Tasunka: A Lakota Horse Legend

by Donald F. Montileaux, Agnes Gay (Lakota Translation)

Curiosity leads a young warrior to track a new animal. It leads him far from home, but at last he finds a herd of the strange new creatures. They are horses that shimmer with color and run swift as the wind. The Lakota capture and tame them, and the people grow rich and powerful. They become filled with pride. With their newfound strength they rule over the plains. Then the Great Spirit, who gave the gift of the horse, takes it away. Written in both English and Lakota, Donald F. Montileaux retells the legend of Tasunka from the traditional stories of the Lakota people. Using the ledger-art style of his forefathers he adds colorful detail. His beautiful images enhance our understanding of the horse and its importance in Lakota culture.

Genres: Picture Books, Native American, Animals, Indigenous, Childrens, Folk Tales, Mythology

48 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2013

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things I look for when reading a traditional story rooted in a Native Nation is an attribution of where the story was heard, and from whom. In Tasunka: A Lakota Horse Legend, Montileaux gives us that information right away in a two-page introduction.

Montileaux heard this story from Alex White Plume, a Lakota elder and storyteller. In a radio interview, Montileaux says more about the story, assuring readers that he is retelling the story as it is told. Initially, White Plume was reluctant to have a traditional story put into print. When he saw what Montileaux had done, he gave him his blessing. In the radio interview, Montileaux also says that Agnes Gay, the woman who did the Lakota translation, works as an archivist at the Oglala Lakota College. She, too, verified the integrity of Montileaux's telling of that story.

The care Montileaux took with the story marks the story itself as distinctive. His art adds a beautiful dimension to the words on the page. Montileaux's style reflects the ledger art of the 1800s, developed by Plains Indians who drew on ledger pages using pencil, ink, and watercolor.

A third quality of the book that marks it as distinctive is that it is a bilingual text. Above, I noted that Agnes Gay did the translation. Throughout the book, readers can see/read the story in Lakota.

The story itself is about how the Lakota people came to have horses... not in recent times, but long ago. A very long time ago. A young Lakota man sees them and spends time away from his village, taming and training them. He brings them to the village, where nobody has seen them before. They learn to use them to make life easier, but they also use them in aggressive actions on other tribes. That is an abuse of them as a gift of the Creator, so they are taken away. Of course, we know they come back... much later, when Europeans arrive.

Tasunka: A Lakota Horse Legend is a fascinating story that pays tribute to the stories Native peoples have told for hundreds of years. I highly recommend it.

Montileaux is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Nation. Tasunka: A Lakota Horse Legend is published by the South Dakota State Historical Society. Support small bookstores by getting a copy from Birchbark Books.

[laura (bookies & cookies) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful ledger style drawings of horses (I was the horse girl in middle school, I'm all about this) and a story of the Lakota people

[Cam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot attest to the accuracy of this book. But I can comment on a few of the elements.

This was written as a historical telling of the Lakota people, by a Lakota man.

The illustrations are stunning. While I was reading it I felt like I could almost see the horses running. It really grabbed me.

The text is written in English and the Lakota language. This is so lovely for Lakota children who can read a story in their tribe's language. It is also great for non-Lakota children to see another language represented in a picture book. To see right there that the book was not just written for non Native Americans, but for the children of that culture as well.

The story itself starts with a good message. To obtain something is not necessarily to possess it. And that what may be given to you, could be taken away if it is not used with respect.

The one bit of the story I hesitate on is the presence of white people in the story. It is barely mentioned at all, but what is included shows a favorable view of the white man's introduction into the Lakota people's world. I will have to do more research about this particular tribe to see if the accuracy of this depiction.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Tasunka: A Lakota Horse Legend, a young man tracks a strange, new animal. He finds the horse’s swift herd and sees that it is filled with strange colors, like reds and blues. Despite the strange occurrences, the young man continues to track the animal, needing food for his family and curious what he might find. Eventually, he tames the wild beast and returns home with the herd, to the shock and surprise of his camp. The young warrior teaches his family and friends how to ride the creatures, allowing them to become “wealthy and strong”. The Great Spirit looked on in sadness, as he watched one tribe abuse his gift over others. He decides to take away the gift of Tasunka, the horse, until all tribes can use the gift responsibly.

Tasunka: A Lakota Horse Legend was written and illustrated by Donald F. Montileaux. He retells the legend from the traditional stories of the Lakota people in both English and Indic, as each page has both languages. This book was recommended in the textbook, “Children’s Books in Children’s Hands” in the Native American section. It is for readers aged 6 - 9 years old. Montileaux illustrations beautifully depict the rainbow horses and the Lakota camp. In order to access this book, I watched a video of a woman from the Lakota tribe reading this book. I was able to see the images perfectly and hear the correct pronunciations of the words in the Indic language.

