremony serves not only to cure the sick but also to reaffirm the continuity of Oglala society.
For the residents of the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, mainstream medical care is often supplemented or replaced by a host of traditional practices: theøSun Dance, the yuwipi sing, the heyok?a ceremony, herbalism, the Sioux Religion, the peyotism of the Native American Church, and other medicines, or sources of healing. Thomas H. Lewis, a psychiatrist and medical anthropologist, describes those practices as he encountered them in the late 1960s and early 1970s. During many months he studied with leading practitioners. He describes the healers?their techniques, personal histories and qualities, the problems addressed and results obtained?and examines past as well as present practices. The result is an engrossing account that may profoundly affect the way readers view the dynamics of therapy for mind and body.
This book provides a thorough and engaging study of Plains Indian life. It covers both historical and contemporary aspects and contains wide and balanced treatment of the many different tribal groups, including Canadian and southern populations. Daniel J. Gelo draws on years of ethnographic research and emphasizes that Plains societies and cultures are continuing, living entities. The second edition has been updated to take account of recent developments and current terminology. The chapters feature a range of illustrations, maps, and text boxes, as well as summaries, key terms, and questions to support teaching and learning. It is an essential text for courses on Indians of the Great Plains and relevant for students of anthropology, archaeology, history, and Indigenous studies.
In 1953 young surgeon Robert H. Ruby began work as the chief medical officer at the hospital on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He began writing almost daily to his sister, describing the Oglala Lakota people he served, his Bureau of Indian Affairs colleagues, and day-to-day life on the reservation. Ruby and his wife were active in the social life of the non-white community, which allowed Ruby, also a self-trained ethnographer, to write in detail about the Oglala Lakota people and their culture, covering topics such as religion, art, traditions, and values. His frank and personal depiction of conditions he encountered on the reservation examines poverty, alcoholism, the educational system, and employment conditions and opportunities. Ruby also wrote critically of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, describing the bureaucracy that made it difficult for him to do his job and kept his hospital permanently understaffed and undersupplied. These engaging letters provide a compelling memoir of life at Pine Ridge in the mid-1950s.
Native Americans had a close affinity with the earth and an understanding of the natural forces which shaped their environment. They recognised that not only were our physical bodies composed of the elements of the earth but our core personalities also were influenced by seasonal characteristics and by the tides of time governed by the Sun and the Moon. The time of birth was no chance happening of fate, but an indication of personality traits and inherent potentials we were each born with to meet the challenges of life. The key to exploring your individuality is a Birth Totem - an animal representation which indicates the characteristics and attributes which combined together comprise your 'medicine' - your inner power and resources. Learn how to: - Identify your own Birth Totem - Connect yourself to your true potential - Discover your life purpose and learn how to fulfil it - Explore all aspects of your life including health and relationships.
No one captures the glory, adventure, and drama of the courageous men and women who tamed the American West like award-winning author Johnston. His Plainsmen series brims with colorful characters, fierce battles, and compelling historical lore. Reissue.
Praise for the previous edition: "This encyclopedia...allows the student to realize the richness and diversity of the Native American beliefs to the forefront of the world religions...Highly Recommended."—Book Report "...recommended for public library, school, and undergraduate reference collections."—Booklist "...the wealth of information...make this useful for both public and academic libraries."—Library Journal Despite a long history of suppression by governments and missionaries, Native American beliefs have endured as dignified, profound, viable, and richly faceted religions. Encyclopedia of Native American Religions, Third Edition is the go-to reference for the general reader that explores this fascinating subject. More than 1,200 cross-referenced entries describe traditional beliefs and worship practices, the consequences of contact with Europeans and other Americans, and the forms Native American religions take today. Coverage includes: Biographies of figures such as Thomas Stillday Jr., an Ojibway and the first Indian chaplain in the Minnesota State Legislature Court cases concerning prisoners' religious rights National and state legislation, such as the Native American Church Bill and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act Religious rights in the military Sacred sites, such as Snoqualmie Falls, and the sacred use of tobacco Tribal court cases involving the participation of non-Indians in Native American religious ceremonies, such as the Sun Dance.
Originally published in 1978, this classic exploration of humanity’s complex relationship with and understanding of wolves returns with a new afterword by the author. Humankind's relationship with the wolf is the sum of a spectrum of responses ranging from fear to admiration and affection. Lopez’s classic, careful study has won praise from a wide range of reviewers and improved the way books on wild animals are written. Of Wolves and Men explores the uneasy interaction between wolves and civilization over the centuries, and the wolf's prominence in our thoughts about wild creatures. Drawing upon an impressive array of literature, history, science, and mythology as well as extensive personal experience with captive and free-ranging wolves, Lopez argues for the wolf's preservation and immerses the reader in its sensory world, creating a compelling portrait of the wolf both as a real animal and as imagined by different kinds of men. A scientist might perceive the wolf as defined by research data, while an Eskimo hunter sees a family provider much like himself. For many Native Americans the wolf is also a spiritual symbol, a respected animal that can strengthen the individual and the community. With irresistible charm and elegance, Of Wolves and Men celebrates careful scientific fieldwork, dispels folklore that has enabled the Western mind to demonize wolves, explains myths, and honors indigenous traditions, allowing us to understand how this remarkable animal has become so prominent for so long in the human heart.
