The Lakota Way: Stories and Lessons for Living

by Joseph M. Marshall III

Joseph M. Marshall’s thoughtful, illuminating account of how the spiritual beliefs of the Lakota people can help us all lead more meaningful, ethical lives.

Rich with storytelling, history, and folklore, The Lakota Way expresses the heart of Native American philosophy and reveals the path to a fulfilling and meaningful life. Joseph Marshall is a member of the Sicunga Lakota Sioux and has dedicated his entire life to the wisdom he learned from his elders. Here he focuses on the twelve core qualities that are crucial to the Lakota way of life--bravery, fortitude, generosity, wisdom, respect, honor, perseverance, love, humility, sacrifice, truth, and compassion. Whether teaching a lesson on respect imparted by the mythical Deer Woman or the humility embodied by the legendary Lakota leader Crazy Horse, The Lakota Way offers a fresh outlook on spirituality and ethical living.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Native American, Philosophy, Indigenous, Spirituality, Audiobook

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2001

About the author

Joseph M. Marshall III was born and raised on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation and holds a PhD from the reservation university, which he helped to establish. The award-winning author of ten books, including Hundred in the Hand, The Lakota Way, and The Journey of Crazy Horse, he has also contributed to various publications and written several screenplays. His first language is Lakota, he handcrafts traditional Lakota bows and arrows, and he is a specialist in wilderness survival. Marshall's work as a cultural and historical consultant can be seen and heard in the Turner Network Television and Dreamworks epic television miniseries Into the West. "

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved listening to this book, this being the first audio book I've ever listened to from beginning to end. Read by the author himself, the stories take on a richness that would have been lost on paper and serve as a testament to the power of oral storytelling. This was perfect for running and exercising to, most notably the chapters on Strength and Perseverance! It kept me company at work, another physical chore, with its stories of love, loss, and honor.

I was very excited to learn about the Lakota tradition and I felt this illustrated some of my most pressing unknowns, such as the purposes of polygamy, the meaning of battles, the honoring of the hunt, the ritual of the sweat lodge and the Sun Dance. I look forward to listening to this again in the future.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed the Lakota folktale stories. These are somewhat padded out with reflections by the author which I enjoyed less. I recommend his biography of Crazy Horse which more effectively portrays the beauty and wisdom of Lakota culture.

[Edward Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful lessons and stories, all part of the Lakota history.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the perfect book to read on my road trip in South Dakota. This is philosophy, from a non-Western society. I found it to be beautiful, humble, and even entertaining.

I am new to philosophy but I think these traditional Lakota stories would give you a different take than just about anything else out there in the field.

If you want to learn about how the Lakota ask the eternal questions - how to live a good life, how to be a good person, how human beings fit into the universe, why things are the way that they are etc., then I highly recommend it. You get a bonus basic overview of Lakota history. Also the author tells stories his life and how he gleaned meaning from these traditional stories and used those lessons to examine his own life. He briefly shows how a couple of his loved ones did the same.

These traditional stories have lasted for hundreds, if not thousands of years for a reason. They entertain while they illuminate deep truths. And Marshall passes them along to us with great skill.

I cannot think of any improvement to be made to this book. I'll just read more by this author.

[D.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book imparts wisdom through the retelling of traditional stories used by the Lakota to educate their youth in the virtues held to be important by their culture. I found these stories fascinating, with a lot of reality and credibility - even those which contained fantastical elements - and each one illustrated the virtues discussed as no mere pedantic lecture could. Some of them were moving.

After each story, the author, Joseph Marshall, tells more anecdotes about that particular virtue either from his own experience, life or family. I loved this book; it showed me the high spiritual and ethical level of the traditional Lakota culture. By contrast, I doubt that European culture ever existed on this level; perhaps only very scantily by some very honorable few men and women. Certainly the level and depth of honor and values throughout Lakota culture, taught in every family, is admirable in the extreme. It made me long for a new civilization based on the best of such values.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really lovely, thoughtful, and well written book about Lakota Culture by a Lakota. I loved it and it rang true from my observations. Having worked extensively with the Lakota people for the last sixteen years - I've had the good fortune to observe Lakota Culture up close and often - I think the book hits the mark and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book.

There are longer and more extensive books on the subject, more than several of which I've read. Nevertheless, this book covers a complex and deep subject quickly and well. If you're interested in the subject this is indeed a good read and I believe an accurate read well told by someone who should know in his own unique way. In particular his telling of the story is steeped with "the Lakota way."

