Description
Book SynopsisThe general focus in Lakota oral literary research has been in the study of
content rather than
process in oral traditions. In a new disclosure of the characteristics of Lakota oral style, Delphine Red Shirt shows how its composition and structure are reflected in the work of George Sword, who composed 245 pages of text in the Lakota language using the English alphabet.
Trade Review"Delphine Red Shirt provides a valuable, culturally informed analysis of a selection of texts authored by George Sword, one of the most noteworthy of historical Lakota figures spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries."—Debra K. S. Barker,
Great Plains Quarterly"This study is recommended for those interested in folklore, oral literature, American Indian studies, or narrative studies. The book can also be taught in folklore theory classes, alongside
The Singer of Tales, as a successful application of oral-formulaic theory to American Indian oral literature."—Joshua Chrysler,
Journal of Folklore Research“Students of anthropology, linguistics, and world literature will be delighted to see a Native American case that is parallel to Albert Lord’s classic,
The Singer of Tales, which showed how ancient bards managed to memorize lengthy oral narratives as epic poetry, performed as song. Red Shirt’s book will soon be a classic itself.”—Sean O’Neill, associate professor of linguistic anthropology at the University of Oklahoma and author of
Cultural Contact and Linguistic Relativity among the Indians of Northwestern California Table of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Lakota Tradition
2. Lakota Practice
3. George Sword
4. Lakota Formulas
5. Textual Analysis
6. Lakota Theme
7. Traditional Implications
Appendix 1: Narrative 1 and Literary Translation
Appendix 2: Narrative 2 and Literary Translation
Appendix 3: Narrative 3 and Literary Translation
Appendix 4: Sun Dance Narrative and Literary Translation
Notes
References
Index
