Kirjahaku

Strange events and an undercurrent of tension permeate The Chichi Hoohoo Bogeyman. While secretly exploring an old fort on the South Dakota prairie, three Indian girls encounter a stranger. One of the girls playfully names him the chichi hoohoo bogeyman, after the Sioux, Hopi, and white figures used to discipline children. On a forbidden outing the girls again encounter the stranger, who starts to chase them as they run away in fear. Swearing themselves to secrecy, they become further unsettled when they return home and hear the adults talk of recent unexplained occurrences at home, perhaps driven by spirits. The most rebellious of the girls disappears before the mystery of the chichi hoohoo bogeyman comes to light. Booklist praised the "fresh, in-tune portrayal of the girls and their families" and recommended the book for readers in grades 3 to 5. This Bison Books edition includes a new introduction by the author.

For Ages 8 and upImagine having to argue in court that you are a person. Yet this is just what Standing Bear, of the Ponca Indian tribe, did in Omaha in 1879. And because of this trial, the law finally said that an Indian was indeed a person, with rights just like any other American.Standing Bear of the Ponca tells the story of this historic leader, from his childhood education in the ways and traditions of his people to his trials and triumphs as chief of the Bear Clan of the Ponca tribe. Most harrowing is the winter trek on which Standing Bear led his displaced people, starving and sick with malaria, back to their homeland—only to be arrested by the U.S. government, which set the stage for his famous trial. Standing Bear's story is also the story of a changing America, when the Ponca, like so many Indian tribes, felt the pressure of pioneers looking to settle the West. Standing Bear died in 1908, but his legacy and influence continue even up to the present.

This charming and poignant contemporary story about two Lakota girls and their Laotian friend illuminates for children and adults the Lakota meaning of family, friendship, life, and death. In the Lakota way, Lana and her cousin Lori are like sisters, growing up together under the caring eyes of an extended family of parents and grandparents. Also like sisters, they have their share of squabbles and fights, but when they meet a new girl at school who has recently arrived from Laos, they are drawn closer by their shared friendship, their discoveries about cultural differences, and their experience with loss and death. An image of footprints in the snow, one under the other so that it looks as if only one person is walking, becomes the central compelling image in the story. "We can't keep snow from melting," says Grandpa, "But the footprints will always be there, even if we can't see them." Taking her inspiration from Lakota and Asian students in her home state of South Dakota, award-winning children's writer Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve has crafted a simple story of friendship that survives a tragic year, beautifully illuminating along the way many profound truths about the human spirit.

After a fifteen-year-old Sioux finds a sacred stick, unusual things begin to happen to his family

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve tells her own story and the story of her family. An expert quilter, she recalls her grandmother, Flora Driving Hawk, teaching her how storytelling enthralls and how a quilt can represent all that holds a family together. "I think of how she and her woman friends sat around the quilt frame, gossiping, laughing, sighing as they stitched the joys and sorrows of their lives into the quilt."

1998 WWA Spur Awards, Finalist in Best Western Juvenile Fiction The friendship and adventures of Iktomi, the trickster figure from Lakota legend, and Troll, the familiar character from Norse mythology, are the subject of this imaginative, marvelously spun tale. While searching for his Norwegian immigrant family, the gentle, lumbering Troll meets Iktomi. The vain, opportunistic Trickster soon discovers that he too has lost his people, the Lakota. When Iktomi and Troll eventually find their peoples, they are neither recognized nor wanted. The lonely Trickster and the Troll find solace in their friendship and take refuge in a cave. Many years pass before they are rediscovered and loved again.

"'Grandpa,' I quietly asked, 'how come when you talk about the past, you say you were a cowboy and an Indian?' I sensed the regret in his short laugh when he answered, 'Cause I was both and both ways are gone forever.'" With great imagination and vigor, award-winning Lakota storyteller Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve treats readers to a collection of her best stories. She first spins tales of Lakota and Dakota generations today, of what the youngest can learn from their elders, if they choose to listen. The second group of stories, set in the turbulent and tragic years of the nineteenth century, teaches the need for understanding across cultures. The collection ends with spellbinding ancient Sioux tales about the birth of the universe, the deeds of legendary beings, and an unforgettable story about Old Woman, whose quill work maps out the end of the world.

A Lakota child spends a summer with grandparents at their home on the Rosebud Reservation in this young chapter book, illustrated in full-color. Multiple starred reviews! "A captivating tale about the healing power of community and familial bonds. Infused with tenderness, this family story is simply lovely."(Kirkus starred review) This charming chapter book follows a present-day Lakota child connecting with extended family, embracing new experiences, and growing up along the way. When Eddie’s parents drive from the Black Hills to the Dakota plains to drop him off with Grandpa and Grandma High Elk, Eddie aches all over at the thought of being away from Mom and Dad for the first time. But quickly, Eddie’s stay on the Rosebud Reservation becomes a summer that he’ll never forget as he spends his days riding horses, fishing, helping Grandma in her garden, and playing with the toy bone horses that his grandfather gave him. When his grandfather is hurt and needs medical attention, Eddie steps up and helps him get the care he needs.

Sioux women are the center of tribal life and the core of the tiospaye, the extended family. They maintain the values and traditions of Sioux culture, but their own stories and experiences often remain untold.Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve combed through the winter counts and oral records of her ancestors to discover their past. The result, Sioux Women: Traditionally Sacred, illuminates the struggles and joys of her grandmothers and other women who maintained tribal life as circumstances changed and outside cultures pushed for dominance.Sneve’s storytelling powers enliven her personal exploration of the roles of Sioux girls and women, making the book an accessible journey into modern American Indian society.

Virginia’s old coat is too small. The cold South Dakota wind blows across the Rosebud Indian Reservation, making her shiver as she walks to school. Virginia dreams of a new coat arriving in the Theast boxes—parcels of clothing from churches in “The East.” But, she knows she may not have a chance for a coat this year. Her father is the village Episcopal priest, so her family chooses last, and as Mama always says, “The others need it more than we do.”Generosity and unexpected joy remind Virginia of the importance of community within this story from the author’s childhood.

In her new memoir, Special Places, Sacred Circles, Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve delivers a fascinating look at the people and places that shaped her life. As a mother, wife, daughter, teacher, leader, and friend, Sneve offers a wealth of insight and wisdom. Through her powerful storytelling, she recalls the people she has met and the family members she loves, bringing readers full circle through her life's journey: from her childhood on the Rosebud Reservation to her time at South Dakota State College, where she met the love of her life; from her adulthood as she taught students across South Dakota and raised a family, all while building a career as a writer, to her time spent traveling the world and, finally, to the heartbreaking passing of her husband, Vance. Beyond a grandmotherly recollection of the past, Special Places, Sacred Circles is an intimate, beautiful portrait of the inspiring life of a Lakota writer and teacher.