One of my teachers was fond of saying that no amount of reading will bring you to your own wisdom and power. Actually,
it usually achieves exactly the opposite, distracting us from a true encounter with spirit.
Also--there are hundreds of books on the market about Native American culture and spirituality -- Most of them are works
of fiction. Native people deliberately lied to anthropologists about their culture in order to protect the
true beliefs of the nation.
Here is my short list of "Indian" books that I'd recommend. For heaven's sake, don't treat these or
any other books like the "Indian Gospel." Reading cannot replace direct experience.
Walking in the Sacred Manner: Healers, Dreamers, and Pipe Carriers--Medicine Women of the Plains
Indians By Mark St Pierre
I can't recommend this book enough. It is based on interviews with holy women and the families
of women healers --mainly of the Plains Tribes. Although it's about women it is an excellent book for men as well.
I loaned my copy out and never got it back -- I loved the book so much that I will have to replace
it one of these days.
Coyote Healing: Miracles in Native Medicine
by Lewis Mehl-Medrona,
MD
I'm including this book with a warning!
It cites numerous cases in which people whose conditions were deemed hopeless were miraculously healed by native medicine.
In that sense, it is inspiring.
However, there are many incorrect statements about Lakota spirituality in Medrona's
work. One example is his desription of Iktomi. There's a christianized, good vs. evil theme to the way he describes
Lakota spirits and spirituality.
So, if you read it, do so to be inspired by the miracles, not to learn about Lakota cosmology.
