A Look into the Early Life of the Dakotas (Sioux)
Waterlily is a novel about the life of the Dakotas (Sioux) written by a Sioux and set in a time when there was little, and in most cases, no interaction with white people. A well-written, novel from a woman's point of view, the story begins with Waterlily's birth. The birthpangs began while the people were moving, the sun hot , the mother astride a horse. When she can endure it no longer, Blue Bird hands her horse's reins to her mother-in-law, dismounts and steps out of line. No one comes to her aid and so she delivers her first child alone. This seemed unnecessarily harsh to me and I could see no reason for it, even though it is sort of explained through the thoughts of others. I felt somewhat better when Blue Bird with the infant, Waterlily, rejoins the line of moving people and her cousin offers her sancuary and lets her ride on a travois to the next camp site. The story follows Blue Bird's life and then Waterlily's until the girl is grown, married, widowed, and married again, all within a short span of time. The real strength of the novel lies in showing us the society of those long ago people, from how they disciplined their children (very gently and shocked when they saw whites hitting their children) to where the visitor sits in the tepee. How the girl children are trained to be modest and the boys to ride and hunt, making a very marked distinction between the sexes. There is some mention of raiding tribes and once, the warriors go after a tribe who had attacked them, killing two of their children and kidnapping another. The tribe's ceremonies are interesting and include among others: the Ghostkeeping ritual, the Sun Dance, the Virgin's Fire, a ceremony that only virgins could attend and was held to restore the honor of one of their members wrongly accused. The people's main objective was to be of service to one another and all were taught from early childhood with examples of hospitality and generosity.
Although not an exciting book, it is interesting, and it kept this reader anxious to read more. Eunice Boeve Ride a Shadowed Trail
my review
A really spell binding book. I found it hard to put down. This is a very good way to understand how living in tiwahe and tiospaye is. A good way for one to understand the importance of relationship and kinship in Lakota culture.
Enlightening
I have always loved stories about the West and this book opened up a whole new world. The attitudes, traditions, and the roles of women in the Dakota tribes are fascinating. Reading stories like this helps me understand my own culture a little more and what there is to be learned. Very entertaining as well as educational.
A Wonderful Book!!!
This is one of the best books I've read in some time--I just couldn't put the book down. I highly recommend it to anyone at all interested in the Native American way of life.
Great easy reading of a remarkable nation
I really enjoyed this book. I looked forward to reading it every chance I got. It was so interesting and easy to read that it seemed to take just hours to complete it. Right away the book starts with a courageous Lakota woman who manages to give birth to the main character, Waterlily, by herself. From there, you learn of an interesting group of people who have a love and respect for their kin in a way that I have never heard of.
