The World We Used to Live In: Remembering the Powers of the Medicine Men

by Vine Deloria Jr.

In his final work, the great and beloved Native American scholar Vine Deloria Jr. takes us into the realm of the spiritual and reveals through eyewitness accounts the immense power of medicine men. The World We Used To Live In , a fascinating collection of anecdotes from tribes across the country, explores everything from healing miracles and scared rituals to Navajos who could move the sun. In this compelling work, which draws upon a lifetime of scholarship, Deloria shows us how ancient powers fit into our modern understanding of science and the cosmos, and how future generations may draw strength from the old ways.

Genres: Indigenous, Nonfiction, Native American, History, Anthropology, Religion, Spirituality

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2006

About the author

Vine Victor Deloria, Jr. was an American Indian author, theologian, historian, and activist. He was widely known for his book Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto (1969), which helped generate national attention to Native American issues in the same year as the Alcatraz-Red Power Movement. From 1964–1967, he had served as executive director of the National Congress of American Indians, increasing tribal membership from 19 to 156. Beginning in 1977, he was a board member of the National Museum of the American Indian, which now has buildings in both New York City and Washington, DC.

Deloria began his academic career in 1970 at Western Washington State College at Bellingham, Washington. He became Professor of Political Science at the University of Arizona (1978–1990), where he established the first master's degree program in American Indian Studies in the United States. After ten years at the University of Colorado, Boulder, he returned to Arizona and taught at the School of Law.

Reviews

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was keenly aware of not being the audience for this book-- Deloria's intent was clearly to convince a native audience of an ancient cosmic connection and set of abilities that have been lost. As an outsider, my inherent lack of connection with his thesis made it a difficult read.

On an anthropological level the book is fascinating and impeccable sourced. But the credulous tone Deloria takes towards the anecdotes he recounts (using someone's "impeachable character" as reason to take stories at completely face value, for instance) rubbed me the wrong way. There were times when glaring holes in his arguments got on my nerves-- for example, stories where the storyteller had every reason to lie or fabricate are completely glossed over-- but, again, I wasn't someone he was trying to convince in the first place.

[LaPinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many books on Native American Legends and stories of the capabilities of the tribal medicine men, but this is the first book I have read that presents first hand accounts written by the Europeans who first came in contact with the different origional Nations of North America.
These first-contact Europeans witnessed the actions of the medicine men when they were still pure in their beliefs and religions, before becoming corrupted by the Christian faith.
Many of the first hand documents are from military personel, Jesuit priests and common people who were amazed and sometimes frightened by what they witnessed.
If you have any interest in Native American medicine men and Native American religions, you will certainly enjoy this book.

[Emily]

Felt pretty dense as it was essentially a compilation for primary sources, which I was not expecting! I imagine this book has a lot of good uses, and the foreword from Deloria's son was very moving.

[Francesca Calarco · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are interested in learning about prominent stories surrounding medicine men of different U.S. indigenous groups, then The World We Used to Live In is a pretty solid source.

There are really great dreams, stories, and histories shared in this collection that are organized by spiritual themes. My only criticism would be a lack of context, especially in regards to specific tribal traditions. Stories presented in each chapter represent a multitude of groups from different regions, and given the personal nature of these accounts, I would have liked a little more exposition to better emotionally and culturally understand.

That said, it is an interesting collection. If you are interested in the specific topic, I would recommend it.

[Kirk Plankey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really do Like Vine Deloria, but I just couldn't finish this book. If you interested in anecdotal stories and tales (a lot of them) and you are interested in the lore and history of the Medicine Men then perhaps this will work for you. I only made it to page 51 before I gave up. His philosophical works are favorites of mine but this one just seems to have little to no point at least none to me. I really hated to set this one down but after multiple tries over several months this one is just not going to make it for me.

[Randilynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am rereading this book.

[Reba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant! This book is a must read for anyone on the road to reconciliation & learning to understand Indigenous ways of knowing on Turtle Island.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for a class. It was very interesting. It is composed mostly of first-hand accounts recorded by non-Native individuals who observed events that they were unable to explain (and still cannot explain to this day outside of claims these events were made up, that the men were drugged or hypnotized, or anything but these events being real events). Some of the anecdotes were told to those recording the events; other anecdotes were recordings of first-hand experiences.

