We are all indigenous to the planet Earth—and that is why each of us can benefit from indigenous wisdom. Throughout their history, the Lakota people developed many enduring insights and practices for achieving harmony with all the forces in our life—including the land, the spirits, our community, and ourselves. On Living the Lakota Way, Joseph M. Marshall explores how you can apply the core principles of Lakota wisdom to your own life, no matter who you are or where you come from.

Lessons for Living with Simplicity, Courage, and Purpose

Through his gifts as a storyteller, Joseph Marshall brings Lakota history and lore to life with his words. With each piece of Lakota tradition he shares, Joseph offers a special focus on the aspects that are most valuable and relevant to us today in our own lives. How do we choose the heroes that we honor? Where do we find the strength to make it through challenging times? How do we relate to the earth, to our ancestors, and to the profound mystery of the spirit world? The Lakota tradition, as Joseph Marshall imparts it, can provide us with much-needed guidance for finding answers to the essential questions of our lives.

The Lakota people begin prayers with words that mean “All My Relatives,” addressing the people, animals, elements, and spirits as being all part of a single great family. It is in this spirit of kinship that Joseph M. Marshall offers the greatest treasure of his people—the wisdom of Lakota traditions, philosophy, and stories. Living the Lakota Way is an invitation in friendship to share an inheritance that arose from one people but was meant to enrich us all.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Honoring our ancestors—how knowing the story of where we came from helps us define who we are
• Ceremonies and rituals—Joseph explores the meaning of these important traditions and how they can inform our own spiritual practice
• Who are your heroes? The Lakota perspective on honoring the full story of those we choose to admire
• Prayer and the spirit world—how we relate to the unseen aspects of reality and the mystery of the divine
• Healing—guidance from the Lakota tradition on the role of healers, belief, and community
• The heartbeat of Grandmother Earth—how we can reconnect to the source of all life