Essential Native Wisdom

Quotations from Sitting Bull, Wilma Mankiller, N. Scott Momaday, and many more.

Essential Native Wisdom gathers hundreds of powerful quotations from an extraordinary group of people from the mid-1700s to the present day. There are excerpts from political and spiritual leaders; writers and poets; activists and artists; warriors and statesmen; scholars and historians; actors and athletes; and musicians and orators. It’s a wide-ranging collection that is enlightening and engaging—and provides a testament to the spirit of strength, endurance, and hope. Sitting Bull eloquently reveals the devastating hardship his people endured at the hands of the white leaders who sought to destroy their way of lifeWinona LaDuke vividly recalls traditions from her people, passed down from generation to generationElizabeth Peratrovich speaks passionately about the freedoms that are guaranteed to Native people under the Bill of Rights, and more