Turtle Lung Woman's Granddaughter

by Delphine Red Shirt

Told in their own words, Turtle Lung Woman’s Granddaughter is the unforgettable story of several generations of Lakota women who grew up on the open plains of northern Nebraska and southern South Dakota. Delphine Red Shirt has delicately woven the life stories of her mother, Lone Woman, and Red Shirt’s great-grandmother, Turtle Lung Woman, into a continuous narrative that succeeds triumphantly as a moving, epic saga of Lakota women from traditional times in the mid–nineteenth century to the present. Especially revealing are Turtle Lung Woman’s relationship with her husband, Paints His Face with Clay, her healing practice as a medicine woman, Lone Woman’s hardships and celebrations growing up in the early twentieth century, and many wonderful details of their domestic lives before and during the early reservation years.

Genres: Native American, Memoir

242 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating look inside Lakota lifeways and heritage. The author's great grandmother, Turtle Lung Woman, was only in her 20's when the Battle of Little Bighorn was fought. She knew what it was to be free to practice her own culture, she stood in the presence of great warriors like Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, she watched the disappearance of the buffalo and the end of Lakota life as she knew it. The first part of this work is dedicated to Turtle Lung Woman's story, as told by her granddaughter, Lone Woman.

The second part of the book covers Lone Woman's recollections of reservation life in the mid 1900's. By the time she was born the most sacred traditions and beliefs of her tribe had been declared illegal by the federal government and forced underground. Her story demonstrates the conflicts that arise when a young girl is forced to straddle the divide between two very different societies. Lone Woman's daughter, Delphine Red Shirt, faithfully captures the life and times of each woman, weaving in Lakota legends and language to create a one-of-a-kind experience.

[Maeyu · Rating 3 out of 5]

North/South Dakota

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminded me of my grandmother and stories she would tell, but in a whole different culture!

[Aivilo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Turtle Lung Woman, I love her Granddaughter, I love this book, I love the way it is told, I love the Lakota language throughout the story. YES YES YES.

[Alana Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book in which the author, Delphine Red Shirt, interviews her mother who talks about her [the mother's] grandmother. It's not written as Q&A, but the different chapters seemed to indicate to me that Red Shirt asked a question and then her mother told a story. This explains some repetition.

Red Shirt's mother speaks in Lakota which is written first, then the words are translated into English. It's very interesting that a word can mean two things - for example "covering" or "shawl" use the same word as "buffalo"- so you see the concept behind each word. Because of the Lakota and translation, I was slowed down in reading the book.

There was no victim story in the book - just the fact of how the people behaved, how they lived, their roles in their culture, etc..

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating writing that illustrates Lakota lives in a non-demonstrative style. Particularly appreciated the time frame of the book, which spans from the traditional ways of Turtle Lung Woman to the time of the author's mother, when the Lakota were living on reservations and doing farm work. An enormous change in 1-2 generations that the author's family appears to have adapted to with grace and perseverance.

I enjoyed the descriptions of children and how they were considered "little sacred beings" in the Lakota language and society.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, will keep it for my collection