Waterlily

by Ella Cara Deloria, Susan Gardner (Introduction), Raymond J. Demallie (Afterword)

When Blue Bird and her grandmother leave their family’s camp to gather beans for the long, threatening winter, they inadvertently avoid the horrible fate that befalls the rest of the family. Luckily, the two women are adopted by a nearby Dakota community and are eventually integrated into their kinship circles. Ella Cara Deloria’s tale follows Blue Bird and her daughter, Waterlily, through the intricate kinship practices that created unity among her people.  
Waterlily, published after Deloria’s death and generally viewed as the masterpiece of her career, offers a captivating glimpse into the daily life of the nineteenth-century Sioux. This new Bison Books edition features an introduction by Susan Gardner and an index.   Purchase the audio edition.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Native American, Indigenous, School, Anthropology, Read For School

251 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Ella Cara Deloria (January 31, 1889 – February 12, 1971), (Yankton Dakota), also called Aŋpétu Wašté Wiŋ (Beautiful Day Woman), was an educator, anthropologist, ethnographer, linguist, and novelist of European American and Dakota ancestry. She recorded Sioux oral history and legends, and contributed to the study of their languages. In the 1940s, she wrote a novel, Waterlily. It was finally published in 1988, and in 2009 was issued in a new edition.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Maria Catherino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waterlily is an important and complex book. It isn't quite historical record nor does it read like most historical fiction. Deloria vividly recreates everyday life for the Dakotas in the nineteenth-century from field research and interviews. She tells the story of Blue Bird, her daughter Waterlily, and, their society built of kinship rules.
A difficult read the point lies less in development of characters and more in the development of the time period. This is further complicated by the fact the Deloria herself never saw publication of this book. Constant criticism to cut down the length and cut scenes that would not interest white audiences led her to many rewrites never coming together in a “publishable” version in her lifetime. Deloria faced significant challenges completing her work. Being both a woman and a Sioux Indian never received the credit she deserved for her invaluable contributions to ethnology.
Waterlily is a triumph. It is the masterwork of Ella Deloria. What it lacks in modern readability it more than makes up in it's invaluable historical significance and in the harrowing history of the manuscript itself. Waterlily: New Edition

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't read this primarily for its literary merits, I would read it to learn about the Dakota way of life through an anthropological lens. That said, I did come to genuinely believe in and care about the characters, so the book is not *without* literary merit. I never got bored. Ella Deloria stops at least once a page to explain the customs of the characters, which interrupts the narrative, but because I actually wanted to learn about these customs, I didn't mind that. I loved it. And I am now totally obsessed with the very different outlook presented in this novel. I think she does a good job of showing a very different way of life without editorializing. She doesn't put Dakota values up on a pedestal, nor does she seem in any way judgmental of them. She leaves that to her readers. I came away wishing my own culture possessed the wisdom and beauty of many Dakota practices, while at the same time being able to recognize the things that would make growing up in that culture frustrating. There is no such thing as a perfect culture, but it is nice to be exposed to alternatives.

[Brigid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's a mistake for people to judge this book based on the White people that edited Deloria's work. Because doing this places the blame on her instead of them. It assumes that she doesn't have any autonomy. Once again, White people would be taking away Native women's ability to speak for themselves. And this book is Ella Cara Deloria's work. This is her book, not theirs. She went against everything the White anthropologists were doing. Those White people? Yeah they would talk about Native Americans as if they were animals, describing their "habits." But Deloria? She put emotion into her book to humanize them. To give them a voice. Specifically, she gave a voice to the Lakota people. When the nation looked at Native Americans as stereotypes, like the Noble Savage, she took apart those ideas by painting those people as they were, not as the animalistic beings White anthropologists envisioned.

I loved this book. I loved how kinship plays a part in Waterlily and Blue Bird's society. Oh and the quiet way in which they would show each other love and kindness is adorable. I love seeing how different cultures express love.

If you want to read more female narratives by Indigenous women, this is a great start.

