Lakota Culture, World Economy - by Kathleen Ann Pickering Paperback

Book Synopsis

Lakota Culture, World Economy uses extensive interviews with residents of the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations to present the first in-depth look at the modern economy of the Lakotas. Workers both in and out of the home, small-business owners, federal and tribal government employees, and unemployed and underemployed Lakotas speak directly about their economic prospects, the changes they have experienced, and how they cope with living in communities that are in many ways marginalized by the modern world economy. Kathleen Ann Pickering weaves these compelling first-person accounts with broader theoretical considerations to create a nuanced ethnographic tapestry of life today on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations. Particularly enlightening are her consideration of the far-reaching economic significance of traditional Lakota households and her assessment of how Lakota identity-shaped by values, gender, ethnicity, race, and class-is inextricably bound up with the modern reservation economy. Kathleen Ann Pickering is an associate professor of anthropology at Colorado State University.

Review Quotes

"[Pickering's] operative question is--if the Lakota of Rosebud and Pine Ridge are so poor, how do they make a living? In pursuit of answers, she leaves a trail of remarkable observations by Lakota individuals concerning the nexus of activities that create a Lakota economy."--Plains Anthropologist

"Detailed and in-depth analyses in addition to the offering of the Lakotas' own perspective makes the work a valuable asset to students and scholars of history and economics as well as necessary reading for all individuals involved in the process of economic globalization."--South Dakota History

"Pickering's book makes an important contribution to this emerging literature by exploring the linkages between culture and economy on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota."--Robin M. Leichenko, Journal of Regional Science

About the Author

Kathleen Ann Pickering is an associate professor of anthropology at Colorado State University.