On the one hand, it offers interesting stories about Native American experiences, beliefs, and traditions, On the other hand, one's world view will impact how one interprets the stories told. The Native Americans believed the spiritual world was just as real and impactful as "the physical world", the world in which most people live, so there are very real truths and beliefs involved in and behind these stories. For most modern people, we will dismiss these stories as fantastical, farcical, and unbelievable. It is also interesting how easily we moderns can and will dismiss stories such as these as "not being true", yet these anecdotes were generally recorded by men who were otherwise well respected and believed for their training, their powers of observation, and their integrity. Not saying all of them, but a good portion of them, yet we readily dismiss events recorded by such men as being lies, tall tales, attempts to grab attention, or generally unbelievable. It is an interesting conundrum.

In any case, it was an interesting book. To be honest, I probably never would have read it were it not for my class. I may never read it again, but it was still an interesting textbook.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first person narratives were fascinating. Since it's primarily an encyclopedic resource on shamanic work in various tribes, it's fairly dense reading but the breadth of research was incredible. I found the different shamanic approaches to be compelling and comforting . . . i know the "methods" are still passed down from generation to generation but imagine it's on the verge of disappearing; so, there was a tragic sense of loss for me throughout the reading.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel bad giving this book only 2 stars, but while the stories contained within it are fascinating, the way they’re presented - anecdote after anecdote - made it hard to read and I did struggle towards the end.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not the target audience for this book and as such I felt like a voyeur into something more sacred than I can comprehend. It is a fantastic account of oral stories. It is beautiful, informative, and also very long :)

[Matt Root · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very impressive and comprehensive exploration of North American Indigenous spiritual traditions, practices, and beliefs. The comprehensiveness makes it both an invaluable ethnographic resource and a challenging and repetitive read. But this is excellent.

[Tad Cronn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insights

The author does a comprehensive job of outlining the deeply held beliefs and miraculous powers of Indian shamans, backing up the stories either eyewitness accounts. A must for anyone interested in Indian culture.

[Benita V. Proctor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells of the old Indian beliefs in the powers of the medicine men. I love that it was not just someone telling how wonderful the medicine men were back in those times but it gives personal accounts from the medicine men and observers.

[Alan Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth reading, though I still can't believe rain dances actually worked.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection / documentation of the integration of nature and humans as Medicine Men and Women have practiced for millennia.

[Clivemichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating historical eye witness accounts of events of note. Great references

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a spiritual person and this is a spiritual book. If you are open to hear what Vine Deloria is telling you, you will find this book fascinating. I really liked the book and the fact that he used first hand accounts of the Native American's experiences. I learned much from reading this book. I think the accounts and the author are authentic and if someone is interested in exploring Native American spiritual experiences this is the book to read.

Update 12/2020 - I think about this book often. It had a deep impact on me.

[Jody Mena]

Some pretty powerful stories and insights into the cultural and religious world view of Native Americans. The stories are all written as excerpts from first hand accounts of different sources, which lends them credibility, and they are such incredible tales, that someone who isn't a part of that tradition finds them hard to believe. It's an enlightening peek into a world that's been largely overlooked and/or forgotten by much of today's society. A really enjoyable read.

[Julia Orloff · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far this book is the Vine Deloria, Jr. book that has intrigued me the most. I appreciate the numerous accounts he compiled to set the frame for his thesis. Although this book tells stories of the past and "the world we used to live in," and may be an indicator to some of what we lost, to me it gives me hope, the knowledge is still there. We need to listen, pay heed, and reconnect.

[Steven Howes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I would only recommend to people who are deeply interested in the subject. I will say that the late Vine Deloria is a noted native american writer, historian, and advocate. This book is a collection of documented accounts of acctual healing and finding ceremonies performed by tribal medicine men.

[Sheila Rocha · Rating 5 out of 5]

good good much needed reclamatory accounts of the oral tradition from Native America that celebrates the mystery and honors the medicine. A Deloria stroll off the usual path and deep into the heart of all that he committed his life to addressing. This book is working for me.

[Sean]

Deloria seems careful to avoid overgeneralizing, which I respect, but it makes this feel like a collection of anecdotes--sometimes invigorating anecdotes, but as often as not instead decontextualized and hard to get through.

[Cheryl]

We recently quoted from it for hearing on health by Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite chapter was "Sacred Stones and Places." I would have rated it a 3 if not for this chapter, it really touched me the most.