Shinchi's Canoe dog pick is the first written by

is the first written by a native Lakota speaker

In this collection of twelve biographies

the sweat lodge

a deep spiritual life

consequently there were no menial workers

Shinchi's Canoe dog pick is the first written byWhen they arrive at school, Shi shi etko reminds Shinchi, her six year old brother, that they can only use their English names and that they can't speak to each other. For Shinchi, life becomes an endless cycle of church mass, school, and work, punctuated by skimpy meals. He finds solace at the river, clutching a tiny cedar canoe, a gift from his father, and dreaming of the day when the salmon return to the river a sign that its almost time to return