S. D. Nelson (1950–)

Lakota picture-book author and artist S.D. Nelson examines the life and legacy of the famous Hunkpapa Lakota warrior and leader Sitting Bull in this outstanding work of biography and history for young people. Told from Sitting Bull's own perspective, the narrative follows him through his childhood, from his first buffalo kill at the age of ten, through his young adulthood, as he gained a reputation as a warrior. The incursion of Euro-American settlers, and the conflict this caused, becomes show more the dominant theme, as the Lakota and other native peoples of the Great Plains resist the loss of their lands and way of life. The Battle of Kildeer Mountain (1864), the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868), the Battle of the Rosebud and of the Little Big Horn (1876), and the exodus of Sitting Bull and his band to Canada (1877-81) - these are all covered, as are his eventual surrender to the US Army at Fort Bufford (1881), his time under arrest at Fort Randall (1881-83), his travels with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show (1885), and his eventual assassination, by other Lakota, in 1890. The book concludes with an extensive and detailed timeline of Sitting Bull's life and times, a detailed afterword about the Lakota worldview, endnotes, bibliography and index...

Marvelously informative and immensely thought-provoking, Sitting Bull: Lakota Warrior and Defender of His People is one of a number of advanced picture-book biographies of famous Native Americans of the plains region that Nelson has created - see also: Black Elk's Vision: A Lakota Story, Buffalo Bird Girl: A Hidatsa Story and Red Cloud: A Lakota Story of War and Surrender - but the first that I have read. I was immensely impressed, and definitely plan to track down more of his work! Nelson manages to take a very complicated and deeply disturbing history, and do it justice, while also retelling it is a way that is engaging for young readers. The choice of first-person narrator, from the subject's perspective, is unusual, but also involves the reader in the story. The story itself is interesting - what times of change Sitting Bull lived through! - and tragic. Given all of the disturbing events chronicled here, I really appreciated the detailed author's note, in which Nelson speaks of not holding on to the bitterness of past wrongs, but moving forward. That is very helpful, I think. The accompanying visuals, which include contemporaneous photographs as well as original art done in the Ledger Book Style - a historical style used by imprisoned Native American artists during the 19th century, when they were given used ledger books, and overlaid their own stylized folk drawings upon existing writing and images - has great appeal, and is also involving. Although a picture-book, this is far too advanced in text and subject matter for very young children, and would be more suitable for upper primary and middle-school pupils, who are interested in the history of the American West, the conflicts between Euro-American settlers and Native American nations, and the life story of Sitting Bull. show less

Two siblings spend a day out on the prairie in this work of picture-book historical fiction from Lakota author/illustrator S.D. Nelson. Sister Girl and Young Wolf enjoy identifying different shapes in the clouds above them, until the sky darkens and animals begin to rush past. Fleeing from a prairie fire, the brother and sister take refuge in a stream, emerging afterward to find the world a blackened wasteland. Not sure of how to find their way home, when all landmarks have been destroyed, show more the pair encounter the spirit of their grandmother, Elk Tooth Woman, who helps to show them the way...

Although The Star People: A Lakota Story is not a traditional folktale, it does incorporate some interesting folk beliefs, regarding the Cloud People and the Star People, whose significance is mentioned in Nelson's afterword. I would imagine that the idea of the stars being the spirits of our ancestors - something that reminded me of the similar Inuit belief about the Northern Lights - must have been a comforting one, to people looking up into the dark nighttime sky. The narrative here is engaging, and is paired with artwork that is simply beautiful. Done in acrylic paint on watercolor paper, the illustrations are lovely, with a gorgeous color palette, and stylized figures that were inspired by the Ledger Book Art of the 19th century. I don't know that this is destined to become one of my favorites, of S.D. Nelson's books - so far, I have preferred his picture-book biographies - but it is quite appealing. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for historical stories with a Lakota/Native American cultural backdrop. show less

Lakota picture-book author and artist S.D. Nelson turns to the story of Oglala Lakota prophet and medicine man Black Elk in this deeply moving work of biography. Born near the Little Powder River in Montana in 1863, Black Elk had visions from an early age, but kept them to himself at first, for fear that he would be misunderstood by his people. In 1872, at the age of nine, he had his Great Vision, while he lay ill. Taken to the land of the Cloud People, he met the Six Grandfathers, who were show more the Powers of the World, and he learnt from them about the Circle of Life, and the powers of life and destruction that had been given to all peoples. He also learned about the great tree of life, growing at the center of all things, which can only flourish if all peoples care for it. Waking from his illness, Black Elk returned to a world where the beauty and hope of his vision seemed to stand in stark contrast to the ugliness and suffering of life around him. Witness to the end of the nomadic freedom of his people, Black Elk fought in the Battle of the Little Big Horn (1876); traveled with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show to New York and London, and then with the Mexican Joe show throughout Europe (1886-1889); and witnessed the massacre at Wounded Knee (1890). In 1932, he related his vision to the Euro-American author John G. Neihardt, and Black Elk Speaks was published to much acclaim. Since that time, Black Elk's vision has inspired countless others, and the wisdom it offers about the choices before humanity has remained as necessary as ever...

