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  • The World We Used to Live In

  • Remembering the Powers of the Medicine Men
  • Written by: Vine Deloria Jr.
  • Narrated by: Wes Studi
  • Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (15 ratings)

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The World We Used to Live In

Written by: Vine Deloria Jr.
Narrated by: Wes Studi
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Publisher's Summary

The world lost a courageous leader and a treasured friend with the passing of Vine Deloria Jr. He was, and is, one of the greatest spiritual thinkers of our time. Before his death, Deloria was reexamining native spirituality.

His years of collecting native stories of the medicine men and exploring spirituality from different perspectives are brought together in this audiobook. Although Deloria was annoyed and disapproving of the commercialization of native spirituality (sweat lodges conducted for $50, peyote meetings for $1,500, medicine drums for $300), he did not wish to chastise those finding solace in these pseudo rituals.

Instead, he wanted to open people's eyes to the rituals and ceremonies as they were originally intended to and stop the empty recitation of songs and blessings and bring meaning and spirit back to the sacred native rites. To do so, he explored the medicine men, their powers, and the Earth's relation to the cosmos.

©2006 Vine Deloria, Jr. (P)2019 Bobby Bridger

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Brilliant

Possibly one of the most enjoyable books I've listened to in years. Besides being filled with wonderful stories, which alone would make this an awesome book, creating a bridge of understanding between the Indigenous way of knowing & the European, colonial epistemology (see I even just used a term instead of an action statement) is beyond valuable. This is a must read if you're taking the journey to truth & reconciliation with our human cousins who've been on this land since time immemorial.

One additional key point: the narration is excellent, creating precisely the right mood & tempo (and voice) for each storyteller. For those who may not have grown up hearing stories from knowledge keepers or elders, there is information in the tempo & Wes Studi clearly is a master.

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6 people found this helpful