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Crow Dog: Four Generations of Sioux Medicine Men Kindle Edition

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 213 ratings

“Through the experiences of this family of great medicine men, readers are taken on an intimate journey through 120 years of Lakota history.” —Library Journal

“I am Crow Dog. I am the fourth of that name. Crow Dogs have played a big part in the history of our tribe and in the history of all the Indian nations of the Great Plains during the last two hundred years. We are still making history.”

Thus opens the extraordinary and epic account of a Native American clan. Here the authors, Leonard Crow Dog and Richard Erdoes (coauthor of 
Lakota Woman) tell a story that spans four generations and sweeps across two centuries of reckless deeds and heroic lives, and of degradation and survival.

The first Crow Dog, Jerome, a contemporary of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, was a witness to the coming of white soldiers and settlers to the open Great Plains. His son, John Crow Dog, traveled with Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show. The third Crow Dog, Henry, helped introduce the peyote cult to the Sioux. And in the sixties and seventies, 
Crow Dog’s principal narrator, Leonard Crow Dog, took up the family’s political challenge through his involvement with the American Indian Movement (AIM). As a wichasha wakan, or medicine man, Leonard became AIM’s spiritual leader and renewed the banned ghost dance. Staunchly traditional, Leonard offers a rare glimpse of Lakota spiritual practices, describing the sun dance and many other rituals that are still central to Sioux life and culture. 

 

“An illuminating introduction to Sioux culture.” —Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In January 1890, Leonard Crow Dog's great-grandfather, Jerome Crow Dog, surrendered to the U.S. Army; he was the last of the ghost dancers, who brought a "new way of praying, of relating to the spirits." Ninety-three years later, Leonard Crow Dog revived the ghost dance at Wounded Knee. From childhood he was destined to be a medicine man; he recounts family history through four generations?Jerome was the first Native American to win a case in the Supreme Court; Leonard's father, Henry, introduced peyote to the Lakota Sioux. He details tribal ceremonies and their meanings. By 1971, Leonard Crow Dog had become spiritual leader of the American Indian Movement. In that role and also as medicine man, he was present at the 1972 march on Washington and the siege of Wounded Knee in 1973. With Richard Erdoes (Lakota Woman), he gives a stirring account of both events?a horror story of government brutality and vindictiveness, of prejudice and injustice. Here he offers an illuminating introduction to Sioux culture. Photos not seen by PW. $30,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Here is another addition to Erdoes's autobiographical collaborations with Native Americans that blend oral tradition with Western linear history (Crying for a Dream: The World Through Native American Eyes, LJ 2/1/90). Through the experiences of this family of great medicine men, readers are taken on an intimate journey through 120 years of Lakota history. Events that will already be familiar to some readers are recounted within a moving spiritual framework, replete with descriptions of the ceremonial rites and daily spiritual life characteristic of what the outside world deems Native American culture. We witness through "spiritual eyes" the beginnings of the controversial Native American Church, the Ghost Dance, the American Indian Movement, reservation life, and the "ethnic genocide" of the Indian boarding school system. Most libraries will want this volume to stand alongside Lakota Woman (LJ 2/15/90) and Gift of Power: The Life and Teachings of a Lakota Medicine Man (Bear & Co., 1992), similar titles by Erdoes.?Bruce Alan Hanson, Wayzata East J.H.S. Lib., Minn.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006IYMMVM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; Harperperennial ed. edition (March 13, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 13, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.0 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 289 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 213 ratings

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4.7 out of 5 stars
213 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides insightful information about Native American life. They find the writing style conversational and engaging. The book is described as a well-transcribed oral account by Leonard Crow Dog, with his storytelling abilities being second to none.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

10 customers mention "Information quality"10 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's information about Native American spirituality and life. They find it meaningful and interesting, providing insights into their old and current ways of life. The book describes sacred ceremonies in detail, as well as the political situation of Lakota in South Dakota. Readers also mention that the story is touching and well-written.

"An excellent collection of the memories and experiences, as well as the teachings of Leonard Crow Dog, a legendary spiritual leader and medicine man..." Read more

"...The book describes several sacred ceremonies in some detail, the political situation of Lakota in South Dakota, and climaxes with a detailed..." Read more

"This was a touching story that was simply written and great story telling. I highly recommend this book...." Read more

"This book is not for everyone but as a Native American it is very meaningful for me. Great guide for life." Read more

3 customers mention "Writing quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality good. They mention it's simple and engaging, with a conversational style that draws them in. The book is well-transcribed and put together, making it easy to read.