I was in high school when I read Black Elk Speaks, and I recall being deeply moved by it, both because of its subject's life story and experiences, and because of the spiritual wisdom that it offered. I am so very glad that Nelson has created Black Elk's Vision: A Lakota Story, as this makes the story accessible for younger readers as well. This was an intensely moving and poignant book, and I found myself tearing up on more than one occasion, as I read it. What a gift Black Elk's vision was, but what a burden it must sometimes have seemed, given the events unfolding around him. The idea of choice being central to the human experience - the choice between life and destruction - is one I find powerfully convincing, and the notion of a central tree of life, something that ties all of creation together, also speaks to me most strongly. Nelson's retelling of this story is respectful and emotionally resonant, the accompanying historical photographs fascinating, and the acrylic artwork gorgeous. The back matter, which includes an extensive note from the author/illustrator, a detailed timeline, notes, bibliography and index, provides additional information. On a very minor note, I appreciated the way that Nelson used the term "Euro-American," when he was not using the Lakota word "Wasichu," as I prefer that term myself. On a major note, I was deeply appreciative of his humane and hopeful vision, as he writes in his afterword that "Among the many lessons found in Black Elk's vision is this: All human beings have the power of choice. Through our actions we choose either to destroy life or to give life. It is no good to live our days with a blaming heart; that way leads only to suffering. We are not victims of a destiny forced upon us by others. Instead, we are the makers of our people's future. If we truly seek harmony, we will choose to carry the wooden cup of water. It alone holds the power to give life."

I loved pretty much everything about this book, from the subject matter to the telling, the beautiful artwork to the hopeful vision of both Black Elk and Nelson, and it ended up being one of my rare 5-star titles. Highly recommended to middle-school and more advanced primary school readers with an interest in Native American history and spirituality, and the story of the American West in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. show less

Review of Greet the Dawn the Lakota Way illustrated and written by S.D. Nelson

As a scholar of American Indian literatures and cultures, I took a group of American Indian Literature students from Kansas City to both Pine Ridge and Rosebud one summer, where we focused the class solely on the Lakota culture and its many writers and storytellers. During the trip, I bought every Lakota children’s book I could find for my then five year old son, who was along for the trip, along with three other show more children belonging to some of my students.

Nelson’s Greet the Dawn the Lakota Way makes a spectacular addition to my rather extensive collection of Lakota children’s stories.

Children’s books are, first and foremost, works of art. If the images do not capture children’s attention and imaginations, chances are they will not return to the book once they know how to read on their own.

Traditionally, Lakotas drew on tanned hides; whether to remember the yearly count, to personalize their tipis, or to take part in social ceremonies, certain images became iconic, from basic geometric forms to signs for dragonfly and bear paws to buffalo hunts and shamans’ visions.

Nelson deftly captures the sense that we are reading a book that is filled not only with strong social meaning, but also vivid living. The tan-colored end flaps look as though they represent cave paintings or petroglyphs, and images on them overlap each other, some appearing faded or smeared, as though centuries of time have passed.

Inside, the pages are luminescent with color, clearly matching the ideas conveyed in the text, so that a gorgeous painting of a meadowlark on her nest is accompanied by a bright sunrise that shoots out images of triangles in stylistic rays, and images of tipis that morph into flying birds, as we read, “Father Sun gives warmth to Mother Earth. Meadowlark sings her song as swallows fly above.”

Nelson also drew on older, historical records by Frances Densmore of Teton Sioux Music to provide excerpts in both English and Lakota as two additional poems to his own wording. Nelson chooses to use the same drawing for each of these traditional poems, clearly signaling with the drawing, which depicts four singers--colored to correspond to the Lakota colors for the four cardinal directions--around Mother Drum, that these words are not his own.

Greet the Dawn the Lakota Way shows readers how to appropriately appreciate the rising sun, but also leads us through a day and into a restful “smiling heart” sleep.

While the book might sound as though it only deals with traditional Lakota images, Nelson sneaks in many contemporary images, from school buses to monster trucks. Children should delight at finding these nearly hidden treasures as they examine the paintings and read the words. And most parents will probably find that this children’s book is a great one to share to help children relax and prepare for sleep, teaching them, along the way, to live in balance with the earth and the cosmos--the Lakota way.

Ruth J. Heflin, PhD
Author of I Remain Alive: the Sioux Literary Renaissance show less