The book “The Dakota Way of Life” by Ella Cara Deloria, edited by Joyzelle Gingway Godfrey, published by David Kemp, Publisher for Mariah Press, Sioux Falls, South Dakota is now for sale at the Mazopiye Oyate Gift Shop (The People’s Store) at Royal River Casino and the Moody County Museum. The retail price is $19.95 plus tax.
On December 11th, Bill Beane told me to meet with David Kemp and him over lunch at the Grace Moore Senior Citizens Center to discuss the newly published The Dakota Way of Life by Ella Deloria. David not only is a publisher but also does archive work and research. He went to the Dakota Indian Foundation at Chamberlain and worked with Agnes Peacock on the Ella Deloria papers and manuscript that were moved there from the times Vine Deloria, Sr. was an Episcopal priest on the Dakota/Lakota Indian Reservations. Mr. Kemp helped organize the papers and manuscripts written by Ella Deloria. Ms. Deloria was a linguist and researcher. She had written the book Waterlily which as it turns out, was a spin off for The Dakota Way of Life book. Ms. Deloria’s sister, Mary Sully did the illustrations for the book. David Kemp said: “I helped with piecing the book together, lay out and so on; it should have been published three years ago. Joyzelle Gingway Godfrey (editor for the book) used the manuscript she found in Chamberlain at the Dakota Foundation for the language classes she taught in the schools on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation.”
William “Bill” Beane stated: “Twelve years ago I was working for the Tribe on Tribal history and researching eastern Dakota ceremonies and looking for a first person account of the Dakota Medicine Dance, the most important ceremony of the Dakotas. Dave Kemp came across an account of the Medicine Dance by Ella Deloria and in her manuscripts for the book The Dakota Way of Life. There is no other book like this one, it has a written account of the Dakota Medicine Dance; the Dakotas did not have Sundance’s.” Bill added: “The Dakota Way of Life was written by a Dakota who knew the language, and wrote an account of the Dakota medicine dance. There were other medicine dance accounts written by missionaries but they did not have the basis for accounting for the Mdewakanton ceremony of the Dakotas. This book should have been published in the late 1940’s and was finally published in November of 2007. I recommended Del Iron Cloud to do the original artwork for the illustrations. This book is a must for everyone to read.”
Joyzelle Gingway Godfrey, edited The Dakota Way of Life book and David Kemp, Publisher for Mariah Press, and Bill Beane hopes the book will help with cultural preservation and will be placed as reference in the Dakota Archives, Moody County Muesum, Flandreau. Funding to publish this book came from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and the National Indian Gaming Association.
I was happy to meet with Mr. Kemp and become familiar with the makings of this book on Dakotas. As it turns out, as always, “it is a small world.” Mr. Kemp was a very close friend of a former co-worker of mine, Larry McIntrye, who had passed away two years ago at Sioux Falls from complications from diabetes.
I have not been in touch with Joyzelle Gingway Godfrey. We knew each other from High School days (many moons ago) at Stephan Indian Mission (Crow Creek High today). Joyzelle is a Yankton Sioux but grew up on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation. I am proud we have a Dakota elders, Sid Byrd’s words of gratitude published in the book and Bill Beane is a well known for his Dakota history resourcefulness. –Editor
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Ella Deloria came from a family of distinguished tribal leaders, so it is not surprising that all her kinfolk are held in highest esteem. I had been informed there was a collection of unpublished research material, which she had compiled, that was deposited at some archive center for safe keeping. However, I did not know the location of that facility. Earlier I had read some of her writings and I was impressed. It was my dream that perhaps one day I would have access to the stored material.
Then a miracle happened quite unexpectedly! William Beane is my good friend who is also our tribal historian. A few days ago he presented me with Ella Deloria’s manuscript for my perusal. The title of her manuscript is appropriately called The Dakota Way of Life, which might be translated as Dakota Wiconi Canku Kin.
As can be imagined, I began immediately reading the material with an insatiable eagerness. All my childhood memories returned to life as I remembered the words of our tribal elders, who were my first teachers. Ella Deloria has achieved remarkable success by her enviable scholarship and undying commitment.
She has led the world into the deepest recesses of our tribal life and the secret of its success. She has detailed with careful attention to the intimacies of the Dakota Oyate, the People. It is refreshing to experience the rebirth of tenets long ignored by the dominate society because it continues its claim to be superior.
Ella Deloria has given generously to all of us because her heart is truly Dakota and it tells her the ultimate gift is the gift of sharing. In the Dakota way for instance, the successful hunter upon returning to camp, gives the choicest parts of the meat to those who are the least capable of providing for them. The donor may declare empathetically, “Nothing belongs to me personally, no more that the air we breathe. Wakan Tanka intends it to be heard by all.”
The hard work has been done. Ella Deloria has given for us a precious gift of her herself, her talents, and her intense desire for us to learn from our elders, which means embracing the Dakota way of life. That in turn means a commitment to mutual understanding, mutual enrichment, and mutual respect.
It is my hope and prayer that the Dakota Way of Life will be, for educators and institutions of higher learning, an essential motivator to build on the literary treasure that has been presented to us by Ella Deloria in such an unselfish manner. At the very least, the material should be required reading. Ho, hecetu yelo,
Sid Byrd-Hoksila Waste
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