Customer Reviews

Dahcotah: Life and Legends of the Sioux

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I found this book extremely interesting, as it is written by Mary Henderson Eastman, who actually got to know the Native Americans who lived near Fort Snelling, where Mary's Husband, Seth Eastman, was stationed. I was completely engulfed by her stories, and sometimes felt as if I were right there with her, experiencing first hand what these Native Americans were like and how they lived. I applaud the Afton Historical Society Press for their efforts in preserving our country's history, and for putting a small part of that history in such a beautiful book--lovely paper, and a stunning dust jacket. Anyone who enjoys history, or just a good story, should DEFINITELY buy this book!!

Written by the wife of an army officer, and compiled over the course of seven years in the 1840s at Fort Snelling, in what would one day become Minnesota Territory, Dahcotah Or, Life And Legends Of The Sioux was a groundbreaking look into Sioux (Dakota) customs and manners from a long-term observer, first published in 1849. Now republished in a new edition with a biographical preface about author Mary Eastman and featuring the quality painted landscapes of the original reproduced in color, Dahcotah Or, Life And Legends Of The Sioux retains its unique keen insight and attention to detail that distinguished it over one hundred and fifty years ago. Though Dahcotah is not an entirely unbiased account - for one thing, the author was a devout Christian who wished to see all Native Americans converted to her religion - yet it is written with empathy and sorrow for the sufferings of the Dahcotah people, retold in individual stories as well as broad descriptions, and deserves its reputation as a frontier classic.