Speaking of Indians by Ella Deloria

March 19, 2022, 9:30-11:00 AM
 
In January we at St. Thomas Becket met with Senator Mary Kunesh to learn about the problem of missing and murdered indigenous women.  The Spirit of Justice Ministry would like to continue our exploration of the Native American Culture with a discussion of the book, Speaking of Indians by Ella Deloria.   We will meet on Saturday morning, March 19, 2022, from 9:30 am to 11:00 am by the fireplace if the group is small;  upstairs in room 205 if the group is larger than 8. 

• Books can be found in your local library;  we will also  have copies for purchase here at St. Thomas Becket for $11.89.  
• We expect our books to arrive at the end of February. We will email you when they are ready. Checks may be made out to St. Thomas Becket. 
• Please register on Signup Genius by March 17 or call the office. CLICK HERE
• On the Signup, you can sign up only to attend, only to purchase the book from us, or to do both.

Goodreads offers the following information about the book. 

“Ella Deloria could speak intimately about Indian ways because she belonged to a Yankton Sioux family . . . .  Originally published in 1944, this book is an important source of information about Dakota culture and a classic in its elegant clarity of insight. Beginning with a general discussion of American Indian origins, language families, and culture areas, Deloria then focuses on her own people, the Dakotas, and the intricate kinship system that governed all aspects of their life.  She writes, ‘Exacting and unrelenting obedience to kinship demands made the Dakotas a most kind, unselfish people, always acutely aware of those about them and innately courteous.
 
Deloria goes on to show the painful transition to reservations and how the holdover of the kinship system worked against Indians trying to follow white notions of progress and success. Her ideas about what both races must do to participate fully in American life are as cogent now as when they were first written.”