The Dance House: Stories from Rosebud [Paperback]

Joseph Marshall III (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1998

Joseph Marshall III was born on the Rosebud (Sicangu Lakota) Indian Reservation in what is now south-central South Dakota. Raised by his maternal grandparents, his first language is Lakota. A free-lance writer, Marshall has published numerous articles and two previous books with Red Crane. He has been a technical advisor and actor in television movies, including "Return to Lonesome Dove."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Be prepared for some terrific storytelling. A member of the Sicunga Lakota Sioux, Joseph Marshall lends his poetic voice to stories and essays of courage and survival on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. His characterizations and his depiction of the natural world go far beyond stereotypes and popular movie concepts of Native American life.

For example, the love story of Oliver Snow Bear and Phidell First Charger rivals any in history. Separated from Oliver by a semantic misunderstanding that lands him in jail, Phidell waits 30 years for the man she chose to marry. Finally, someone realizes the error in translation and Oliver is released. Phidell tells Oliver that--for her--there has been no other path than the one that joins his. In "Cozy by the Fire," Jeremy Blue returns to thank the elderly couple who saved him from freezing by giving him hot stew and shelter. He finds that every trace of their house has disappeared. The boundary between reality and faith is blurred when he discovers that they died decades earlier! Yet Jeremy's faith reinforces a tradition of respect, when he visits their graves each year afterward with bowls of hot stew.

In stories such as these, Marshall dispels many of the media stereotypes of one-dimensional "braves" and "squaws." His insider's knowledge of tribal life introduces non-Native Americans to the nuances of bloodline and heritage, as well as the crucial task of keeping traditional languages alive. Marshall also calls into question the romantic misconceptions of Native American life rampant in current fiction: the "acceptable" Native American as civilized hero, mystic prophet, or sacrificial lamb. Marshall is on the path to harmony, offering knowledge and tolerance of our neighbors as the world's best defense.

From Publishers Weekly

Lakota Sioux historian and novelist Marshall (Winter of the Holy Iron) proves himself a triple threat with these powerful essays and short stories. As the subtitle suggests, the nine pieces collected here all deal with life on the author's home reservation of Rosebud in South Dakota, and it is a credit to Marshall's ability as a storyteller that the fictional stories are nearly indistinguishable from the factual essays. Subject to changes brought in by the Euro-American culture that surrounds it, Marshall's Rosebud is nevertheless a timeless place where the Sioux insist on maintaining their identity. In the title piece, when the federal government seeks to break up the reservation, the old dance house is burned, but a new one replaces it "as a place to be happy" and remember "the old days and traditional ways." Readers will be grateful to Marshall for building a dance house of the mind, one that draws on autobiography, nature writing, legend and the day-to-day adventures and misadventures of his own family and neighbors.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Red Crane Books (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 187861066X
• ISBN-13: 978-1878610669
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #683,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joseph M. Marshall III was born and raised on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation and holds a PhD from the reservation university, which he helped to establish. The award-winning author of ten books, including Hundred in the Hand, The Lakota Way, and The Journey of Crazy Horse, he has also contributed to various publications and written several screenplays. His first language is Lakota, he handcrafts primitive Lakota bows and arrows, and he is a specialist in wilderness survival. Marshall's work as a cultural and historical consultant can be seen and heard in the Turner Network Television and Dreamworks epic television miniseries Into the West.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, July 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dance House: Stories from Rosebud (Paperback)

Lakota Sioux historian and novelist Marshall proves himself a triple threat with these powerful essays and short stories. As the subtitle suggests, the nine pieces collected here all deal with life on the author's home reservation of Rosebud, SD, and it is a credit to Marshall's ability as a storyteller that the fictional stories are nearly indistinguishable from the factual essays. Subject to changes brought in by Euro-American culture that surrounds it, Marshall's Rosebud is nevertheless a timeless place where the Sioux insist on maintaining their identity. Readers will be grateful to Marshall for building a dance house of the mind, one that draws on autobiography, nature writing, legend and the day-to-day adventures and misadventures of his own family and neighbors.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dispelling Stereostypes, April 6, 2000

By 

Linda Evans (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dance House: Stories from Rosebud (Paperback)

Joseph Marshall III's the Dance House: Stories from Rosebud relates knowledgeable insight from the Sicangu Lakota Sioux's point of view, using everyday incidents as well as historical events. A Lakota Sioux historian who was raised on the Rosebud reservation, the author's simple yet harmonious language creates a memorable collection of eight short stories and five essays that present a truthful representation of Native Americans. Using the underlying theme that heritage is important to one's identity. Marshall is adamant in erasing the white man's barbaric, ignorant image of the Indian.

In the title story, after the tribe's dance house was ordered burned by the United States Government which seized the Black Hills land where the house stood, Jacob Little Thunder and others, outwitting the white "boss farmer" and defying the Dawes Act, build a house of happiness where the people of Grass Valley could come together to remember "the old days and traditional way."

Gus Pretty Crow, through his unwavering honesty, brought the demise of the haughty sheriff in "1965 Continental." One rainy night a stranger appears at Gus' door requesting mechanical help. When Gus recommends that the man wait until the next morning and call the local wrecker "that runs, sometimes," the stranger propositions him: "Sell me your [1950] truck and I'll give you that 1965 Lincoln Continental." After Gus explains that an Indian owning a new luxury vehicle would create problems for him, the stranger promises that just a phone call to him would fix any problem that would occur. Reluctantly Gus agrees to the transaction and soon after the harassment by the local sheriff begins.

Jon Marichale educates his grandfather during a reminiscent outing about the petrifaction process of a stone turtle the grandfather had discovered years before.

The Dance House is necessary reading for anyone who is interested in the truth about Native American culture, or simply enjoys gifted storytelling.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars INCREDIBLE AUTHOR!!, October 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dance House: Stories from Rosebud (Paperback)

READ ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING BY THIS MAN YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON....HIS ESSAYS AND STORIES IN THIS COLLECTION ARE WELL WRITTEN AND EXCEPTIONALLY PROFOUND...THE ANSWERS TO A HARMONIOUS AND BALANCED LIFE LIE IN THESE PAGES....COME FIND THEM.