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february, 2022

05feb10:00 am11:00 amOnline: Voices from Pejuhutazizi: Dakota Stories and Storytellers Virtual Book Launch10:00 am - 11:00 am Online, Online

Voices from Pejuhutazizi. MNHS History. Headshots of authors Theresa Peterson and Walter Super LaBatte

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Event Details

New from Minnesota Historical Society Press:
  Voices from PejuhutaziziDakota Stories and Storytellers   Click here Virtual Book Launch (via Facebook and YouTube)Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 10:00 amClick here for Facebook Event By Teresa Peterson and Walter LaBatte Jr.
 
A rich trove of stories from Pejuhutazizi K’api, the place where they dig the yellow medicine—now also known as the Upper Sioux Indian Community in Minnesota. 
Through five generations at Pejuhutazizi (the place where they dig the yellow medicine), Teresa Peterson's family members have listened to and told stories: stories of events, migrations, and relationships in Dakota history, and stories that carry Dakota culture through tales, legends, and myths.In the 1910s, Waŋbdiṡka (Fred Pearsall) made notes on stories he heard from Dakota elders, including his mother-in-law, at the Upper Sioux Community in Mni Sota Makoce—Minnesota. In the 1950s, when he wrote them down in a letter to his daughters, his young grandson Waṡicuŋhdinażiŋ (Walter "Super" LaBatte Jr.) was already listening and learning from his family's elders and other members of the community. And then that grandson grew up to become a storyteller.Teresa Peterson, the great-granddaughter of Fred and the niece of Super, has her own story of finding identity to tell. In this book, she has worked with her uncle to present their family's precious collection. These stories bring people together, impart values and traditions, deliver heroes, reconcile, reveal place, and entertain. Finally, as they bring delight to listeners, they provide belonging and nurture humanity.Advance Praise:
"This heartfelt collection of stories follows the great tradition of oral storytellers, as it brings history to life with vivid details, reminds us of our shared humanity, and entertains while offering profound insights into Dakota culture and experience. This book is a rare and generous gift from a family of storytellers as they honor their responsibility to share these stories with future generations.”Diane Wilson, author of Spirit Car: Journey to a Dakota Past and The Seed Keeper: A Novel 
About the authors:
Teresa Peterson is an educator, tribal planner, and writer. She is Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota and a member of the Upper Sioux Community.Walter (Super) LaBatte Jr. is an artist who tans hides, makes drums, beads moccasins, and prepares paṡdayapi. He is Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota and a member of the Upper Sioux Community.
Short excerpts from the book:
From long ago: 
“The bear was too close at hand to think of running away, and so the hunter thought to do his best and hold his own. . . . Suddenly, the bear’s a ention was a racted to something a few feet back from the water. Then the hunter noticed a slight hillock just back from the shore, and a skunk stood there facing the bear.”Waŋbdiska / Fred Pearsall 
From the 1970s: 
“My cousins and I rode horses up and down the deer and people trails, bringing them to the creek to quench their thirst. . . . As long as we ate our egg-and-Spam sandwiches and were back by the evening, we could be feral children, exploring the hills and valleys along the Minnesota River.”Utuhu Caŋ Cistiŋna / Teresa Peterson 
From recent days: 
“It isn’t unusual to see Germans at summer powwows. On several occasions, I have come up to them in my dance regalia and in German asked if they come from Germany. At first there is this stunned second or so of silence, and I can see that their eyes and their ears are in conflict.”Wasicuŋhdinażiŋ / Walter “Super” LaBatte Jr.  
 
Available January 2022 from independent, chain, and online bookstores or from Minnesota Historical Society Press$18.95 paper, 6 x 9, 224 pagesISBN: 978-1-68134-184-2$9.99 e-book, ISBN: 978-168134-185-9
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(Saturday) 10:00 am - 11:00 am

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