Waterlily [Paperback]

Ella Cara Deloria (Author), Raymond J. DeMallie (Afterword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1990

This novel of the Dakota Sioux written by Sioux ethnologist Deloria takes protagonist Waterlily through the everyday and the extraordinary events of a Sioux woman's life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Deloria was a Sioux Indian and an ethnologist who worked with anthropologist Franz Boas. Written in the early 1940s and now published for the first time, this culturally detailed novel of 19th century Sioux life focuses on a young girl named Waterlily. When her mother Blue Bird is deserted by her husband, she and her daughter are welcomed by relatives at their tiyospaye (encampment of related households) on the western plains. Deloria portrays Waterlily's maturation, daily tribal life and the crucial "kinship rules." As the author wrote elsewhere, the Sioux concept of kinship meant "achieving civility, good manners, and a sense of responsibility toward every individual dealt with." Waterlily learns she must show altruism and generosity, be courteous, demure and truthful, and highly value each family member. While this novel's plot is slight, Deloria clearly accomplished what was probably her true goalpresenting an authoritative, expertly researched account of Sioux beliefs, social conventions and ceremonies. As such, it is an absorbing document. Literary Guild alternate.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

$19.95. f "I have a mission: To make the Dakota people understandable, as human beings, to the white people who have to deal with them." That commitment, strengthened by more than 20 years of research with Franz Boas and Ruth Benedict, inspired Yankton Sioux ethnologist Deloria to write this novel, completed in 1944 but published only now. Set in Sioux country in the 19th century and beginning with a dramatic birth, it portrays intricate kinship rituals and the compelling minutiae of daily life. A richly female perspective balances traditional male values expressed in warfare and hunting. Intended as popular literature, the novel is an amalgam of meticulous research and enduring intimacies available only to outsiders. A captivating narrative, recommended for general as well as subject collections. Rhoda Carroll, Vermont Coll., Montpelier
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (August 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803265794
• ISBN-13: 978-0803265790
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lyrical, Thoughtful and Educational, December 30, 1999

By 

Jennifer Smith (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Waterlily (Paperback)

Waterlily is the story of two Sioux women, mother and daughter, and their relationships with their tribe and the larger world. Ms. Deloria's book is straightforward, with the negatives of Sioux life discussed quickly and without sentiment. Stories of tribal children being scalped or the inter-tribal warfare that goes on are almost treated as small ancillaries that do not affect the people. The main characters are described through their words and actions, more than through delving into their thoughts. This makes for a fast-paced book that shows in great detail a general, edenic version of Native American life before the European invasions and genocides. The Sioux are portrayed as brave, hardy people who live with an extensive tribal code of hospitality and interdependence. it is hard not to envy their "tiyospaye" in this disconnected, frenetic world and look with longing back to a slower, simpler time.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Waterlily, a rare look at pre-white Indian life., December 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Waterlily (Paperback)

I actually read this book as an assignment in a Native American literature course during my undergraduate studies. I have been not been more impacted by any other book. I found the vivid descriptions of Native American life, before white intrusion to be both exciting and depressing. I have a profound sense of loss by not being able to witness these events, before white influence. The descriptions of ceremony, daily life and the life of a woman in the time before my ancestors arrived here, gave me a new understanding of current and past Native American culture. I recommend it to all.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lasting impact, October 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Waterlily (Paperback)

What an extraordinay book. I guarantee it is unlike any other you have read.

If I had written this review immediately after reading the book, I probably would have rated it slightly less. What I find now, two years later, is that I remember the details and impact of the book far more than any other I have read in recent years.

The author wrote it to share not only the tragic and the glorious, but also the mundane. Her intent, as an academic and as a Lakotah, was to leave us with a better understanding of the life of her people before and in the early stages of the white man's influence.

While the book was not "difficult" reading, I did have to suppress my expectation and desire for the book to follow the patterns of typical fiction. But as a result, when the book ended I had a more complete "relationship" with Waterlily. She was fascinating. I still think of her frequently.