Official Review: The World We Used to Live In
Posted: 18 Apr 2021, 10:25
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The World We Used to Live In" by Vine Deloria, Jr..]
The World We Used To Live In; Remembering The Powers Of The Medicine Men by Vine Deloria Junior, a renowned Native American author, is an enlightening book about the traditional religious practices of Native Americans, also known as Indian Americans. The author started by observing that most sacred traditional practices had been watered down to the point that they were now mere observations.
The objective of this book was to remind the Indian American people of the Old Powers of their ancestors - the powers possessed by the holy ones, also known as medicine men. The first chapter discussed the means of establishing a relationship with the spirits, such as through dreams and vision quests. The second chapter extensively discussed the powers of the medicine men, including healing, finding lost things, and locating food. Sometimes, the medicine men did some extraordinary acts just to show off their powers and strength. In summary, the author argued for the power and legitimacy of indigenous spirituality; although he did not substantially engage in its practice.
What I appreciated most about this book was its convincingness. Each chapter was discussed in detail, with a myriad of stories to support every assertion. There were countless testimonies from witnesses and even medicine men themselves. The experiences and testimonies were from as far back as the 17th century, down to the 21st century. The author also made references to the works of other authors, also quoting testimonies from such works. And like the author said, "these accounts are too numerous to pass off as superstition."
Before I came across this book, I knew next to nothing about Native Americans. This book not only taught me about their earlier traditional and religious practices, but it also spurred me to learn about their general way of life, including their traditional mode of dressing and building patterns, which was an interesting discovery for me.
As this book was not in print, I cannot speak for its editing per se, but I can speak for its narration. The narrator of this book was Wes Studi, a renowned Native American actor. To put it simply, Wes did an amazing job in narrating this book. The reading was smooth and understandable, and from the remarkable change in the narrator's pitch, one could easily tell when it was no longer the author, but another, speaking. The narrative also included soulful traditional chants at intervals.
The only thing I disliked about this book was that it was not in print. I heard several new and unusual words, native terms, that I didn't know. Some of the words, I was able to google up, but a few others, I couldn't find (probably because I didn't spell them right). Seeing the text would have helped familiarize those native words. Nonetheless, this doesn't detract any star from my rating of this book. The World We Used To Live In has duly earned 4 out of 4 stars.
I'm typically not in the class of people that this book was intended for, but I could relate to the teachings on the old ways of the traditionalists. This book was primarily aimed at the Native Americans, but any religiously open-minded person will appreciate it, and people who like tribal historicals will also enjoy this book.
******
The World We Used to Live In
View: on Bookshelves
The World We Used To Live In; Remembering The Powers Of The Medicine Men by Vine Deloria Junior, a renowned Native American author, is an enlightening book about the traditional religious practices of Native Americans, also known as Indian Americans. The author started by observing that most sacred traditional practices had been watered down to the point that they were now mere observations.
The objective of this book was to remind the Indian American people of the Old Powers of their ancestors - the powers possessed by the holy ones, also known as medicine men. The first chapter discussed the means of establishing a relationship with the spirits, such as through dreams and vision quests. The second chapter extensively discussed the powers of the medicine men, including healing, finding lost things, and locating food. Sometimes, the medicine men did some extraordinary acts just to show off their powers and strength. In summary, the author argued for the power and legitimacy of indigenous spirituality; although he did not substantially engage in its practice.
What I appreciated most about this book was its convincingness. Each chapter was discussed in detail, with a myriad of stories to support every assertion. There were countless testimonies from witnesses and even medicine men themselves. The experiences and testimonies were from as far back as the 17th century, down to the 21st century. The author also made references to the works of other authors, also quoting testimonies from such works. And like the author said, "these accounts are too numerous to pass off as superstition."
Before I came across this book, I knew next to nothing about Native Americans. This book not only taught me about their earlier traditional and religious practices, but it also spurred me to learn about their general way of life, including their traditional mode of dressing and building patterns, which was an interesting discovery for me.
As this book was not in print, I cannot speak for its editing per se, but I can speak for its narration. The narrator of this book was Wes Studi, a renowned Native American actor. To put it simply, Wes did an amazing job in narrating this book. The reading was smooth and understandable, and from the remarkable change in the narrator's pitch, one could easily tell when it was no longer the author, but another, speaking. The narrative also included soulful traditional chants at intervals.
The only thing I disliked about this book was that it was not in print. I heard several new and unusual words, native terms, that I didn't know. Some of the words, I was able to google up, but a few others, I couldn't find (probably because I didn't spell them right). Seeing the text would have helped familiarize those native words. Nonetheless, this doesn't detract any star from my rating of this book. The World We Used To Live In has duly earned 4 out of 4 stars.
I'm typically not in the class of people that this book was intended for, but I could relate to the teachings on the old ways of the traditionalists. This book was primarily aimed at the Native Americans, but any religiously open-minded person will appreciate it, and people who like tribal historicals will also enjoy this book.
******
The World We Used to Live In
View: on Bookshelves
