Eorge Sword Warrior Narratives
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George Sword's Warrior Narratives: A Study in the Processes of Composition of Lakota Oral Narrative Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Shaw, Delphine R. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 26/09/2021 21:19:43 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/311217 GEORGE SWORD’S WARRIOR NARRATIVES: A STUDY IN THE PROCESSES OF COMPOSITION OF LAKOTA ORAL NARRATIVE By Delphine R. Shaw __________________________ Copyright © Delphine R. Shaw A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the GRADUATE INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM IN AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2013 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Delphine R. Shaw titled, George Sword’s Warrior Narratives: A Study in the Processes of Composition of Lakota Oral Narrative and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _______________________________________________________________________ Date: (November 18, 2013) Larry Evers _______________________________________________________________________ Date: (November 18, 2013) Eileen Luna-Firebaugh _______________________________________________________________________ Date: (November 18. 2013) Mary Jo Tippeconnic Fox Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ________________________________________________ Date: (November 18, 2013) Dissertation Director: Larry Evers 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that an accurate acknowledgement of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: Delphine R. Shaw 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………..………………………………………………….5 ABSTRACT………………………..………………………………………………...……7 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………...………8 PLAN OF STUDY………………………………………………………………..…………………30 LAKOTA PRACTICE AND NARRATIVE FORM…………………………….……………………………………………………...63 GEORGE SWORD…………………………………………………………………………………85 LAKOTA FORMULA……………………………………………………………………………..112 LAKOTA THEME……………………………………………………………………………….155 SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION: TRADITIONAL IMPLICATIONS…………………….…………………………………………………175 WORKS CITED…………………………………………………………………………………..201 Appendix A: Narrative 1……………………………………………………………….204 Narrrative 1 Literal Translation………………………………………………………208 Appendix B: Narrative 2………………………………………………………………212 Narrrative 2 Literal Translation……………………………………………………..214 Appendix C: Narrative 3………………………………………………………………216 Narrative 3 Literal Translation………………………………………………………220 Appendix D Sun Dance Narrative…………………………………………………...…224 Sun Dance Narrative Literal Translation…………………………………………….256 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank Dr. Larry Evers for serving as head of the committee and for his advice during the writing of this dissertation. He stated in a course I completed with him on Oral Tradition the importance of analyzing language use in Lakota, both in the historical and contemporary culture and society; in particular to pay close attention to those that are set apart by special conventions and traditions. In the end the work in the dissertation returned time and again to his words as guidance. I am thankful for the assistance and mentorship of Eileen Luna- Firebaugh whose strength of character and continuing presence in my life at the University of Arizona has been a source of inspiration. I also want to thank Dr. Mary Jo Tippeconnic Fox who through her tenacity has taught me, truly, what it means to be strong and resilent with grace. I am grateful for their professional assistance and personal mentorship on so many levels. I would like to thank Keith Schrum, curator at the Colorado Historical Society: pila maya ye. He has contributed to the success of this study through the granting of access to the many historic documents. I am deeply grateful to my husband Richard Harding Shaw for allowing me to follow in his footsteps in so many amazing academic communities including Stanford University. Stanford has given me a community where I continue to teach, do research, and to strive to do my best in mentoring undergraduate students who trust me to teach them the Lakota language. I particularly want to thank John Etchemendy, Provost at Stanford University, John Bravman, now President of Buchnell University, former Vice Provost for Undergraduate education, Michael Keller, Stanford University Librarian. 6 I want to acknowledge those who believed in my work and quietly encouraged me: my daughters, Canku Waste Win na Hoka Win na takoja Wigmuka Waste Win: Megan, Kirsten, and Angelina. And my son, Anpo Wakinyan: Justin. With deep respect I am grateful for the Lakota people and our Lakota language; especially all of my relatives who have gone before including my ina na ate na uncis na tunkasilas; my parents and grandparents. In particular to the Lakota wicasa waste kin he, George Sword, Mila Wakan, who through a warrior’s vision, his shrewd and courageous discernment and foresight, left us this legacy. I am grateful to all who keep the language alive, all of my relatives at Red Shirt Table who welcome me annually to their Sun Dance on the Pine Ridge Reservation and my relatives on the Rosebud Indian Reservation and to Tusweca Tiospaye who annually sponsor the language conference. Na oyate mitawa kin hena le nitawapi; and to my people, the Lakota people this belongs to you. 7 ABSTRACT This research is the result of a long-standing interest in the work of one individual, George Sword who composed two hundred and forty-five pages of text in the Lakota language using the English alphabet in the period 1896 through 1910. In the past scholars have studied Lakota narratives and songs and with each study new insights are gained. However, the focus generally in oral literary research has been in the study of content and not process in Lakota oral traditions. In order to better understand the characteristics of Lakota oral style this study shows how it is composed and structured in the work of George Sword. The research focus is from a qualitative perspective concerned with exploring, describing, and explaining a culturally specific Lakota oral narrative more commonly found in history and ethnographic disciplines, where it is a special type of case study research. The primary method used is an analysis of historic documents and original text in Lakota to address the issues raised in the general research problem: How do you define Lakota literature? In the end this study shows the way in which Lakota oral narrative is composed, how its practice produced a distinct form. During the course of this study, what became apparent in George Sword’s Lakota narratives were the formulaic patterns inherent in the Lakota language used to tell the narratives as well as the recurring themes and story patterns. The primary conclusion is that these patterns originate from a Lakota oral tradition. This analysis can be used to determine whether any given written narrative in Lakota oral tradition is oral or not; and leads the way for further research 8 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to use the written work of George Sword to demonstrate the way in which oral narrative is composed by the Lakota peoples, to show how their practice produced a form distinct from narratives composed in the period after contact with Europeans when writing was introduced. Thus the initial challenge has been to prove that these narratives in the Lakota dialect were oral in character; to accomplish this, as will be explicated in this dissertation, formulaic structure has been the best criteria of oral composition. What became apparent in George Sword’s narratives during the course of this study were the formulaic patterns inherent in the language used as well as the recurring scenes or themes and the recurrent story patterns. This raised a key question: Did these patterns originate from a tradition of Lakota oral narrative? Historically scholars have had difficulty in conceptualizing oral composition in American Indian oral tradition. The failure to comprehend its oral character has contributed to misunderstandings of what oral literature is for American Indians. Thus the findings in this study will help in determining the method of composition in Lakota oral narratives from an existing body of oral narratives written in the Lakota language and potentially, other related Siouan languages including those written in the Dakota and Nakota dialects. This is accomplished by translating and analyzing