Just a note: this is the type of book that takes its time. Its strength is relationships. It gives us so much richness in terms of the love that people experience in their lives. It's not agonizingly slow, but it's not written like a typical book. I would read this for the relationships and for getting a sense of the world tribes lived in before assimilation and removal.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading this for a book discussion. It was not one that I would normally have chosen. However, I quickly got drawn into Blue Bird and Waterlily's story. I saw other reviews say that this was slow moving, and I can only think this is because it is about an ordinary life. I found Waterlily beautifully written, and I gained much appreciation for the Sioux way of life.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a "must read" for anyone interested in plains history. An authentic picture of Native American Life, written by a Native American with a ph.d

[Mel McDaniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple, yet insightful, look at Sioux life. Struck yet again by the beauty, restraint and complex social rules of the Sioux way. The hospitality, the responsibility, the strong sense of community is all portrayed in rich detail. A way of life that disappeared so our way could come - what shame and sadness.

[Kaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of required reading I wish we were assigned in school. Waterlily tells the story of three generations of Lakota women before the reservation period. The novel, completed in 1948 but published posthumously in 1988, was an attempt to introduce Native American culture to non-scholars and non-Natives.

Dubbed an "insider anthropologist,” Ella Cara Deloria (also called Aŋpétu Wašté Wiŋ) was an educator, ethnographer, linguist, and novelist of European American and Native American ancestry. Waterlily provides a rich understanding of traditional Lakota culture and masterfully summarizes the important themes of Deloria’s Sioux studies.

Hands down 5-stars for what she did here, but my reading experience is better represented by 3-stars. My interest waned after the first few chapters and I only finished this because it was the last book of my reading challenge. I believe I learned a lot though and found this to be a wonderfully loaded novel. Highly recommend for those who are curious about Sioux conventions and kinship etiquette from a genuine female perspective.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m glad I read both the publisher’s preface and, found after the story, the biographical sketch of the author prior to reading the story. Each provided context and gave me comfort in the authenticity of what was written. The gently moving saga provides detailed insights into a way of life long gone, and encourages musings about history and comparisons to the present. I am in awe of Ella Cara Deloria.

[Michelle Boyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waterlily remains a novel that I struggle with on multiple levels. To begin, if I were rating the novel entirely on its plot or as a "just for fun" read then I think that my rating would be different. However, I'm taking into consideration my use of this novel in my Ph.D. Comprehensive Exams and therefore am rating it based on its merit as part of the American Indian Literary canon. And, in that respect, I have some troubles that don't allow me to get past a 3-star rating.

The novel itself is about Blue Bird and Waterlily, a mother and daughter that are living a traditional Dakota (Sioux) lifestyle prior to European contact. There are many interesting moments within the plot that make the story itself quite moving. I was particularly fond of the scene in which Waterlily is born--which gives cultural information about Dakota birthing, naming, etc. It ties directly to the main theme of the novel: kinship.

But let me begin with some of the "problems" that I find with this novel, which make me doubt the full authenticity of the novel that others praise it for. To begin, a lot of the dialogue seems overly contrived and does not sound like realistic speech that the Dakota would be using. Clearly, the novel is written in English and some might point to "translation" and suggest that the dialogue reflects this--but I fail to fully support that. The writing it too contrived, which is likely in part due to the fact that Ella Cara Deloria was heavily influenced by Ruth Benedict (and maybe even Franz Boas himself) while writing the novel. This type of influence makes me doubt the authenticity and authorship of the novel. Was Deloria writing the novel because she wanted to? Or was she being coaxed to write something that Benedict and Boas saw as "needed" to help with American Indian studies at the time.

It is no secret that the novel was heavily edited, and much of the plot was cut down because Benedict wanted Deloria to focus on certain aspects of Dakota life. It often leads me to wonder what this novel would have looked like without the influence from Benedict and Boas. Of course, many authors have editors, but few have editors that are so heavy handed and direct the narratives in such a manner as was done here.

Are there good aspects of this novel? Of course. There is a great deal of information to learn about place, language, ceremony, and sacred history. Many of the ceremonies caught my eye, and I found the description of each good (just enough to appease the reader, but perhaps without giving away too much information to outsiders) and there are great moments of kinship. Throughout the novel characters lay out what is proper kinship behavior, what is not, etc., and this is great. The aspects of motherhood are also fascinating--especially if you are interested in gender studies. But these elements aside, I still find some fundamental problems with the way this novel was created/edited, and therefore cannot give it more than a 3-star rating.

