The Red Road presents the oral histories of Sam Buffalo, also known as Samuel Mniyo, and Robert Goodvoice, with editorial comments and annotations from Daniel M. Beveridge. Additionally, the book includes the artistic renderings of someone whom the editor believes to be Jim Sapa, also known as James Black. Beveridge explains, “This book is like a rope made up of four strands, representing four voices” (6). Together, the contributors narrate Dakota history and culture, tradition and ceremony, speaking with the knowledge gleaned from seven generations of the Dakota people. While the authors clearly state that they “do not claim this to be the one and only story of the Dakota people,” The Red Road is far-reaching and quite personal, making it an important addition to the existing Dakota scholarship (7).
In many ways The Red Road is hard to categorize. It has the organizational style of a reference book and,...
