For those of you reading this
series who are not Native American, I urge you NOT to take as absolute what
I present here of the various values and religious beliefs of Native
Americans in general and Lakota in particular.
I know only as much about such
things as those Lakota I know have felt comfortable to reveal.
Even that is subject to much misinterpretation by one such as I, a
gaijin in every sense of the Japanese word.
Native Americans are not the
‘noble savage’ nor are they the wily mystical beings so often presented
by others. They are a people
who survived a harsh environment by a complex communal living arrangement
that left them with a deep reverence for the earth and all its bounty.
Much of their ways exist today in such a manner as to allow them to
survive the 'white man's benevolence.'
What I hope to show in my stories is that, in many cases, they are
not all that different than any other people, with all the same fears,
hopes, desires, and joys.
If
any aspect of my story offends the sacred beliefs of my Lakota friends, I
humbly apologize and ask only that they take a moment to enlighten this
writer who sincerely wishes to tell a tale where they are treated honestly
and with respect.
G.L. Sandborn
sandborn@kc.rr.com