[M Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

My family's oral history records that among our "Heinz 57" ancestry were members of one of the Sioux tribes, Blackfoot and Cherokee. I've been unable to verify this with the bit of genealogical research I've done but there are certainly photographic clues -- photos of my mother's uncles all together when half of them look like proper Scots-Irishmen (short and round) and half look right off the Rez (tall, slender, hawk-faced), and a photo at the Little Bighorn exhibit of one of Custer's Blackfoot scouts named Boyer who looks very much like my father and grandfather.

So, when Connie and I were in Phoenix last spring and visited the fine museum of Native American art there, I took the opportunity to pick up some books in their books store. This is the first one I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Marshall, a full-blood Lakota, does a wonderful job of presenting some of the ancient stories of his people and pairing them with more recent stories, his personal experience and reflections to illustrate the core values of the Lakota. His list of these values, which make up the chapter headings in the book, would do any civilization proud and are particularly resonant with the Middle-Eastern tribal values that are represented as virtues in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. It would be easy work to pair up Marshall's list of twelve values with corresponding Bible verses. It is a great shame that early European Christian missionaries were so bent on domination as to leave a bad taste with indigenous Americans that has lasted until this day. One can only hope that the work of men such as Richard Twiss will heal the wounds and show the Lakota people and other Native Americans how much they have in common spiritually with the Judeo-Christian heritage.

[Olivia's Bookish Places & Spaces · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currently, I am taking a class on Native American religions and this was one of the required books for the course. (This is why most of the books I have been reading lately fall under the Native American category.)

The book itself is split into several chapters. Each chapter deals with a specific virtue (ex: humility, generosity) and uses several tales from the Lakota culture to illustrate the virtue. The stories themselves are interesting, however, it is Marshall's writing that truly makes the stories stand out. He really invites the reader to experience the Lakota culture through his writing, which is colorful, descriptive and poetic. While his language is descriptive, he also allows the reader to form their own mental images, giving each reader a unique experience. Additionally, the author really has a way of making it seem like he is sitting near you narrating the story (side note: I would love to hear these stories read aloud by the author). Each chapter ends with a reminder as to why this virtue is important.

For me, one of the most moving quotes is the final paragraph which reads: "...each new day is a chance to set the record straight, atone for a mistake, achieve another victory, and take another step on my journey. Each new day is...a chance to be renewed and reborn - another opportunity to be a part of the circle that is life, knowing that it is a journey, not a race, and that one doesn't travel it alone."

I highly recommend this book - it is more than a book - it is an experience.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since Thanksgiving is simultaneously a day of food and family while also being a dark reminder of past and ongoing injustices, I decided today would be a good day to read some Native-voiced lit to celebrate the more generic holiday values of gratitude for the year’s harvest and other things in our lives that merit giving thanks. (It also happens to be Native American Heritage Month).

This is a book of stories written down by Marshall (a member of the Sicangu Oglala Lakota) but which have their origins in oral traditions that Marshall grew up with. Like most stories passed down generations, they do not serve merely to entertain (though they do at that) but to encapsulate an entire culture: a system of values, ethics, and virtues that are, in Marshall’s words, “essential to balance and happiness.” The stories are therefore organized into virtue-titled chapters: humility, perseverance, respect, honor, love, sacrifice, truth, compassion, bravery, fortitude, generosity, and wisdom. Some stories are fables or part of a religious tradition, while others are stories of Marshall's own life (i.e. events that happened to his grandparents or peers).

Marshall is a gentle, patient writer (by which I mean, he is very cognizant of the effect of words on the listener) and it's a marvelously comforting read.

Particular favourites included the humility and compassion chapters.

In the flagship story of humility, an elderly leader with a long and celebrated history as a hunter and warrior is dying. He tells the story of how he met his wife (once named Carries the Fire, now called No Moccasins) and how, shortly after their marriage, he was captured by an enemy tribe and facing death. Carries the Fire left their home alone (to kill herself with grief, her relatives assumed) and snuck into the enemy camp, rescuing her weakened husband and leading him into the woods. Because he was injured and the enemies were closing in, she stashed him in a safe cave and went to leave false tracks, leaving her moccasins at a creek to let the enemies think they had crossed it, to lead them away and give her husband time to travel to safety. She returned barefoot and helped her husband home, where her husband gave her the new name, No Moccasins, to honor her courage. She refused to tell anyone what she had done, however, allowing everyone to believe her husband had escaped on his own. Now that he is dying, however, he felt compelled to tell everyone against her wishes, and asked that all the trophies and honored items he had received through his long and successful life be moved from his side of the lodge to her side, because in truth all his glory belonged to her. He asked to be buried in a plain shroud without fanfare. The humility virtue, then, is evident in both the dying man and No Moccasins.

