William Thomas Venner
Lakota Winds narrates the battle of the Little Big Horn as seen through the eyes of the Sioux. It is a fast-paced story bringing to life that fateful encounter between Custer’s 7th Cavalry and the Sioux and Cheyenne. Never again would Native Americans assemble in such numbers as they did on that day in 1876, and never again would they inflict such a punishing defeat upon the United States military.Lakota Winds recaptures these precious hours of Sioux heritage. Matowla, Tankala Pay-ta, Unci, Osota, and Ishna were all witnesses to this final episode of the era of the Plains Indian. These characters represent the thousands of Lakota and Cheyenne who were camped along the Greasy Grass (Little Big Horn River) that summer morning when Custer’s troops attacked. Matowla, Pay-ta, Unci, and Ishna have been entrusted to act as vocal embassies for their historical counterparts. It will be their obligation to speak for a people whose voices have all but been stilled by the passage of time.
