Women pioneers -- South Dakota -- History, Frontier and pioneer life -- South Dakota, Dakota, Women pioneers, Frontier and Pioneer life, Friendship 

"White women cam into Dakota territory with an almost pathological fear of Indians. Those who could conquer their prejudices found unexpected friendship and cooperation with a people they believed were "savage" and "war-like." Where treaties were respected by settlers, peaceful coexistence prevailed. Cultural misunderstandings - many humorous - emerge from the pages of the book, as do stories of cultural sharing.

The South Dakota-born authors share this legacy of Indian/non-Indian friendship in their word. Oglala Lakota artist Vic Runnels brings his knowledge of Lakota history as guest editor of this volume, while feminist historian Sally Roesch Wagner continues to celebrate her heritage in the Daughters of Dakota series. Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, well-known Lakota author, provides a thoughtful overview of historical context.

These stories, selected from almost 5,000 in the Pioneer Daughters collection, were gathered by the General Federation of Women's Clubs of South Dakota over a forty-year period. Through their herculean efforts in gathering these biographies, they have left us an extraordinary resource - undoubtedly the largest collection of pioneer women's stories in the nation.

As Jo Hall of the Mobridge Tribune said, "The stories are like grandma's crazy quilt - each piece different but providing a warmth of early reconciliations and personal insights into our history and its peoples, both settlers and Indians."--Back cover.