Lana's Lakota Moons
Lana’s Lakota Moons is an endearing story of two young girls—cousins by birth, sisters by tradition—as they learn the ancient customs of their Lakota Indian heritage. With their new friend Shoua, a Vietnamese refugee, Lana and Lori discover that through life and death, friendship and family have no limits. In a story rich with folklore, the narrator Lori, becomes deeply bound to her Lakota family, even while living among modern suburbanites.
The story progresses moon by moon. In August, “The Moon When the Buffalo Run,” readers are introduced to the tradition of the buffalo hunt. During a vivid description of one of the last tribal hunts, Lori learns of her great-grandfather’s experience as young man: “The boys were stunned. They knew the bullets had struck, but the bull didn’t go down. Its massive head swung slowly toward them… the huge beast took a step and fell with a muffled thump that made the ground tremble.”
Sneve, a native of the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, has received numerous awards, including the National Humanities Award, the Human Rights Award, and the Spirit of Crazy Horse Award. As a former English teacher, she has also served on the board of numerous Native American organizations. Her other books include Grandpa Was a Cowboy and Indian and Other Stories and The Trickster and the Troll.
Both educational and historical in nature, Lana’s Lakota Moons is sure to capture the interest of the young and the young-at-heart. With its beautifully narrated legends and amusing characters, Sneve has created a story that is both a tribute to her heritage and a poignant chronicle of the end of adolescent innocence.
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