The World We Used to Live in - by Vine Deloria Jr (Paperback)

About the Book

Deloria looks at medicine men, their powers, and the Earth's relation to the cosmos.

Book Synopsis

In his final work, the great and beloved Native American scholar Vine Deloria Jr. takes us into the realm of the spiritual and reveals through eyewitness accounts the immense power of medicine men. The World We Used To Live In, a fascinating collection of anecdotes from tribes across the country, explores everything from healing miracles and scared rituals to Navajos who could move the sun. In this compelling work, which draws upon a lifetime of scholarship, Deloria shows us how ancient powers fit into our modern understanding of science and the cosmos, and how future generations may draw strength from the old ways.

Review Quotes

"Deloria pairs each story he records with his own commentary on the text, a commentary always executed with insight and the cutting edge we long ago came to expect from him. The collection of these texts alone makes this volume and important addition to any library on American Indian concerns; Deloria's commentaries throughout make it indispensable." --Great Plains Quarterly

"Deloria, Jr. was angry at what he saw as a growing godlessness in contemporary American society. His posthumous The World We Used To Live In is a call for today's American Indians to accept as true many of the stories told by Indian medicine men in earlier centuries." --The Salt Lake Tribune

"Some of these stories demonstrate that Native science had capabilities unheard of today. They illustrate the fact that contemporary life, for all its material progress, has not yet touched what human potential might accomplish without external technology." --Winds of Change

"The World We Used to Live In", is a collection of stories that Deloria kept in his pocket over the years, stories that concerned him throughout his life - stories of American Indian spirituality. This book is a treasury of observations on the wisdom and experience of medicine men from several native cultures." - Wicazo SA Review

"The World We Used to Live In is a collection of stories that Deloria kept in his pocket over the years, stories that concerned him throughout his life--stories of American Indian spirituality. This book is a treasury of observations on the wisdom and experience of medicine men from several native cultures." --Wicazo SA Review

"Deloria, Jr. lets us witness the feats of 'Medicine Men' of the past, showing that their calling included powers in all areas of life" --MultiCultural Review

"Deloria, Jr. lets us witness the feats of "Medicine Men" of the past, showing that their calling included powers in all areas of life" - MultiCultural Review

About the Author

Vine Deloria Jr. was named by TIME magazine as one of the greatest religious thinkers of the twentieth century. He was a leading Native American scholar whose research, writings, and teachings on history, law, religion, and political science have not only changed the face of Indian country, but stand to influence future generations of Native and non-Native Americans alike. He has authored many acclaimed books, including Evolution, Creationism, and Other Modern Myths; Red Earth, White Lies; God is Red; Spirit and Reason and Custer Died for Your Sins. Vine Deloria Jr. passed away on November 13, 2005.