In the compassion chapter, the primary narrative relates the story of a young woman, the last surviving human being as a result of a natural disaster. In her grief, she goes to the top of a mountain and prepares to allow herself to die to join her people. A giant eagle, though, heard her grief and befriended her. He brought her food and wood and encouraged her to go on living. He even took her flying, carrying her in his great talons to soar the skies together. They remained friends for some time, but though the eagle helped her loneliness, he could see that she was always profoundly sad at the knowledge that she was the last of his kind. Moved by his friend's plight, he begged "Grandfather" (the spirit of creation) to bring another two-legged for her. Grandfather said he would do this, but the eagle would have to give up the gift of flight and become human. The eagle is troubled, and spends the next few days flying over the entire world, seeing all he would be giving up. Nonetheless, he goes to Grandfather and agrees. He becomes human and approaches the young woman, who recognizes his voice and kind eyes as her eagle friend. "The young woman ran and fell into his embrace, feeling something she thought never could be. Yet she felt something else as well: each time she came near to him thereafter she felt as though she were soaring."

~~~READ HARDER CHALLENGE 2020~~~

#12: Read a memoir by someone from a religious tradition (or lack of religious tradition) that is not your own
#24: Read a book in any genre by a Native, First Nations, or Indigenous author

[Morgan Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking through my read books this year and realized I forgot to log this one. Such a rich book of values and stories that highlight the heart of Lakota culture. Living on a Lakota reservation helped me internalize the concept of living within your values in a significant way. Growing up in the Mormon church, several values were also emphasized to me and instilled into me. I often miss the gathering together of that community to help each other focus in on our shared values and how we could better emulate them. I recited scriptures highlighting faith, charity, forgiveness, etc. but there was something very impactful about watching how another group of people cultivated values as a society. The values discussed in the book are humility, perseverance, respect, honor, love, sacrifice, truth, compassion, bravery, fortitude, generosity, and wisdom.

I think the values I reflect on the most are respect and generosity. I can feel the moments when my actions transgress these values through selfishness and greediness. I’m grateful for the way that they live in me now.

There is one idea that continually comes back to me from this book: death as the great equalizer. Reframing death has been a philosophical journey I have been on this year. Not to say my view of it is completely different but certainly more open. I like to think about the other “equalizers” that exist among us as humans. There have been moments when I feel rejected, hurt, disappointed in myself, afraid and often I’ve been comforted by the reminder that this is an equalizing experience. Maybe not everyone experiences these emotions and phenomenons at the same level, but we all experience them and it is a place where we can feel common humanity.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the great outgrowths of doing the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge is that I have found some genres and subject matter I would not have read before, and have made them central to my reading choices. Books by indigenous writers are one of those subsets. The BR challenge coincided with my spending a couple of years living in North Dakota, and for the first time in my life bearing witness to rez life, and having the opportunity to count among my friends, colleagues and acquaintances a number of Native American people, most from one or another of the Sioux tribes. So over the last couple years I have read about a dozen books from indigenous authors, mostly from Native American writers, but a couple from Down Under as well. This year I am looking to expand to Canada and Central America, and then expand again beyond indigenous people to all colonized people. It has been incredibly illuminating so far and I expect this will continue to teach me about the world.

This book, The Lakota Way, was a particular joy. Marshall has distilled the most prized values of Lakota ethics/religion/life to its most bedrock tenets. For each tenet he has included a couple of folkloric stories, and personal reminiscences. Marshall concludes the book with a brief history of European efforts to destroy the Lakota, and really all the Sioux and Ojibwe people. I recently finished The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, so the historical portions covered things mostly quite fresh in my mind, but still, the way he boiled it down to essential events was effective and illuminating. Also illuminating, the wonderful stories in this book. I find myself looking at my own life and choices differently, and I am generally not as given to self-reflection as, perhaps, I ought to be. I hate the trope of the the wise old Indian, I have no doubt there are as many foolish Native Americans as there are foolish European, or Latin, or Asian, or African Americans. Marshall though is in fact a wise old (or at least middle-aged) Indian. So wise. And a wonderful storyteller. I listened to this book, read by the author, and his storytelling made this very special for me.

I recommend this to all readers. It is a simply remarkable book. My son will be 21 in a couple weeks, but when he was younger we often read books simultaneously and then discussed them, and this would be an exceptional choice for readers middle school and above. (Nothing inappropriate for younger readers, but there are grand concepts most kids under the age of 11 or 12 would not fully grasp.)

