Broken

I have just finished reading the book "Broken” by Lisa Jones. When I began to read it was with some scepticism, whether this was a version of “Eat, Pray, Love” that was playing itself out on Arapaho lands in Wyoming. When I finished the book, I was still not sure what I thought. A visit to Lisa Jones website revealed the sad news that the main protagonist of her book had passed away in May 2011.

The book itself is about the author and her experiences with an Arapaho spiritual healer. It talks about sweat lodges and the healing that people sought be coming to them. This thoughtful video posted at LastRealIndians.com offers a very good insight into views of the use of sweat lodges, and whether the sweat lodge is being run by an indigenous or non-indigenous person.

The book also raises another issue, also discussed at LastRealIndians.com about non-indigenous interpretations of indigenous peoples.

And finally, a video from the Lisa Jones website that really speaks for itself about the people in the book Broken, their horses, their land, and their culture.