The Sons of the wind: The sacred stories of the Lakota

by D.M. Dooling (Editor)

Book by Dooling, D.M.

Genres: Native American, Anthropology, Nonfiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1988

Reviews

[Tay]

The is the story, slowly collected together, of the creation of the Universe according to the Lakota people. It is captivating and wonderful and includes many other explanations about life as well, for example why wolves howl, owls hunt at night, and why Love is also playful, risky, and like a game.

Basically it says that there was nothing and it got lonely, so it created Earth, darkness, and Sky. They have interactions, desires slowly arise, and many other things are created; finally the Pte Oyate - the buffalo people our earliest ancestors - are created. Many things happen with gods becoming like people and loving - creating more. Also people and gods upsetting each other. The story climaxes with the four sons of the companion of the Great Spirit journeying across the world to establish directions (North, South, East, West). It is a a very moving and beautiful story which may indeed have truth to it.

I would recommend ANYONE or everyone to read it.

[Mirrani]

An amazing telling of the Sacred Stories of the Lakota. You truly get the feeling that you are listening to these stories being told, rather than simply reading them from a text. This book isn't for people who are looking for a quick and beautiful story, this is a true history, compiled from actual tellings. Be prepared for the relationships to be complex and the stories to have meaning. These beautiful tales are truly a treasure. All tribes should do this for their sacred stories, before they are lost forever.

[Hruotland]

Strong contender for the “Most boring narration that should have been exciting” award.
Even the narration of accident reports by the NTSB &c. are a much more gripping read.

We also can’t get these stories as originally written, by George Sword, but there had to be a white man, James R. Walker, retelling them. Just having a Lakota telling Lakota stories? Nope, not gonna do that.

[Laurel Glisky]

The stories reminded me of the Christian Bible’s Book of Genesis, explaining the beginning of the world. Later stories in the book get into moral issues, determining right from wrong. Without the glossary, I would have been lost. I kept having to flip back to it while reading, which broke up the flow and made it hard for me to stay engaged in the stories. Overall, I felt the writing was dry. I liked the ideas, but the way they were written did not pull me in as much as I’d hoped. I also think some illustrations would have really helped bring everything to life.