Overview

2019 Choice Outstanding Academic Title In Life of the Indigenous Mind David Martinez examines the early activism, life, and writings of Vine Deloria Jr. (1933-2005), the most influential Indigenous activist and writer of the twentieth century and one of the intellectual architects of the Red Power movement. An experienced activist, administrator, and political analyst, Deloria was motivated to activism and writing by his work as executive director of the National Congress of American Indians, and he came to view discourse on tribal self-determination as the most important objective for making a viable future for tribes. In this work of both intellectual and activist history, Martinez assesses the early life and legacy of Deloria's ""Red Power Tetralogy,"" his most powerful and polemical works: Custer Died for Your Sins (1969), We Talk, You Listen (1970), God Is Red (1973), and Behind the Trail of Broken Treaties (1974). Deloria's gift for combining sharp political analysis with a cutting sense of humor rattled his adversaries as much as it delighted his growing readership. Life of the Indigenous Mind reveals how Deloria's writings addressed Indians and non-Indians alike. It was in the spirit of protest that Deloria famously and infamously confronted the tenets of Christianity, the policies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the theories of anthropology. The concept of tribal self-determination that he initiated both overturned the presumptions of the dominant society, including various ""Indian experts,"" and asserted that tribes were entitled to the rights of independent sovereign nations in their relationship with the United States, be it legally, politically, culturally, historically, or religiously.

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Drawing on the activist-intellectual's personal papers and less well-known writings from the period, Life of the Indigenous Mind is more than mere commentary. Moreover, the book's critical edge distinguishes it from prior scholarship that erred toward hagiography. Overall, it is a long-overdue addition to the existing literature on Vine Deloria, Jr., and on Red Power more generally. -John H. Cable, American Indian Quarterly Martinez . . . has composed a comprehensive account of Deloria's four earliest books about tribal self-determination and the American need for Indian values. He recounts how Deloria assailed longstanding paternalistic attempts by whites to dispossess, exploit, and assimilate Indians, suppress their spirituality, and terminate their treaty status. He had a decided influence on developing US federal policies that somewhat recognized Indian sovereignty. Perhaps most important was his profound, abiding effect on fellow Natives, stirred by his impassioned declarations of individual Indian human rights and tribal sovereignty: rejecting the melting pot, reaffirming traditional religion, espousing kinship-based communal sharing, and achieving greater self-governance. . . . Martinez has created here an affecting portrait of one of America's most influential indigenous rights activists. -C. T. Vecsey, Choice This volume is the most substantial and important consideration of Deloria's work to date and deserves a place on any comprehensive American Indian studies shelf. -Akim Reinhardt, South Dakota History Life of the Indigenous Mind is an asset for instructors of American Indian studies. Martinez paints Deloria as a wise elder of the Red Power movement, even in his youth, a portrait that bolsters the argument that he was the intellectual leader American Indians needed at a unique moment in history. -April M. Bond, American Indian Culture and Research Journal As David Martinez observes, the Indigenous mind is the Indigenous community's most potent weapon against colonialism. This powerful statement triggers a challenging responsibility: to identify the types of ideas that should inform the efforts of Indigenous intellectuals. Martinez charts a framework for future intersectional analysis, providing an important contribution to the growth of American Indian intellectualism. This book offers a magnificent appraisal of Vine Deloria Jr.'s legacy and the power of critical thought. -Rebecca Tsosie, Regents' Professor of Law at the University of Arizona and faculty co-chair of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program at the James E. Rogers College of Law David Martinez transcends hagiography in this complex analysis of four key early works by Vine Deloria Jr. This fascinating book takes a deep dive into Deloria's thinking. Martinez does an admirable job of both placing these works in the historical context of turbulent changes in Indian affairs in the United States and illuminating Deloria's intellectual acumen as he challenged federal bureaucrats, academia, the public at large, and, perhaps most significantly, Indian Country to rethink the place of American Indians in the United States. -David R. M. Beck, professor of Native American Studies at the University of Montana

As David Martinez observes, the Indigenous mind is the Indigenous community's most potent weapon against colonialism. This powerful statement triggers a challenging responsibility: to identify the types of ideas that should inform the efforts of Indigenous intellectuals. Martinez charts a framework for future intersectional analysis, providing an important contribution to the growth of American Indian intellectualism. This book offers a magnificent appraisal of Vine Deloria Jr.'s legacy and the power of critical thought. --Rebecca Tsosie, Regents' Professor of Law at the University of Arizona and faculty co-chair of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program at the James E. Rogers College of Law-- (9/14/2018 12:00:00 AM) David Martinez transcends hagiography in this complex analysis of four key early works by Vine Deloria Jr. This fascinating book takes a deep dive into Deloria's thinking. Martinez does an admirable job of both placing these works in the historical context of turbulent changes in Indian affairs in the United States and illuminating Deloria's intellectual acumen as he challenged federal bureaucrats, academia, the public at large, and, perhaps most significantly, Indian Country to rethink the place of American Indians in the United States. --David R. M. Beck, professor of Native American Studies at the University of Montana-- (9/14/2018 12:00:00 AM) Drawing on the activist-intellectual's personal papers and less well-known writings from the period, Life of the Indigenous Mind is more than mere commentary. Moreover, the book's critical edge distinguishes it from prior scholarship that erred toward hagiography. Overall, it is a long-overdue addition to the existing literature on Vine Deloria, Jr., and on Red Power more generally. --John H. Cable, American Indian Quarterly Life of the Indigenous Mind is an asset for instructors of American Indian studies. Martinez paints Deloria as a wise elder of the Red Power movement, even in his youth, a portrait that bolsters the argument that he was the intellectual leader American Indians needed at a unique moment in history. --April M. Bond, American Indian Culture and Research Journal Martinez . . . has composed a comprehensive account of Deloria's four earliest books about tribal self-determination and the American need for Indian values. He recounts how Deloria assailed longstanding paternalistic attempts by whites to dispossess, exploit, and assimilate Indians, suppress their spirituality, and terminate their treaty status. He had a decided influence on developing US federal policies that somewhat recognized Indian sovereignty. Perhaps most important was his profound, abiding effect on fellow Natives, stirred by his impassioned declarations of individual Indian human rights and tribal sovereignty: rejecting the melting pot, reaffirming traditional religion, espousing kinship-based communal sharing, and achieving greater self-governance. . . . Martinez has created here an affecting portrait of one of America's most influential indigenous rights activists. --C. T. Vecsey, Choice This volume is the most substantial and important consideration of Deloria's work to date and deserves a place on any comprehensive American Indian studies shelf. --Akim Reinhardt, South Dakota History

Author Information

David Martínez (Akimel O’odham/Hia Ced O’odham/Mexican) is an associate professor of American Indian Studies at Arizona State University. He is the author of Dakota Philosopher: Charles Eastman and American Indian Thought and editor of The American Indian Intellectual Tradition: An Anthology of Writings from 1772 to 1972.  

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