Shaping Survival: Essays by Four American Indian Tribal Women [Hardcover]

Lanniko L. Lee (Author), Florestine Kiyukanpi Renville (Author), Karen Lone Hill (Author), Lydia Whirlwind Soldier (Author), Jack W. Marken (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2002 | ISBN-10: 0810841517 | ISBN-13: 978-0810841512

Four American Indian women, who attended Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools, off-reservation public schools, and Indian mission schools, unflinchingly recount the experiences that shaped their views on individual, family, and community survival. Their stories give graphic evidence of the mistreatment of native children in many of these schools during the middle and later years of the twentieth century. The stories of the lives of these women are highly instructive as enlightened documents of reconciliation and human possibilities.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I enjoyed reading Shaping Survival, and hope that a paperback edition is published soon...all of us can learn from these excellent teachers. (American Indian Culture And Research Journal )

This volume presents the personal accounts of four American Indian tribal women. Lanniko L. Lee (Cheyenne River Sioux), Karen Lone Hill (Oglala Sioux), Florestine Kiyukanpi Renville (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota), and Lydia Whirlwind Soldier (Rosebud Sioux) were all born on reservations in South Dakota, and three of them attended boarding schools. Their narratives focus on how they transcended the circumstances of their early years and gained strength through a return to their ancestral cultures. (Reference & Research Book News )

Shaping Survival is a valuable book...this collection of narratives presents models of courage, perseverance, and generosity, as these women share their personal stories and give us an insight into their commitment to dedicating their lives to educating and writing for Native audiences, seeking to share both the traditional knowledge they have recovered and the tribal values that they have learned are essential to the survival of the Sioux Nation. (Studies In American Indian Literature )

About the Author

Lanniko L. Lee, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, taught English and American literatures in high schools and tribal colleges on the Cheyenne River Sioux and Standing Rock Sioux reservations. She has also taught for Northern State University and South Dakota State University. Florestine Kiyukanpi Renville, an enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota Tribe, established her own publication, Ikce Wicasta: The Common People's Journal, which she edits and publishes. Karen Lone Hill, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, teaches Lakota Language, and Literature and Culture at Oglala Lakota College on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Lydia Whirlwind Soldier, an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, is the Indian Studies Coordinator for the Todd County School District.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810841517
• ISBN-13: 978-0810841512
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,268,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tribute to American Indian Spirit, August 12, 2002

By 

George Brenneman (Elkridge, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shaping Survival: Essays by Four American Indian Tribal Women (Hardcover)

SHAPING SURVIVAL is a wonderful quartet of essays written by four talented and accomplished American Indian women from the Northern Plains. Each woman opens personal windows to her experiences of survival in the midst of prejudice and abusive situations beginning in early childhood. Each of these four life stories is a tribute to American Indian spirit, intellect, and patience, and each challenges the pervasive stereotypes and domineering attitudes still common in general society. The thoughtful reader of SHAPING SURVIVAL will come away with new respect for the strength of spirit and courage that thrives among American Indian communities and how that strength makes American better.