[John Wodatch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a typical historical novel. More just an intriguing insight to Sioux culture and everyday life.

[Will Waller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was read in preparation of my upcoming trip to South Dakota in January for an immersion to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Reading this book on Lakota life really opened up new doors for me. I don't think I've ever read anything about Native Americans, much less such a lucid novel about one woman in the tribe. The writing is clear and to the point without much fluff. It's written by 1/4 Indian in the 20th century who had done significant ethnography on Lakotas and their language. It's something I certainly never would have picked up unless I had been assigned it for my trip. What I'm struck by is that they are (to most readers of Indian literature this will be a no-brainer) quite known for their artwork and for their spiritual nature, although this doesn't come across as strongly for the women in the tipospaye (the tipi circle). For the women, they are very industrious in keeping and storing the meat and provide a safe haven for their men. Many of the women are laconic, which I did not know, but care deeply for their kinsmen.

A good read but because I'm a 21st century male, who has been deeply affected by Michael Bay and Steven Spielburg this book was a tough slog.

[Julie Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most powerful accounts of daily life among the Dakota, with emphasis upon women's lives, I've ever read. Written by the amazing Ella Cara Deloria, who studied with Franz Boas and worked with Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict, Waterlily reads like an ethnographic novel--there is a plot, but you read as much for this incomparable glimpse of culture and social relations among the Dakota as for the story itself. It was written in the 1940s but only published in 1988. Upon Ruth Benedict's advice, I learned, Deloria shortened the book by half to focus more on the plot. I would love to find and read the full original manuscript.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waterlily is a fictional account of the Dakota culture engaging the perspective and experience of women. Deloria develops a rich account drawing from many anthropological works which she helped edit, organize, and prepare for publication as well as her own knowledge of the native American languages and cultures. She tells Waterlily from the inside and so invites the reader into the life and not just an analysis of these families and tribes. I found this book particularly engaging but also to offer insight into other cultures and relationships.
Highly recommended.

[devin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much from this book! It gives such a good view into the workings of a Dakota family.

[spoko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew, going in, that Deloria had done some ethnographic work on the Dakota (Sioux) tribes. I also knew that she had tried to write this as a straightforward nonfiction work in that line, but found that she could only make it work as fiction. So of course, I was wary that it would read like a fiction blanket laid over the top of an academic analysis. I’m happy to say that it did not. The story and anthropology are pretty well fused, and the fusion feels natural, rather than imposed. The ceremonial, political, and interpersonal details of Dakota life are deeply embedded in the narrative, but never at such distance that they become abstractions.

I like Deloria’s exploration of kinship—the way obligations and ties radiate outward from the individual into the entire camp circle. Her depiction makes clear how profoundly this differs from the individualism of Euro-American culture, and she makes that point not through theoretical analysis, but through the lived circumstances of her characters.

Take, for example, Waterlily’s persistent struggle to be true to her own identity while truly valuing and trying to adhere to societal expectations—especially when she’s living with her husband’s family after marrying. This tension is drawn with care, and through it you understand something essential about Dakota life. These are not generic cultural notes delivered in isolation; they are part of Waterlily’s experience, and her development as a character. The deliberate pacing of the novel also helps—it makes the novel less about plot mechanics than about that character development, and even allows Dakota society itself to become a “character” of sorts.

To be fair, there are moments when Deloria’s hand is visible—when a character seems purposefully more naive than believable, in order to provide an occasion for explanation. But these are rare. And overall, the fiction functions well as a vessel for the history Deloria wanted to preserve. It takes on a depth and resonance that a straightforward ethnographic analysis could not have achieved.

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first chapter of Waterlily is astonishing. The story, created by Deloria, a Boas-trained self-ethnologist Sioux-American is absorptive enough to keep you rapt. I was. Fiction that expands empathy and engenders understanding is five stars despite the lack of literary flourishes

[Season Ellison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story that provides insights into the lives of Dakota women in the 1800s. I would highly recommend.

[Elizabeth Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciated this book for the discussion we had as a book club. It was not my typical read but I did learn a few somethings from it.

[sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

review coming soon

[Mandy Kool · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so important to get a glimpse into the life of the Dakota/Lakota/Nakota way of life and their culture. I enjoyed reading this one even if it took a long time to finish.

[Jenna McFall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for class, enjoyed it a lot, good background on the spirituality of Lakota tribes.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing way to write anthropology! I really like the transformative justice aspect of it as well. Tremendous read!

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars

[Arjen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, the foreword and afterword gave interesting context to this unique story of late nineteenth century life of the Sioux Dakota tribe . The story is based on the anthropological field work carried out by the writer, and is like opening a time capsule to a different culture and way of life. Major rites and Sioux kinship relationships are discussed in a pleasant writing style recounting the life of a young Dakota girl into womanhood.

[Tessana Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a unique book, as it is one of the only historical fiction narratives told from the perspective of a Dakota woman. It is ultimately a historical reconstruction, although it also has a well-done fiction narrative. The threads come together nicely.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a grad class, and I did read the whole thing. Not my normal type of book. Was a good story to read alongside my Native American studies class. Interesting. But nothing I would pick up and read.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great showcase of Dakota culture at the turn of the century. So much culture is expressed in the story of a young woman - it is calculated to capture as much of the culture as possible in the story of Waterlily from birth up to her second marriage. Just a great book; I wanted to live inside its world more than any book I've read in a long time. (March 16, 2012)

On a second reading, I am again struck by the careful construction Deloria had to exert in order to seamlessly integrate a reader completely unfamiliar with Dakota culture into their ways of life. The book focuses much on how children are raised, and indeed this is a good way to communicate a culture, since so much revolves around how children are raised, and what they grow up to be, within their cultures. Blue Bird and Waterlily's stories twist together with the other characters in the book so well that one understands what it is like to not only grow up as a privileged and beloved female, but also as an abandoned one, and as a male in all aspects, communicated through Waterlily's interactions with her brothers, cousins, and husbands. The single Waterlily character represents growing up as a woman in Dakota culture: it is clear that she is not a person, she is a living, breathing, metaphor who takes shape as a person because that is the best way to communicate the culture in which she lives. I would recommend this book for anyone middle school and older. The language itself would be challenging to a younger middle school reader, but easily handled by a high school reader. There is no foul language, sex scenes, or graphic violent scenes. Any death or violence (which must exist because it exits among the plains people and leaving it out would be leaving out a significant part of their culture)is artfully addressed and focuses more on the repercussions than on the events themselves.

[Gülşah'ın kitaplığı · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bir Kızılderili Kızının Hikayesi Nilüfer, Ella Cara Deloria tarafından yazılmış, beyazların ovalara yerleşmesinden önceki dönemde bir Dakota (Siu) kadınının yaşam öyküsünü anlatan etkileyici bir roman. Kitap, hem bilimsel bir yaklaşımla hem de kurgusal bir dille kaleme alınmış ve Kızılderili kültürünü içeriden tanımak isteyenler için önemli bir kaynak. Bir o kadar zor bir yaşam ve bir o kadar da birlik, beraberlik, akrabalık, komşuluk ilişkilerine dair yaşamlar.... Bizim artık git gide unutmaya başladığımız bir yaşam şekli 🥺

Kitabı okurken aklıma; internette dönen "kızılderili şeflerinin söylediği alıntı cümleler" geldi. O kadar doğa ile beraber , uyum-denge içinde yaşamaya çalışıyorlar ki... O cümleler çok kıymetli işte dedim okurken....
İyi ki kitaplar ve anı-lar var ..

[Julie Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent historical fiction story, "Waterlily" By Ella Cara Deloria, amazed me at how these people lived in such a harsh environment. The manners they taught their children led to good people who were family oriented and respected both man and their environment. The young males dedicated themselves to their tribe by doing the Sun Dance where they lived through torturous acts. Females dedicated themselves to caring for their family as well as those in the tribe who needed their help also. There were many rituals which included their entire community, making them more dedicated to their society rules.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that because it was an assigned reading for my native american history class that this book was going to be dry. I found it to be quite the opposite and really enjoyed learning about the family dynamics found in the Dakota tribe. I would highly recommend this story to anyone interested in learning more about Native Americans.