Being Dakota

by Amos E. Oneroad, Alanson B. Skinner, Alanson Buck Skinner, Laura L. Anderson

Being Dakota: Tales and Traditions of the Sisseton and Wahpeton
Edited by Laura L. Anderson

"Richly informative, filled with touching stories and remarkable depth. A favorite of mine. Great for anyone seeking knowledge of Dakota history"  - Louise

Amos E. Oneroad (1884-1937) moved in two worlds. Educated in traditional Dakota ways, he also earned a divinity degree from Columbia University and become a Presbyterian minister. In 1914 he began working with Alanson B. Skinner (1884-1925), a student of anthropology whom he met in New York City. Oneroad collected and preserved stories and traditions of the Sisseton-Wahpeton people, including customs, material culture, and ceremonies that marked the individual's passage from birth to death; Skinner planned to edit and publish the work. But Skinner's untimely death in 1925 thwarted their plans, and the manuscript languished for seventy-five years in a California library. Laura L. Anderson, who teaches anthropology at the University of Oklahoma, has edited this unusual document, which offers a fresh look at what it means to be Dakota.