What do you think?
Rate this book
The Twilight of the Sioux
The second volume of A Cycle of the West , dealing with the tragic defeat of the Plains Indians, includes The Song of the Indian Wars (1925) and The Song of the Messiah (1935). The former tells of "the period of migration and the last great fight for the bison pastures between the invading white race and the Sioux, the Cheyenne, and the Arapahoe," while the latter concerns "the conquered people and the worldly end of the last great dream." It closes with the battle of Wounded Knee, ending Indian resistance on the Plains.
292 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1971
3 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Read
November 19, 2024Neihardt really said that Wyoming summer has tiny boobs.
Nebraska Library Commission Book Club Spotlight - November 19th, 2024
Born in Sharpsburg, Illinois, in 1881, acclaimed “Prairie Poet of America” and UNL professor John G. Neihardt spent his early adulthood in Bancroft, Nebraska, near the Omaha Reservation. During that time, he became interested in the Westward Expansion and the subsequent displacement of Indigenous people during the American Indian/ Frontier Wars. As a lyrical poet, Neihardt spent 30 years composing a two-volume series of epic poems (songs), known as The Cycle of the West. Volume 1, Wounded Knee Massacre.
The Song of the Indian Wars
Following the last push of the Plains tribes to drive out colonizers from the land between the Missouri and the Pacific, this is a tale of battle and warriors. We follow Chief Red Cloud as the Bozeman War makes its way through the Great Plains. Written less than a century after the events, Neihardt pulls from primary sources, interviewing and taking the perspective of veterans, both white and Native American into his sprawling account.
The Song of the Messiah
In the second song, we find the Plains tribes in low morale and destitution until there was a revival of hope brought about by the guidance of a spiritual leader and Paiute prophet Wovoka. Following his instructions in “The Messiah Letter”, the Ghost Dance Movement of 1890 combined old and new teachings to call upon the spirit world to restore peace and the earth to its uncolonized state. The movement grew as thousands danced unceasingly until the American army, scared of their power, burst into deadly action. Written only 35 years after the massacre, Neihardt invokes Christian iconography throughout this song, describing the massacre as the “crucifixion of a people”, with Wovoka as the messiah figure, and Wounded Knee as a new Golgotha.
The Twilight of the Sioux is a masterpiece in poetry and prose. But it’s also an important history lesson as we are in the latter half of Native American Heritage Month. It’s fascinating to read an artistic account of the American Frontier Wars, penned by a contemporary only a few dozen years later. Wanting to write on the human condition, especially the social and emotional change of coming into adulthood, Neihardt found that America was also in a world of change and growth, describing it as a “strange new world that is being born in agony”. Though there are no specific discussion questions regarding this title for Book Club Groups, The Twilight of the Sioux is considered an educational staple, filled with opportunities to learn and discuss the history of Westward Expansion and Neihardt’s particular writing style.
Even though this tale ended in bloodshed, Neihardt knew the story wasn’t over, believing that “All spiritual truths triumph in this world through apparent defeat” Pawnee and Otoe-Missouria, and despite the systemic and brutal erasure of their lives and homeland, Native Americans were and still are stewards of this land; with Indigenous lead movements today like The Water Protector Legal Collective, NDN Collective, and a continued push for sovereignty.
Related Listening:
- Introduction to A Cycle of the West – an interview with John Neihardt
- Wovoka – Redbone
- We Were All Wounded At Wounded Knee – Redbone
Nebraska Library Commission Book Club Spotlight - November 19th, 2024
Born in Sharpsburg, Illinois, in 1881, acclaimed “Prairie Poet of America” and UNL professor John G. Neihardt spent his early adulthood in Bancroft, Nebraska, near the Omaha Reservation. During that time, he became interested in the Westward Expansion and the subsequent displacement of Indigenous people during the American Indian/ Frontier Wars. As a lyrical poet, Neihardt spent 30 years composing a two-volume series of epic poems (songs), known as The Cycle of the West. Volume 1, Wounded Knee Massacre.
Neihardt’s Black Elk Speaks, is considered controversial and inflated by some Lakota people and scholars. Similarly, some language, and beliefs in The Twilight of the Sioux, may be outdated, but Neihardt’s intentions remain in his lyrics.
The Song of the Indian Wars
Following the last push of the Plains tribes to drive out colonizers from the land between the Missouri and the Pacific, this is a tale of battle and warriors. We follow Chief Red Cloud as the Bozeman War makes its way through the Great Plains. Written less than a century after the events, Neihardt pulls from primary sources, interviewing and taking the perspective of veterans, both white and Native American into his sprawling account.