"This was a touching story that was simply written and great story telling. I highly recommend this book...." Read more

"...second to none, the way this volume is put together makes it easy to read. It almost feels like he is speaking the words. Thank you." Read more

"...The book is written in a conversational manner which pulls the reader in and establishes an intimacy and authenticity for the spiritual ways of..." Read more

LOVE THIS BOOK!
5 out of 5 stars
LOVE THIS BOOK!
Aho Pilamaye! One of the greatest men to ever live. I have learned so much about life and Creator from the teachings from this GREAT Chief of the Lakota. I love you Chief Leonard Crowdog ❤️💛🤍🖤
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2023
    An excellent collection of the memories and experiences, as well as the teachings of Leonard Crow Dog, a legendary spiritual leader and medicine man of the Lakota people, as well as the spiritual leader of the American Indian Movement. Reading this book reminded me of many people, including Crow Dog himself, as well as many others mentioned in this book, some of whom are still living.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2024
    The author went to great lengths to explain the topic of the Indian people. It so sad what some people have gone through.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2015
    Crow Dog was a medicine man and a spiritual leader who was active in preserving the culture of the Lakota. After giving a synopsis of his forebears, he describes his training and his life during most of the twentieth century - a very difficult time for all Indians. The book describes several sacred ceremonies in some detail, the political situation of Lakota in South Dakota, and climaxes with a detailed description of the Wounded Knee troubles in the early 70's as well as the aftermath. Crow Dog was the spiritual leader of the people there and, thus, was sentenced to several prison terms afterwards. The intervention of many supporters was able to reverse the actions of the kangaroo courts that sentenced him and he was released. He finished his life healing people.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2014
    This is a fascinating book. I have referred it to many people to get an idea what really went on in the 70's with Wounded Knee as well as what still goes on today. It also is a good history of the Medicine Men in the family and an interesting perspective of the dynamics surrounding Spotted Tail, the reservations and the end of freedom for the Lakota. I feel it is an important book for us all to read, along with Dennis Banks' "Ojibwa Warrior..." to get an idea of what is really going on, and what can go on if you are of the wrong ethnic group in relationship to the dominant society. It is disgusting to think we have been so ignorant - as well as duplicitous - as a society kidding ourselves about our democratic virtues. By not working together with native Americans from the very beginning, we have almost lost the very knowledge we need to save ourselves from our selfish, arrogant and unsustainable lifestyle. My congratulations to Leonard Crow Dog for continuing to have the desire to communicate the truth and the nerve to do so.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2018
    This was a touching story that was simply written and great story telling. I highly recommend this book. I learned so much about the beauty of Lakota ceremony and his story on the American Indian Movement (AIM). It’s a must read for those who are interested in the Lakota culture and learning about the heart of a medicine man. Hoka Hey!

    Dr. David Tacha
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2023
    This book is not for everyone but as a Native American it is very meaningful for me. Great guide for life.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2023
    Aho Pilamaye! One of the greatest men to ever live. I have learned so much about life and Creator from the teachings from this GREAT Chief of the Lakota. I love you Chief Leonard Crowdog ❤️💛🤍🖤
    Customer image
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    LOVE THIS BOOK!

    Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2023
    Aho Pilamaye! One of the greatest men to ever live. I have learned so much about life and Creator from the teachings from this GREAT Chief of the Lakota. I love you Chief Leonard Crowdog ❤️💛🤍🖤
    Images in this review
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    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2015
    Leonard Crow Dog can't read or write so this book was dictated to his co-author, Richard Erdoes. I don't have a problem with this as Native history is mostly oral to begin with and passed from generation to generation (notwithstanding Vine Deloria and others). In any case, even though the title makes it clear that this book is about four generations of Crow Dog, I assume many of us veterans from the Indian wars in the 1960's and 1970's would have preferred to know more about Leonard himself. Of all the male leaders at Wounded Knee 1973 (Banks, Means, Camp, Bellecourt), Leonard was treated the most harshly by the Feds and our barbaric prison system. To learn more about this, you must read Mary Crow Dog's "Lakota Woman".
    17 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • H&E
    3.0 out of 5 stars This was a library book??
    Reviewed in Germany on July 27, 2023
    This book 📖 was from a library. I’m shocked
  • Dave
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on April 8, 2017
    Great
    Thanks

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