or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
203 used & new from $0.02

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Waterlily
 
 

Waterlily (Paperback)

~ (Author), Raymond J. DeMallie (Afterword) "The camp circle was on the move again..." (more)
Key Phrases: night walker, buffalo boy, ghost dreamer, Blue Bird, Little Chief, Leaping Fawn (more...)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

List Price: $12.95
Price: $11.01 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $1.94 (15%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Tuesday, November 17? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
49 new from $3.94 150 used from $0.02 4 collectible from $12.95

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Hardcover, January 31, 1988 -- $6.51 $0.83
  Paperback, Bargain Price $5.18 $5.18 $4.91
  Paperback, August 1, 1990 $11.01 $3.94 $0.02

Frequently Bought Together

Waterlily + Mabel McKay: Weaving the Dream (Portraits of American Genius, 1) + First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History
Price For All Three: $77.80

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Waterlily by Ella Cara Deloria

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Mabel McKay: Weaving the Dream (Portraits of American Genius, 1) by Greg Sarris

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History by Colin G. Calloway

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History

First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History

by Colin G. Calloway
4.7 out of 5 stars (3)  $49.74
The Way to Rainy Mountain

The Way to Rainy Mountain

by N. Scott Momaday
4.6 out of 5 stars (14)  $12.71
Speaking Culturally: Explorations in Social Communication (S U N Y Series in Human Communication Processes)

Speaking Culturally: Explorations in Social Communication (S U N Y Series in Human Communication Processes)

by Gerry Philipsen
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  $22.95
Tracks

Tracks

by Louise Erdrich
3.6 out of 5 stars (33)  $9.88
Neither Wolf nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder

Neither Wolf nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder

by Kent Nerburn
4.6 out of 5 stars (54)  $10.20
Explore similar items

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.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 244 pages
  • Publisher: Bison Books (August 1, 1990)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0803247397
  • ISBN-13: 978-0803265790
  • ASIN: 0803265794
  • Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #417,269 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Ella Cara Deloria
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Visit Amazon's Ella Cara Deloria Page

Inside This Book (learn more)

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

 

Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
10 of 10 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
(REAL NAME)      
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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A lasting impact, October 3, 1999
By A Customer
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.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 8 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
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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Look into the Early Life of the Dakotas (Sioux)
Waterlily is a novel about the life of the Dakotas (Sioux) written by a Sioux and set in a time when there was little, and in most cases, no interaction with white people. Read more
Published 10 months ago by E. B.

5.0 out of 5 stars my review
A really spell binding book. I found it hard to put down. This is a very good way to understand how living in tiwahe and tiospaye is. Read more
Published on November 9, 2006 by Christian Bookter

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening
I have always loved stories about the West and this book opened up a whole new world. The attitudes, traditions, and the roles of women in the Dakota tribes are fascinating... Read more
Published on July 12, 2006 by Mrs. Catherine M. Siska

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book!!!
This is one of the best books I've read in some time--I just couldn't put the book down. I highly recommend it to anyone at all interested in the Native American way of life.
Published on October 24, 2003 by Marcia Mc

4.0 out of 5 stars Great easy reading of a remarkable nation
I really enjoyed this book. I looked forward to reading it every chance I got. It was so interesting and easy to read that it seemed to take just hours to complete it. Read more
Published on May 2, 2003 by Cindy

5.0 out of 5 stars A good history, a good book
As a child obsessed with the Sioux tribes, I begged my grandmother to buy me this book. I was not sorry. Read more
Published on November 12, 2002 by theladynova

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and moving
This is one of my favorite books. I received it as a gift from a friend whose mother was full-blooded Sioux, and I have since given it to several women friends. Read more
Published on September 19, 2001

4.0 out of 5 stars EEEK? HOW OLD IS SHE?

I really, TRULY love this book-exept that it is so fast paced that you can barely keep track of what age she is and who's alive and who's who! Stuff like that. Read more

Published on December 22, 1999 by Brenna

4.0 out of 5 stars A good look into lesser known cultures
I'm very into learning about Native American cultures, and Waterlily provides a look into the daily lives of the Dakota Souix people, particuarly that of the women. Read more
Published on April 11, 1998

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   



So You'd Like to...


Create a guide

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.