Bauu Press Celebrates the Publication of a Book on Sioux Native American Indian Oral Traditions

2009-06-24 07:20:09 - Director of the Bauu Institute and Press, Dr. Peter N. Jones, celebrates the publication of Lakota Sioux Legends and Myths: Native American Oral Traditions Recorded by Marie L. McLaughlin and Zitkala Sa.

An environmental, psychological, and social science research and publishing company located in Boulder, Colorado, the Bauu Institute and Press is a leader in publishing works on indigenous peoples. Lakota Sioux Legends and Myths is the fifth book by the press on indigenous Native American Indians and the first dealing with oral traditions.

On the occasion, Dr. Jones remarked, “oral traditions, often called myths or legends, are a living, dynamic component of Native American cosmology and culture. Not only have they been – and continue to be – an essential part of handing down Native American customs, norms, beliefs, and cultural histories, but they also form a communal mythic discourse. The oral traditions and myths recorded in this book are part of the communal mythic discourse of the Lakota Sioux people.”
Originally collected and recorded at the close of the nineteenth century by two Native language speakers – Marie L. McLaughlin and Zitkala Sa – these oral traditions provide some of the least distorted or colonially disrupted examples of the Lakota Sioux communal mythic discourse. Containing over 40 oral traditions, Lakota Sioux Legends and Myths brings together into a single volume these remarkable myths and legends, making them available once again.
“We are really honored to bring these oral traditions back into print” remarked Dr. Jones. “It is important that people of all backgrounds get to experience the beauty and sophistication of these oral traditions; and this publication makes that possible.”

The Bauu Institute and Press is a science and applied research institute. Since 1998 the Bauu Institute and Press has conducted a wide range of environmental, psychological, and social science projects, as well as published numerous books and technical papers on indigenous issues. Along with Lakota Sioux Legends and Myths, the Press publishes the highly acclaimed Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources, an online portal for information, news, articles, and resources concerning indigenous peoples around the world.