The Dakota people, alternatively referred to as the Sioux (The People of the Seven Council Fires), have a storied history that extends to a time well before the arrival of the European. This work offers a comprehensive look at the Sioux nation and is largely based on eyewitness accounts from the Dakota themselves. It covers the legends, the traditions, and the history as given in their own winter counts. The book traces their history back to their origins. Included are detailed analyses of the various Sioux tribes and bands (the Dakota, the Lakota and Nakota). Topics explored include the Dakotas' early government, the role of women, the rituals and rites, and the influence of the white man in destroying Dakotan culture

Excerpt
. . . before there was time, Han (night) existed, but Han was not as we know it now, with the stars and the moon drifting in an indigo sky. It was empty; it was void. Inyan lived alone in the vastness of space; but like Han, Inyan was not as it is now--not made of stone---instead Inyan contained within itself all things, all life, and his spirit was Wakan Tanka1, the greatest of all mysteries, that which was both unknowable and unknown.

From the origin myth of the Oglala Sioux

Review

This book teaches without preaching. It softly challenges the widely accepted premise that America’s indigenous peoples were “less civilized” than Europeans who brought salvation and enlightenment. We learn that the Iroquois form of government influenced not only Thomas Jefferson but Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and George Washington. While much has been written about the influence of the British Magna Charta on our political system, it is refreshing to read about the democratic values expressed through the Iroquois system of governance that also influenced our great leaders.

Their knowledge, respect and reverence for what we call “the environment” is another lesson we must learn and embrace if we are to survive as a species. “They knew that each species no matter how insignificant, had it’s niche to fill, that the loss of one meant the impoverishment of the whole . . . thank you for a book that teaches, and vividly describes the complexity and sophistication of The Dakota Peoples. Congratulations on successfully comparing the moral character of native culture to the distorted views of entitlement in Manifest Destiny

Carlos Melendrez - politcal activist
Las Cruces, New Mexico