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are teaching stories that convey the respect and reverence for life that is needed in the world today, now more than ever.

This small, humble book may seem simple on the surface but it contains numerous lessons on the twelve most important aspects of Lakota character, those being:

Humility, Perseverance, Respect, Honor, Love, Sacrifice, Truth, Compassion, Bravery, Fortitude, Generosity, and Wisdom.

Each attribute is illustrated by a fable or teaching story that is based on a traditional Lakota tale that has been passed down through the oral story-telling tradition for many generations by the old ones, grandmothers and grandfathers of the People.

This book carries the seeds of truth for human beings of any culture. We would do well to re-acquaint ourselves with them in this time of global unrest and environmental destruction.

[Hallie Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love learning about the Native American culture and truly believe they had the best thing going. They lived in harmony with nature and asked only of it what they needed. I'm intrigued by their culture prior to the Western invasion and this book gave me another look at a society through another lens, through story. The author is the reader and he devotes each chapter to a Lakota virtue. He tells stories that have been passed on for generations and shares his thoughts about today's society, giving insight to the Lakota way of life.

My heart breaks for their story for the ending is not happy. They are still here and this book is a wonderful tribute, and lesson, on how life on earth was once a very simple and treasured thing.

[Dave Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several books by Joseph Marshall, this one similar to Aesops Fables, stories with meaningful and pertinent messages that are ageless. One needs only to keep an open mind, and reap the treasures that are the Lakhota Way. I am of Assiniboine heritage (Nakhota), and Joe is among the best of the story-tellers alive, truly a national treasure.

[Billye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book, makes you realize how much wisdom there is and always has been in the world--and wonder why it is so difficult for us to acquire it.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dealing with family, kinship, faith, honour, wisdom and much more, together with a history of the people. Recommended reading or as in my case listening (the audio book is read by the author).

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really positive, useful book to think about how to live. Stories, based in the history and culture of the Lakota, are simply told to put forward Lakota values and talk about why they are important, now and in the past. These are values that many cultures also value and anyone can find good use in this book. Like most didactic stories, they can at times be simplistic or nostalgic, but that is more by design than a flaw. All are interesting, entertaining and thought provoking, some also got me a bit choked up with emotion. I especially appreciated when I learned a bit of history or other information, like how a teepee is constructed, or about the different treaties & battles, or the symbolic meaning of the circle. This was a really nice follow up to “Black Elk Speaks,” because it seems to me that Marshall describes a people that are still connected within their “sacred hoop” and that the culture has survived the terrible persecution it has suffered and that it has adapted, strengthened and is continuing to strengthen. I like the historical afterword, though it felt a bit nostalgic and maybe doesn’t acknowledge some of the complexities of history. I listened to this on audiobook read by the author and loved that. Another book that I would guess is better listened to than read; I loved listening to him tell his own stories.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an intriguing mixture of memoir, spiritual treatise illustrated by folklore, stories and mythology, and a history of the Lakota people. It was inspiring, horrifying (the US, with it’s genocidal colonialism has a lot to answer for), and hopeful—if we can appreciate and be guided by the wisdom of our First Peoples, the world will be a better place.

It was one of my last reads of 2021, which, for some reason, didn’t save yesterday, so Goodreads thinks I finished it Jan 1st 2022.

[Graham Sudenga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been delaying this review because I wanted to really get into why I loved this book, but I'm not doing that now.

Honesty, Fortitude, Bravery, Humility--these are just some of the 12 values of Lakota culture and reading this book would serve anyone who wants to retreat from a stressful 24 hour news cycle or the constant rush of American society. I found myself feeling healed and loved by the stories in this book and I cannot recommend it enough to those who want something to slow everything down and escape from any stress they may find themselves lost in.

I, for one, cannot wait to read this to my future classes.

[Elsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

How wonderful if all nations of people could write down their values and then live them. It sad and maddening what the Native Americans have endured the past several centuries. Thanks to an amazingly humble and thoughtful man of Lakota descent to share his people’s experiences and values.

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

wonderful, rtc

