Customer Reviews

Animals of the Soul: Sacred Animals of the Oglala Sioux (Earth Quest)

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This book is not for those who are blinded by what is expected of them in modern western life. Joseph Epes Brown treats the subject in a factual and down to earth way, not romantisicing. This book is a fascinating insight into the Spiritual way of the Oglala. It explains about the Oglala's attitude to those who shared the earth, their mother, with them. He explains Mita kuye ayasin - we are relatives- and how the animal spirits could help a man through life. He has a good descriptive set of chapters about the main animals and what they mean to the Oglala. He also shows which animal had which qualities and how these responded to male or female. This is only a book for those who are wiling to accept and to learn. Those who have lost the way will not read it properly. They certainly will not understand it. This book should be read, not with the two eyes of the head but with the Chante Ista, the single eye of the heart. A very enjoyable and informative book.

Yay! I love this book! A wonderful description of the various animals and their relationship with the Oglala Sioux. Informative, accurate, and not fluffy like so many things on animal spirituality these days. A good book by a truly wonderful author!

It's rare to find a book on totems from something other than a neopagan viewpoint. While this certainly doesn't encompass the whole of the traditional Lakhota worldview, Brown's work does offer a superb glimpse at one section of it. The cultural information is a valuable resource not often found in books this topic. As someone who's read the majority of currently available books on animal guides and totemism I highly recommend this one!

I had high expectations when I began reading this book. I was looking for a clear and concise description of animal totems and how they related to the life of the Sioux. I was disappointed as it appeared the author never did quite get across the specific meaning of the animals and their relationship to man. The background material was good as well as the information on dances and ceremonies. Dr. Brown seemed right on the edge of a wonderful definition of the animals but just was not able to get the meaning across.

This book is not a comprehensive study of all Oglala beliefs but is a great overview of their main ceremonies and the meaning of the animals they worshipped. It's a great book for those people interested in learning about this culture without being mired down in material intended for scholars and those embarking on in depth research in this subject. A great book for students of social history.