Review of "There Still Are Buffalo (Nahanhci Pte Yukanpi)," by Ann Clark

Review of

There Still Are Buffalo (Nahanhci Pte Yukanpi), by Ann Clark

Five out of five stars

 This book was originally published in 1942, when it was becoming clear to the United States government that destroying Native American culture was a really bad idea. This book was published by the United States Office of Indian Affairs and is in both English and Lakota.

 The tale is a saga of the life of a male Buffalo, from the moment of birth, through his growth to adulthood and the time when he issues a successful challenge to become the alpha male of the herd to the time when his aged body leads to a successful challenge. At that point he wanders off to graze alone and eventually die.

 The story is written in the form of non-rhyming prose with the English on the left side of the page and the Lakota version on the right side. It was written for the Lakota children to use in their studies of both English and Lakota, in an attempt to raise them bilingual and preserve their heritage. The illustrations were done by Andrew Standing Soldier and are not elaborate, yet are detailed and make the message very clear.

 Although modern children in the general population will not need to be exposed to the Lakota language, this story is a good one for them to read. For it presents many aspects of the Lakota culture and how the buffalo were revered as gifts from the Great Spirit and as co-inhabitants of the planet.