The Song of the Messiah
In the second song, we find the Plains tribes in low morale and destitution until there was a revival of hope brought about by the guidance of a spiritual leader and Paiute prophet Wovoka. Following his instructions in “The Messiah Letter”, the Ghost Dance Movement of 1890 combined old and new teachings to call upon the spirit world to restore peace and the earth to its uncolonized state. The movement grew as thousands danced unceasingly until the American army, scared of their power, burst into deadly action. Written only 35 years after the massacre, Neihardt invokes Christian iconography throughout this song, describing the massacre as the “crucifixion of a people”, with Wovoka as the messiah figure, and Wounded Knee as a new Golgotha.
“How can I know that I know anything?
The coming of the grasses in the spring-
Is it not strange so wonderful a tale
Is really true? Did mornings ever fail,
Or sleeping Earth forget the time to grow?
How do the generations come and go?
They are, and are not. I am half afraid
To think of what strange wonders all is made!
And shall I doubt another if I see?”
- John G. Neihardt
The Twilight of the Sioux is a masterpiece in poetry and prose. But it’s also an important history lesson as we are in the latter half of Native American Heritage Month. It’s fascinating to read an artistic account of the American Frontier Wars, penned by a contemporary only a few dozen years later. Wanting to write on the human condition, especially the social and emotional change of coming into adulthood, Neihardt found that America was also in a world of change and growth, describing it as a “strange new world that is being born in agony”. Though there are no specific discussion questions regarding this title for Book Club Groups, The Twilight of the Sioux is considered an educational staple, filled with opportunities to learn and discuss the history of Westward Expansion and Neihardt’s particular writing style.
Even though this tale ended in bloodshed, Neihardt knew the story wasn’t over, believing that “All spiritual truths triumph in this world through apparent defeat” Pawnee and Otoe-Missouria, and despite the systemic and brutal erasure of their lives and homeland, Native Americans were and still are stewards of this land; with Indigenous lead movements today like The Water Protector Legal Collective, NDN Collective, and a continued push for sovereignty.
Related Listening:
- Introduction to A Cycle of the West – an interview with John Neihardt
- Wovoka – Redbone
- We Were All Wounded At Wounded Knee – Redbone
July 23, 2008
We just got back from our big South Dakota family vacation. I was inspired by the crazy horse statue and ended up buying this book in the gift shop. I read it many years ago in college (it's mandatory reading in nebraska)and am happy to get re-acquainted with it.
October 13, 2019
DNF poetry and me don't agree.
April 8, 2009
Having read "Black Elk Speaks," which served as reearch material for Neihardt's "Cycle of the West," I thought I would try reading the final product. "The Twilight of the Sioux" contains the last two songs of the five song poem cycle and corresponds with the material Black Elk covers. I am glad to have read Black Elk's first hand account of the Sioux Wars before reading Neihardt's poetic version for it gave me a fairly sound foundation for the subject matter.
I was a little concerned about being able to maintain my interest in 288 pages of verse, but I found the use of rhythm, rhyme and imagery, helped to elevate the subject matter into a beautiful literary experience.
In the first of the two songs, "The Song of the Indian Wars," Niehardt has a way of shifting from the tribal viewpoint to the settler's viewpoint seamlessly. In many cases the transitions are so ethereal they take on a dreamlike quality and the reader is left unaware how they happened to get to 'here' from 'there.' No one is marked as hero or villain in these wars. Neihardt merely reports on how men react when two civilizations collide. Even acts which history may have marked as moments of treachery, are represented here as the results of misunderstandings and fear.
In "The Song of the Messiah," the last song in the cycle, Neihardt explores how a defeated nation, having lost all it had possessed, tries to redefine itself on a spiritual plane. He manages to maintain the dramatic tension by again using the clash of cultures as the foundation for his friction.
This was an invigorating read, and I intend to read the first three songs in the cycle some day, but... not until after I read upon the subject matter.
I was a little concerned about being able to maintain my interest in 288 pages of verse, but I found the use of rhythm, rhyme and imagery, helped to elevate the subject matter into a beautiful literary experience.
In the first of the two songs, "The Song of the Indian Wars," Niehardt has a way of shifting from the tribal viewpoint to the settler's viewpoint seamlessly. In many cases the transitions are so ethereal they take on a dreamlike quality and the reader is left unaware how they happened to get to 'here' from 'there.' No one is marked as hero or villain in these wars. Neihardt merely reports on how men react when two civilizations collide. Even acts which history may have marked as moments of treachery, are represented here as the results of misunderstandings and fear.
In "The Song of the Messiah," the last song in the cycle, Neihardt explores how a defeated nation, having lost all it had possessed, tries to redefine itself on a spiritual plane. He manages to maintain the dramatic tension by again using the clash of cultures as the foundation for his friction.
This was an invigorating read, and I intend to read the first three songs in the cycle some day, but... not until after I read upon the subject matter.
March 16, 2013
Truely Magnificent!
December 31, 2014
It's always hard to read about the Indian Wars because of all the injustice and misunderstanding.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews