Singing For A Spirit

by Vine Deloria Jr.

Follows the story of the Deloria family, whose existence was engulfed and forever changed by the westward expansion of the United States

232 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

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

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Centered largely around the life of Deloria's grandfather Tipi Sapa, uses family histories and edited anthropological notes compiled by a white settler to paint a picture of 19th century Dakota life and culture. I really appreciated learning more about Dakota culture and getting to practice my Dakota language skills (which are poor, but I could read some of what was included even without the accompanying translations!). It also made the tragedy of genocide more vivid through the personal losses we see. My Dakota teacher, in language practice, always told us to make our stories true and real. I can see that spirit in this book.