The+Lakota+Way

//The Lakota Way// by Joseph Marshall III
= = "Rich with storytelling, history, and folklore, //The Lakota Way// expresses the hear of Native American philosophy and imparts the path to a fulfilling and meanignful life...Here [Joseph Marshall] focuses on the twelve core qualities that are crucial to the Lakota way of living- bravery, fortitude, generosity, wisdom, respect, honor, perseverance, love, humility, sacrifice,truth, and compassion- and illustrates them with personal stories and archetypal Lakota tales. Whether teaching a lesson on respect imparted by the mythical Deer Woman or the humility embodied by the legendary Lakota leader Crazy Horse, //The Lakota Way// is a compelling and profound work that offers a fresh outlook on spirituality and ethical living." (back cover) = =

While the book does a great job of providing stories and examples of Lakota beliefs and values, it lacks in authenticity due to redundancy. The set up of each chapter is repetitive and broken into three basic parts. Marshall shares Lakota legends and stories about a specific value or moral in the first part, explaining why this particular value or moral was important to Lakota life (and consequently why it should be important to the reader), and a real life example in the third part. This lack of authenticity and subsequent repetitive nature may keep students from engaging with the text and confuse them with repetition.
 * Challenge #1:** **Redundancy**

Helping students to understand the structure of the work is vital to them understanding the work. To do this, teachers could use other books to help make sense of the structure. Books like //Way to Rainy Mountain// will help students understand the purpose of the text structure, which is to clarify and solidify a given point. Discussing the purpose of the structure and providing examples will help students grasp the text more effectively.
 * Possible Solution #1: Learn How the Structure Works**

The biggest problem I see with this book is breaking down historical stereotypes of characters mentioned. Since stereotypes are presented, without correction at times, students may have their perspective/ perceived stereotypes validated. Instead of breaking them down, it is possible that these stereotypes could be perpetuated.
 * Challenge #2:** **Stereotypes**

Using this book, or chapters of it, as a supplement to others would be an effective way to teach, especially when breaking down stereotypes.This allows students to work on breaking down stereotypes by analyzing characters closely and compare them with other characters. Coupling this with movies that show stereotypes, especially that of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, may be especially effective. = =
 * Possible Solution #2:** **Analyzing the Characters**

[|Traditions and Cultures of Three Native Languages: Tlingit, Lakota, and Cherokee] Gives helpful insight into Lakota traditions and cultures, along with ways to prep students for unit = = [|Crazy Horse] Gives a historical account of Crazy Horse from the perspective of his military feats = = [|Battle of Little Bighorn] A YouTube video about the Battle of Little Bighorn mostly from the perspective of the U.S. military and the impact on soldiers = = [|Battle of Little Bighorn- Movie] This video on YouTube shows the prevalent stereotypes surrounding Native Americans, especially the Lakota and Cherokee tribes
 * Resources:**