[Stephanie Ridiculous · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great collection. There's such good wisdom & insight here. A beautiful blend of traditional stories, history, and personal narrative. A great read that gives you plenty to consider regarding what we value & why & how that impacts the way we live & related to each other.

[Emir · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was captivated by the way the author wrote about the twelve virtues that are most important to the Lakota people: Humility, Perseverance, Respect, Honor, Love, Sacrifice, Truth, Compassion, Bravery, Fortitude, Generosity and Wisdom. For each of them, traditional Lakota stories, passed down orally over many generations, was told that exemplified the corresponding virtues. These stories, beautifully written and full of lessons, will forever be etched into my memory.

I don't think i will ever forget the stories of No Mocassins and her humility despite the bravery and courage she exhibited; nor of Cloud and Plum and how their love was enough to persevere through any challenge; nor of Red Shawl and her sacrifice; nor of Iktomi and how his villainous trickery taught the ducks about the importance of truth and trust; nor of the Eagle, who showed undying compassion to a woman he didn't know and sacrificed the winds beneath his wings for her; nor of the precious Wolf Eyes and how one woman's unyielding fortitude for him became her salvation.

In addition to the stories, the author also talks about how his people were the embodiment of these virtues for generations despite the constant invasion and genocide they suffered at the hands of the White settlers. It also shows that the Lakota people are still here, that they persevered, that they survived and preserved their culture to this day.

It is a rare delight to come across a book that fundamentally changes you for the better, and I genuinely think that our world would be a better place if everyone read this book. I feel fortunate to be one of the many, many people who have listened to these stories, and strived to be a better person because of them, over the past hundreds if not thousands of years.

[Will Waller · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Lakota Way was not a struggle to read; the stories make it interesting. The Lakota Way reminded me much of a hamburger—a delicious food but not one that I often order from the menu. You see, I’m a cheeseburger man. I like what I like. And the storytelling that Lakota Way does is not my style.

The book is written in vignette form, with the majority of the book being 3 or 4 page stories that teach lessons. Parables. I like parables because they allow us to ponder but I do not like them in a book. My mind cannot roll with the metaphors as long as 3 pages and prefers longer ones if given a metaphor at all.

What I am saying is this is not a bad book. The lessons taught are important. Generosity, fortitude, lessons of the Lakota people. I’m just saying I would have liked a cheeseburger instead. Extra mustard, please.

[Steve H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bumped this up to one of my few five-star picks because the author narrates his collection of tales illustrating the virtues of the Lakota, creating a sort of oral history for us all to experience even though we can't be present with Joseph Marshall.
I've been listening to a lot of religion/philosophy/self-help works recently, and Marshall's renditions of traditional Lakota stories fit well with those works in that they give direction and inspiration for how to live a meaningful and useful life. I'm probably about as Euro-American as they come from a genetic standpoint, but I feel a deep connection with the messages that Marshall shares, and I hope that I can revisit this work from time to time to regain focus and inspiration. Thank you, Mr. Marshall, for sharing.

[Paddy Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is about story telling and the deeper meanings behind them that connect to the everything issues of life that we face today. I enjoyed this book because the sign posting, as one review called it, about the Lakota Way is exactly that. The stories were supposed to illustrate themselves as a sign post of peoples cultures and traditions and experiences in the world. Without story telling we can't give light to how we feel and understand the world. The Lakota Way illustrates the stories and experiences and traditions of many indigenous cultures from around the world. Sadly though much of those stories and traditions have been lost to a more modern world.

[Dolphindancer24]

this book is my spiritual guide in life...i strive to live by the values presented here. i am so thankful that this ancient wisdom is being presented to those that could truly benefit from a return back to nature and a connectedness with our mother earth and all beings that are blessed to roam on her.

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marshall gives us these following qualities of human behavior; bravery, fortitude, generosity, wisdom, respect, honor, perseverance, love, humility, sacrifice, truth, and compassion. He then explains each one, using colorful simplistic stories, how the Indian (Lakota Sioux and others) use these qualities to live their life. Read the “Description” about the book. It says it all. A great read.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the Lakota philosophy and ethics. This book tells some of the legends given down through generations and explains their relevence to today. I found myself admiring the Lakota and Native Americans more and more as I read their spiritual and social beliefs. I very much enjoyed this book.

[Jenny Shedor · Rating 5 out of 5]

a truly beautiful book. it presents simple and universal values, explaining how they manifest in the lakota tradition. I reccommend any of Joseph M. Marshall III. I totally cried at the end of his biography of crazy horse!