Beloved Child:A Dakota Way of Life

Description

“Far greater even than the loss of land| or the relentless coercion to surrender cultural traditions| the deaths of over six hundred children by the spring of 1864 were an unbearable tragedy. Nearly one hundred and fifty years after the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862| Dakota people are still struggling with the effects of this unimaginable loss.”

Among the Dakota| the Beloved Child ceremony marked the special| tender affection that parents felt toward a child whose life had been threatened. In this
moving book| author Diane Wilson explores the work of several modern Dakota people who are continuing to raise beloved children: Gabrielle Tateyuskanskan|
an artist and poet; Clifford Canku| a spiritual leader and language teacher; Alameda Rocha| a boarding school survivor; Harley and Sue Eagle| Canadian activists; and Delores Brunelle| an Ojibwe counselor. each of these humble but powerful people teaches children to believe in the “genius and brilliance” of Dakota culture as a way of surviving historical trauma.

Crucial to true healing| Wilson has learned| is a willingness to begin with yourself. Each of these people works to transform the effects of genocide| restoring a way of life that regards our beloved children as wakan| sacred.

Diane Wilson| director of Dream of Wild Health Farm| is the author of “Spirit Car: Journey to a Dakota Past| ” which won a Minnesota Book award. She is a Mdewakanton descendent; her mother was enrolled on the Rosebud Reservation.