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Walking with Grandfather: The Wisdom of Lakota Elders

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Joseph Marshall III journeys into a wholly new literary world and presents his most unique and valuable work to date with "Walking with Grandfather: The Wisdom of Lakota Elders." His early writings were mostly fiction, then non-fiction, and now philosophy.

As a young boy, Marshall spent countless hours walking the trails along the Little White River in South Dakota with his grandfather Albert, a Sicangu Lakota. The knowledge Marshall gained during those intimate moments has served him well throughout his career and life.

Marshall's writing is not the shoddy new-age-native-american-pyramid-consciousness-enlightenment philosophy that has highjacked real American Indian religious rituals and beliefs. Rather, Marshall's sharing of Grandpa Albert's understanding of life, people, and society is simple and straight forward, yet its benefits are powerful for one's soul. This philosophy is not just an American Indian philosophy but it is also valuable for all societies.

Marshall's voice speaks from the heart, about living and death, the body and its spirit. He warns us that ignorance sometimes accompanies man's commanding intellect creating more harm than good. We must always remember where we come from to keep us humble. Humbleness ensures we move forward, generation after generation in a positive way.

"Walking with Grandfather" is sculpted from Lakota wisdom, history, and mythic stories. Marshall shares wonderful tales of wolves, the greyhound and the rabbit, the bow and arrow, and more. All these tales of fiction accent an important point that provides great wisdom for living in a very busy world. We should slow down and always remember where we came from, our ancestors that walked before us, and learn from them.

Marshall states,

"We think that all that matters is the present. We forget, or just plain don't know, how we got where we are today, intellectually, morally, philosophically, and technologically. We live in a world that moves at cyber speed, craves instant gratification, and revels in technology. Consequently, we are so impressed with the current version of ourselves that we are not aware that our ancestors contributed to what we are and what we do and how we think."

It is our elders, Marshall pleads, that we must not forget and that we need to learn from.

"Grandpa Albert had a habit of stopping now and then and looking back down the trail. Frequently, he would take me by the shoulders and ask me to look back at the way we had come. `Remember the trail,' he said, `because one of these times I will send you back alone. If you don't remember the way you have come, you will be lost.' Some of the trails that my Grandpa Albert and I walked are still there. They are old trails, even ancient, perhaps laid out by the bison or the deer in some bygone age. Many of the trails are changed or grown over and not easy to see any longer, but they are easy to remember. Such is life. The tracks we leave on the land will disappear over time. The tracks we leave in the hearts and minds of others will never fade."

"Walking with Grandfather" addresses the difficult subjects of war and death. We learn how Lakota society looked upon its young men going off to war. Marshall shares a remarkably simple gift that the Lakota gave their warriors when they returned home from battle. It is a gift from the heart and it is one I believe American society failed to give her warriors returning home from the Vietnam War.

I believe what we gain most from "Walking with Grandfather" is that life is a wonderful journey and that our eventual death should not scare us. During this journey we should respect our elders and learn from their wisdom so that we can make a better world for our children and grandchildren.

All journeys, all walks along a trail beside a river must come to an end. Grandpa Albert lived a good and giving life, and died a Lakota elder. His death and the celebration of his life are uplifting and grand. You will cry, not from sadness, but from happiness in that you had a chance to know Grandpa Albert.

I rate this book 5 Stars. With the 67 minute CD it is a treasure. As Joseph Marshall narrates his journey into manhood, his words act as a poignant reminder of our responsibilities to elders in our society, and for me, as I enter my 6th decade, my responsibilities to younger generations. Wisdom, he writes, requires discernment, "the ability to know when to apply that knowledge in a way that offers an answer or insight". The most moving chaper for me was "The Shadow Man". The "Shadow Man" is the "dark side of each of us, the side that protects against threat or attack on family, community or self". The Lakota had a cleansing, healing ceremony that honored warriors. Prayers were offered to ask for "cleansing of the terrible things they had to do to defend the people". The warriors were then welcomed back into the circle of society. Mr. Marshall notes that "any society that...heals and nurtures it's warriors is ensuring its own survival". The book and CD also note the seriousness of choosing battle. Grandfather Albert, Mr. Marshall noted, wondered whether "white" society were a "Wise People". Are we? The book is about responsibility, leadership, character and making choices for the good of all. If you are wise enough to value these things, no matter your age, this book is a must read.

I just loved this book. The stories that Joseph Marshall shares are spiritually lifting. Reading it brought a smile to my face. I enjoyed the simple life lessons that are expressed in the book.

Rebeccasreads highly recommends WALKING WITH GRANDFATHER as a gladsome & evocative addition to your library in the hopes that you'll look at your own Elders with different eyes & listen with different ears, to allow them to tell their stories & glean wisdom for your own aging.

With an audio CD of Joseph Marshall telling his stories, you will be transported to another way of thinking about this thing we call life, about relationships, love & war, grief & family, parents & leadership.

Inspiring & healing.

Mr. Marshall has alot of thought in a small book here. From his walks with his grandfather to the questions of life and death. Wisdom and right action should be the goal of our lives. We spend too much time fighting to get "stuff" we think we need... How do we treat our elders who have cared for us as children? How do we treat eachother and the earth?

The lakota views of life, death, and wisdom makes alot of sense to me at least. The CD that comes with the book is Mr. Marshall speaking these wisdom stories.. I really enjoyed the book and CD very much. It made me remember my own childhood and the time spent with my own grandparents. They taught me alot too, and years later the simple wisdom of their teachings shine true still. This would make a good gift for young adults I think.. Enjoy the stories and the teachings!

I connected to this book immediately. Somehow we have lost that connection with our Elders. There is so much knowledge not being conveyed. Kids today with their electronic gadgets are in their own worlds. This book is easy reading and the author provides a strong sense of respect and love as he grew up with his Grandfather. Many boys of today are not exposed to face to face communication with their Grandfathers or Fathers for that matter. There is a magic to all of this and sadly it is not being used. My heritage is French-Indian and I am very proud of that. In this tradition I have shared my stories and thoughts with my Grand daughters and it is sometimes funny to hear them repeat them with my mannerisms. These are the things that they will remember. So put the your gadgets down and have the kids do the same and read this book young and old and make it a point to sit with your children and talk.

I have now become a great fan of Joseph M. Marshall recently ordering other books as well as cd's. Even his written word, you can almost hear him speaking to you. A very easy way to learn about the Lakota traditions, its a pleasant journey.

i wish my relatives were able to share with me. i know i will with my daughters and grandson. thank you Joseph Marshall

I was looking for something that accounted for Native Indian life/culture and not through a white person's research. The book was easy to read and I really enjoyed the CD that came along. In the author's voice he explains why he wrote on several of the topics he chose. He also went further into some explanation of the ideas behind some Lakota teachings.

This is a very nice, easy to read book. A nice "upper". Marshall is truly an exceptional writer of the highest caliber.