FormanypeopletheSioux,aswarriorsandasbuffalohunters,havebecomethesymbolofallthatisIndiancolorfulfiguresendowedwithgreatfortitudeandpowerfulvision.TheyweretheheroesoftheGreatPlains,andtheywerethevillains,too.RoyalB.Hassrickhereattemptstodescribethewaysofthepeople,thepatternsoftheirbehavior,andtheconceptsoftheirimagination.Uniquely,hehasapproachedthesubjectfromtheSioux’sownpointofview,givingtheirowninterpretationoftheirworldintheeraofitsgreatestvigorandrenown-thebriefspanofyearsfromabout1830to1870.Inadditiontoprintedsources,theauthorhasdrawnfromtheobservationandrecordsofanumberofSiouxwhowerestilllivingwhenthisbookwasprojected,andwereanxioustoserveaslinkstothevanishedworldoftheirforebears.Becauseitistruethatmenbecomeingreatmeasurewhattheythinkandwantthemselvestobe,itisimportanttogainthisinsightintoSiouxthoughtofacenturyago.Apparently,themostsignificantthemeintheiruniversewasthatmanwasaminutebutintegralpartofthatuniverse.Thedualthemesofself-expressionandself-denialreachedthroughtheirlives,helpingtoexplaintheirutterdefeatsoonaftertheBattleoftheLittleBigHorn.Whentheopportunitytoresolvetheconflictwiththewhitemanintheirownwaywaslost,theirveryreasonforlivingwaslost,too.Therearechaptersonthefamilyandthesexes,fun,theschemeofwar,production,thestructureofthenation,thewaytostatus,andotheraspectsofSiouxlife.