I would read this book in the classroom. It could be used to start a conversation about different Native American tribes. The discussion could focus on topics such as their different languages and the importance of the horse in Native American culture. As the book is written by a member of the Lakota tribe, it is an authentic text with authentic images. This book could also be used in the classroom as an example of a retelling of a traditional story that got passed down through multiple generations, maybe in a unit of different genres.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Legend is about the discovery of horses by a Lakota warrior out hunting for food. This warrior had never seen these beasts before and thought to catch one for food. As he tries to catch them he sees that they are fast and when he finally meets up with them he tames them and learns how to ride them. He brings them back to his people where they gain great wealth and stat conquering other tribes. The gods are saddened by this and they take away their gift of horses. As the story goes a long time passes before they are given the gift of horses again when the settlers came to America. The author says that this shows that the gods had forgiven the Lakota for their greed. The drawings in this book are beautiful and stick with the style of drawings that were found in ledgers from 1860-1910 drawn by American Indians. The author is a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation and a storyteller.
Recommended age 10-13
Reading Level 6th grade

[Elizabeth]

The red, blue, yellow, and green horses reminded me of illustrations in Crazy Horse's Vision . I had forgotten that horses aren't native to the Americas, and I think it's neat that there's an indigenous story about them having existed here once upon a time but the Great Spirit took them away because the people were using them to profit at the expense of others -- which makes it somewhat ironic that white settlers are the ones who bring the horses back (especially since I just finished watching the Fur Trade videos in an Indigenous Canada Coursera course, so thinking about how the fur trade impacted the First Nations' economic and social structures).

[Angie Lisle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the bilingual text. My grandfather grew up in the time of the Indian Schools and wasn't allowed to speak his birth mother's language for fear that he'd be taken away. I only learned a handful of words that he knew so I appreciate seeing the story in both languages (I would also enjoy an audio version, told in both languages, so I could hear my great-grandmother's tongue).

The drawings are beautifully rendered and the moral of the story is one that many children -regardless of heritage- need to learn. This story serves as a reminder that humans do impact the environment.

[Katie Logonauts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This marvelously illustrated bilingual tale is a retelling of a Lakota story about Tasunka, the horse, and how horses were given and then taken away from the Lakota people by the Great Spirit. The illustrations and color palette are in the style of ledger books from the 1860s to 1910s. This would make an excellent addition to any collection of Native American tales.

[Thomas Kupec · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and the diversity it shows. taken from a native American point of view a legend of how the horse was discovered and how when it was taken away by the great spirit that new settlers brought horses with them too. I also enjoyed how they had the native American language from the tribe below the English paragraphs.

[Becky Loader · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! Written in English and Lakota, the story describes how the Great Spirit gifted the Native Americans with the horse, and how they lost the gift. The illustrations are wonderful!

[Harla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not necessarily a programming book but loved this one for the story and illustrations...plus it had horses in it!

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book that is written in English and Lakota. So good to see a Native American author and illustrator and even better to see a remarkable work like this one.

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story about how the Lakota Indians received horses.

[Teige Seiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part of this book was when the boy met the horses for the first time. I also liked that the pages had English and Lakota.

[Michelle Cohen]

Beautiful imagery, an original Lakota folklore story with original language beside English.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the story of how the Lakota people obtained horses, according to legend, and how the Great Spirit took them away because they used them to overpower other tribes. Each page tells the story in English and Lakota, so readers can try to gain a sense of what that language sounds like. The drawings are cool and were created by studying those that can be found in old ledger books from the 1800s. I feel like this book might be better suited for an older child who has a greater grasp of history; my four-year-old liked looking at it, but didn't follow the story.

[Missy Matula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the artwork of the horses were vivid and extremely detailed I like the colored pencil used. I thought this was a great way to teach children about other cultures such as that of the Lakota culture. I thought it was interesting how there were English and Lakota translations in the book. This book was a great opportunity to teach young readers how important animals are to some cultures and how they're honored and the significance they represent.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tasunka: A Lakota Horse Legend" told and illustrated by Montileaux, won the Aesop Award. This picture book tells of the legend of Tasunka and the history of the Lakota people and their culture and the importance of how much the "horse" means to the Oglala nation. This book will help me have a wide variety of culturally significant literature in my library.

[Audrey (Warped Shelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A genuine page-turner! I was surprised by how quickly invested I became in this story. Tasunka is an exemplary telling of a cherished Lakota legend with captivating and original art. This book is fit for all ages.


ATY 2025 Reading Challenge: (BONUS) A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name (2022)

[Cheryl]

I recommend that this be read as only one item in a larger unit about Lakota and other Native nation's histories. The notes convince me that it's authentic, but it seems odd at the end because we know that the Lakota people suffered at the hands of white pioneers, just as other Natives did. It's a beautiful book, but I just don't know what the truth is that the author wants us to learn.

[Jillianne Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful native folktale showing how people use resources. I’ll ignore the fact that it paints white people as friends at the end. The illustrations are wonderful!! So many possibilities for elementary projects!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review from my 5 yo: she liked all the details of it, and there were ponies in the book

It's also bilingual with Oglala Lakota.

[Patricia Willers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork accompany a Lakota horse legend told in Lakota and English.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Native American Heritage Month.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple rhythmic story about livestock as a tool of imperial power. Fantastic art style inspired by 1800s Lakota sketchbooks full of triangles and a visual sense of motion. Unlike the vast majority of North American indigenous culture, the Lakota actually have attractive and inspired visual art.