Warrior's Odyssey: Spirit of Crazy Horse

by Ed McGaa, Jaye Manus (Editor), Kyle McGaa (Editor)

A vast land, yet teeming with abundant Deer, Elk, Rattle Snakes and the majestic Golden Eagle begins the true adventuresome journey of a modern Sioux Odysseus. A pleasant, nature immersed childhood prepares him well, although hunting and fishing place him in several dangerous episodes. He evolves into a top of the line Marine fighter/bomber pilot flying F4 Phantom combat missions in Vietnam. He is protected through Sioux ritual from a prominent Lakota Medicine Man. He takes a vow to endure the tribe’s Sun Dance for a spiritually predicted safe return from over a hundred combat missions; several he miraculously escapes from as predicted. Seeking a law degree, he is immersed in Martin Luther King’s civil rights to support his tribe’s spiritual and cultural revival and joins the challenging American Indian Movement (AIM) for the return of their own Spirituality which was unconstitutionally banned through lobbying missionaries. Four days without water or food under a hot Badland’s August sun he endures and purifies in the annual Sun Dance thanksgiving – for six years he honors his spiritual vow to his Great Spirit concept. His tribe’s stubborn resistance causes the reservation missionaries to zealously bully the Indian people. Following the holy man’s instructions he leads AIM to the reservation. The battle is on. During the internationally renowned Wounded Knee occupation, he is sent by his Congressman to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the armed and occupying AIM warriors. Several other dangerous missions/investigations he is also assigned to by federal authorities: maximum security, a prison riot, and armed undercover against a Cuban mafia management corruptly subduing a tribe’s casino gaming operations. Numerous encounters with Nature course his journey, repeatedly facing him with Death’s Door episodes (including six airplane/helo crashes, three gun shots, and recently escaping the jaws of two sixteen-foot great white sharks).
Ed McGaa / Eagle Man, is an Oglala Lakota Sioux Marine veteran (Korea & Vietnam), earned his law degree from the University of South Dakota, and was a Bush Award recipient wherein he studied under two Sioux holy men, Chief Eagle Feather and Chief Fools Crow and Ben Black Elk, the interpreter for Black Elk Speaks. Eagle Man is the author of a dozen books on Sioux spirituality, culture, and history (combined at over 70 printings), including Mother Earth Spirituality, Nature’s Way, and Crazy Horse & Chief Red Cloud.

459 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 21, 2014

About the author

AKA Eagle Man

Reviews

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not easy reading, as the author does not sugar coat the brutality against the American Indian, including children. I had to get past the language, and using God and Jesus very disrepectfully was difficult to read. However, it is understandable considering the source of the abuse.
Every adult should read thiis book.