Choteau Creek - by Joseph Iron Eye Dudley (Paperback)

About the Book

In the tradition of The Education of Little Tree, here is the true story of a boy growing up with his grandparents on the Yankton Sioux Reservation on the South Dakota prairie in the 1950s. With elegance and quiet celebration, the author relates his memories of his wonderful childhood.

Book Synopsis

From the time he was three years old, in 1943, Joseph Iron Eye Dudley was raised by his grandparents on the Yankton Sioux Reservation. Their tiny weatherbeaten house, nestled in a bend of Choteau Creek on the rolling South Dakota prairie, is where he grew up, and this moving reminiscence recreates with warmth and candor a childhood poor in material goods but overflowing with spiritual wealth.

"Much has been written," says the author, "by and about Native American people who are active in political and social movements, and much has been said about the appalling conditions of reservation life. This book is about the common, quiet people who never make the headlines or find their names in print. They are the backbone of the reservations, the ones who pass on the values that make Native American what they are. This story of my grandparents reminds us that there is a spirit in people which enables them to rise above the potential devastation of poverty and racism into a life marked by humor and laughter, one that radiates love and kindness."

Review Quotes

"A classic endeavor . . . must reading for anyone interested in learning about American Indian family life."-American Indian Religions.

"A compelling memoir . . . dollar-poor but spirit rich. . . . His strong sense of home and of his own spiritual awakening are striking."-Publishers Weekly.

"A quiet, loving memoir."-Washington Post Book World.

"A testament to the living legacy of oral narrative."-Bloomsbury Review.

"Joseph Iron Eye Dudley writes very much from the heart. . . . The story's power is its illustrations of a lifestyle much different from that of most Americans, but one that still exists on many reservations."-Western Historical Quarterly.

"Tender but honest-a memorable family portrait in which the everyday merges with distinctive elements of a Sioux heritage, with the delicate innocence of youth fully retained."-Kirkus Reviews.

"There is a quiet beauty to this book."-New York Times Book Review.

"This book is a treasure. It exudes authenticity. . . . [and] fills a tremendous void in the literature of contemporary reservation life." -American Indian Culture and Research Journal.

About the Author

Joseph Iron Eye Dudley (Iron Eye is his ancestral family name, which he has reclaimed) is a member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe and an ordained United Methodist minister. He frequently lectures and gives workshops on topics such as racism, intercultural relations, and Native American spirituality.