Gr 1–4
An introduction identifies this story as part of the longer Lakota creation legend that was passed from generation to generation as oral history. The story begins with the Great Spirit Skan, who created "our ancestors," taking "our bones from Stone, our bodies from Earth, and our souls from himself and Wind and Thunder." The Lakota lived in the Underworld until Spider, the Trickster, sent Wolf to persuade Tokahe, the strongest man, that life would be easy on the surface. However, Tatanka, the holy man, warned him not to go. When the people found life was difficult, Spider laughed at them, but Tatanka helped them by turning into a buffalo able to communicate with the Spirits and to give the people the sustenance they needed to survive. Montileaux, an Oglala Lakota artist, illustrates the text with paintings rendered in a two-dimensional format that reflects traditional buffalo-hide paintings. The colorful, stylized images match the formal tone of the story. The English telling is clear and concise, with the corresponding Lakota text appearing alongside. This is a good choice for multilingual collections, communities in need of Lakota language books, or libraries seeking folk material.
—G. Alyssa ParkinsonCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
An Oglala Lakota, Montileaux first created the ledger-style paintings (flat, two-dimensional) in this offering for exhibit at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre, S.D. The illustrations are characterized by clear vibrant colors and characters that are portrayed in dramatic poses and facial expressions. The exhibit committee selected the traditional text that accompanies the illustrations in this telling of how the Lakota People were tricked into leaving the Underworld through the Wind Cave to live on the surface of the earth. They became "the Ordinary," or Lakota. Sensing that his people needed help to survive, the holy man, Tatanka, transformed himself into a buffalo and sacrificed his powers in order to provide food and warmth to the Lakota people. Both the English and the original Lakota words are used side-by-side on each page. A beautiful rendering of story and illustration that needs to be in every library interested in building the diversity of their collection. (Picture book/mythology. 5-7)
