Stories of the Sioux

Luther Standing Bear, a Lakota Sioux born in the 1860s, heard these legends in his youth, when his people were being moved to reservations. Haunting in mood and imagery, they celebrate the old nomadic life of the Sioux when buffalo were plentiful and all nature fed the spirit. The twenty stories honor not only the buffalo but also the dog, horse, eagle, and wolf as workaday helpers and agents of divine intervention; the wisdom of the medicine man; and the heroism and resourcefulness of individual men and women. Luther Standing Bear is the author of Land of the Spotted Eagle, My People the Sioux, and My Indian Boyhood (also Bison Books).

'These little stories...have a simplicity and charm that capture the rural spirit of early Lakota life in which closeness to natural scenes and animals gave a freshness and uncomplicated pleasure to life' - "American Indian Culture and Research Journal". 'These short pieces will serve to...acquaint readers with the distinct charm and the almost classical simplicity with which the Indian storytellers expressed themselves' - "Boston Transcript".'All of the stories are filled with the Indian's mysticism, with his magic lore and his sense of friendly alliance with the kindred animal spirits and of his ultimate faith in the 'Great Mystery.' They are retold...in a forthright graphic style well adapted to their vigorous material and tradition' - "New York Times". Luther Standing Bear, a Lakota Sioux born in the 1860s, heard these legends in his youth, when his people were being moved to reservations. Haunting in mood and imagery, they celebrate the old nomadic life of the Sioux when buffalo were plentiful and all nature fed the spirit. The twenty stories honor not only the buffalo but also the dog, horse, eagle, and wolf as workaday helpers and agents of divine intervention; the wisdom of the medicine man; and the heroism and resourcefulness of individual men and women. Luther Standing Bear is the author of "Land of the Spotted Eagle", "My People the Sioux", and "My Indian Boyhood" (also Bison Books).