The narrative of Mary Crow Dog can be seen from two angles: as an account of her fight for racial equality and religious freedom, or as a personal story showcasing Mary’s journey of self-discovery. At the outset, Mary presents herself as an uninformed child who found solace in her ignorance about the extent of the challenges faced by her community. During her childhood, she didn’t possess a strong religious inclination, except for her uncle Bill and her grandparents who adhered to traditional Sioux beliefs.
At a young age, Mary was taken away from her family by white people who wanted to do good. They sent her to a Catholic school where Catholicism was forced upon her, often in abusive ways. The priests and nuns at the school distorted the true meaning of Catholicism, leaving a lasting negative impression on her. Facing conditions similar to those on the reservation and experiencing racial prejudice everywhere, Mary eventually realized that Catholicism was not her rightful place. Determined to escape the negative environment, she made the decision to drop out of school one day following a particularly terrible incident.
Mary came back to the reservation after facing a troubled adolescence. Like many other teenagers on the reservation, she engaged in excessive drinking, smoking cigarettes and marijuana, and reckless driving on unsafe vehicles. Their lifestyle conveyed a lack of concern for their own lives and a sense of purposelessness. Mary experienced a sense of wandering that gradually transformed into restlessness. She needed to take action and find a destination, but she was unsure of what or where it should be. She did not share her mother’s beliefs, and returning to the Catholic school was definitely not an option for her.
For a period of time, she ventured down a criminal path, engaging in shoplifting and attempting to rationalize it by connecting it to her people’s history. Initially, she didn’t feel remorseful and began losing her sense of right and wrong. Nevertheless, her perspective shifted when she was apprehended for shoplifting a second time, yet the store manager released her out of fear towards her companions. This incident brought about the realization that if Native Americans are perceived in such a manner, it is unsurprising why they face animosity from white individuals. Her aimless journey reached its conclusion when she discovered AIM (American Indian Movement).
When she attended an AIM meeting, she first noticed Leonard Crow dog and his eye-catching long hair. The experience of being part of AIM had a transformative effect on her, reshaping her from the inside. Embracing the old ways gave her a sense of belonging. During a tour with AIM, including a protest on the White House lawn, she had her first encounter with Peyote. Mary was struck by numerous visions induced by Peyote, which brought new meaning to her life. She began recognizing various ancient Indian religions as different aspects of a single powerful entity. It became clear to her that all Native Americans sought visions or cried for dreams.
Mary Crow dog, an Indian from India, frequently used peyote and believed it to be a direct connection to the Great Spirit. Since her youth, she consumed a significant amount of peyote, viewing it not as a drug but as a pathway to dreaming and having visions. Mary’s introduction to peyote happened at Wounded Knee when she gave birth to her son. The birthing process at Wounded Knee held spiritual importance for Mary, representing a religious pilgrimage within that specific location. After the incident at Wounded Knee, Mary became Leonard’s wife and took on the role of the first woman and wife of a medicine man. During one of her experiences with peyote, she witnessed her previous self dying, resulting in a profound sense of freedom from her troubled past.
she could escape the unbearable memories she had experienced, including her time at catholic school, the suffering and poverty she endured at the reservation, and the unjust treatment Leonard faced during his various trials in jail. Leonard always urged Mary to look beyond the superficial aspects of life and see the true reality. According to him, this was the essence of Indian religion. Despite marrying Leonard, Mary still felt that her heart’s eye remained blind, likely due to her lack of knowledge in traditional practices.
Mary believed that Leonard felt somewhat uneasy about teaching his own wife traditional customs, but their relationship became much stronger through the experience of Leonard’s arrest. Mary was surprised to discover that when she first married Leonard, she did not desire any part of the traditional ways. While she admired him, she acknowledged the age gap of twelve years between them, which represented an entire generation. However, it was her parents’ disapproval of their union that brought Mary closer to her husband. Their grandparents had also had a significant age difference and lived according to traditional norms.
If she approved of the old ways, she also approved of it. Mary found it difficult to separate from Leonard because they were so close. “I saw the marshals taking him away in handcuffs and shackles. We just kept looking at each other until the prison bars closed and he disappeared from my sight.” Leonard Crow dog was sentenced to twenty-three years for breaking a member of the SWAT team’s jaw. Mary found solace in prayer. “I will continue praying and making tobacco ties with the pipes.” Mary turned to tradition and appealed to the Great Spirit for help in Leonard’s case.
Despite eventually being released, the time she spent apart from Leonard left her feeling lonely and forced her to rely on her spiritual power to survive. Mary acknowledges that she would not have been able to overcome the trials and prejudice without her understanding of traditional practices. Lakota Woman is not primarily about battling racial discrimination, but rather a personal journey of a young woman discovering her identity and purpose after experiencing a childhood filled with confusion and disorientation. Observing Mary Crow dog’s transformation over the first two decades of her life was captivating.
Observing her joy as she discovers the traditional customs and her desire to find her place in society, Mary also gains knowledge about the significant role of women in Lakota. She finds happiness in her young son’s eagerness to learn the traditional ways. Mary’s ability to accept the inequality and mistreatment she faces can be attributed to her strong devotion to the Lakota religion.
Works Cited
- Brodd, Jeffrey. World Religions: A Voyage of Discovery. Second Edition. United States: St. Mary’s Press, 2002. Print.
- Crow Dog, Mary. Lakota Woman. New York: Harper Perennial, 1990. Print.
