Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog Book Analysis

Lakota Woman is a book written by Mary Crow Dog accounting her life and the struggle she has gone through. The book takes us through her childhood and adulthood talking about the problems with identity she faced. Mary had trouble with finding her identity, but she finally found herself after joining AIM and marrying Leonard. 

As a young child, Mary often felt out of place because she was a half-blood. Growing up as a half-blood and being sheltered from traditional Indian ways she did not fit it. Mary had Indian features but very light skin causing her to “look at myself in the mirror, trying to find a clue as to who and what I was.” (Pg. 9) Mary was surrounded by family members who had been whitemanized like her mother. She was not taught the Indian ways and did not fit in the white or Indian world. Being an Iyeska meant that certain condescension came with it like “being look down upon by whites and full-bloods alike.” (Pg. 5) she was not white and during this period anything other than white meant you were beneath them, and the full-bloods felt above her because of the stereotypes many half-bloods portrayed. Growing up Mary did not fit in with most Indians this caused her to feel out of place. 

The events during and after the boarding school made Mary further question her identity. The nuns and priests at the boarding school tried to make all the Indian kids rebuke their savage ways. This caused her to feel like she had a missing part of her. When kids came home “they were neither wanted by whites nor by Indians.” (Pg.30) Kids were taken from their families for years and returned dressing and acting like white people. They were forbidden to speak Sioux and for forcibly converted to Christianity leading to a disconnection between the full-bloods and half-bloods. Only a few girls had the same opinion as her making her not be able to “relate to half-bloods and I was afraid that full-bloods would not accept me.” (Pg.56) Mary was not whitemanized at the boarding school but also was not accepted leading her to run away. She ended traveling with a group of Indians abusing drugs and alcohol looking for her life’s meaning. During her time at the boarding school, she realized she did not fit or belong within the full-blood or half-blood community leading her to make impulsive decisions like running away. 

After aimlessly traveling for years, Mary joined AIM giving her a purpose and allowing her to find herself. Before joining AIM Mary stayed drunk traveling the U.S with other Indians, but when AIM hit, she grew to learn about her culture. One aspect she learned about her culture was how women still encouraged the new generation “The old grandmothers especially made a deep impression upon me.” (Pg. 80) Mary learned the importance women played within the tribe like how they considered a nation dead when their women’s hearts were on the ground. The full-blood grandmothers gave her the courage to continue working with AIM.  Her parents were Indians, but Mary was only a half-breed she felt that “To be an Indian I had to go to the full-bloods” (Pg.93) Mary went to her stubborn, old, full-blood relative who relieved many traditions like the Peyote religion and the Ghost dance. This led her to feel like she was red on the inside but white on the outside. Having grown up lost and not belonging AIM opened a lot of doors for her and made her able to connect to her culture, and finally feel like she belonged. 

AIM also brought Mary her husband Leonard and through struggle, she finally knew for certain who she was.  Leonard’s family were full-bloods who were very Intune with their culture thus causing Mary to not be treated well “I was a half-blood, not traditionally raised, trying to hold my own inside the full-blood crow dog clan which does not take kindly to outsiders.” (Pg 176) During the beginning of her marriage, Henry (Leonard’s father) would tell her to leave because she was not right for his son for multiple reasons like not being able to speak Sioux. With pressure from both sides of the family Mary “had to fight day by day to be accepted.” (Pg 176) Mary’s family were Christians who thought Leonard was too old for her. Mary’s family also did not practice a lot of the traditional habits the Crow Dog clan did.  The two families had a cultural abyss between them. After understanding the Crow Dog’s history and taking Peyote Mary finally thought she would be alright and felt accepted. Initially, the Crow Dog clan rejected Mary, but after she learned more about the culture she was loved and accepted. 

Growing up Mary did not know who she was it was only after she joined AIM and married Leonard that she finally realized her identity as a Lakota Woman. The boarding school tried to conceal her culture and after she left, she still did not know who she was. After joining AIM and marrying Leonard did, she truly found herself. Mary’s a strong woman who fought to figure out her identity and succeed after many years it shows that not everyone needs to know who they are at such a young age.