Lakota Culture, World Economy

Lakota Culture, World Economy uses extensive interviews with residents of the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations to present the first in-depth look at the modern economy of the Lakotas. Workers both in and out of the home, small-business owners, federal and tribal government employees, and unemployed and underemployed Lakotas speak directly about their economic prospects, the changes they have experienced, and how they cope with living in communities that are in many ways marginalized by the modern world economy.

Kathleen Ann Pickering weaves these compelling first-person accounts with broader theoretical considerations to create a nuanced ethnographic tapestry of life today on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations. Particularly enlightening are her consideration of the far-reaching economic significance of traditional Lakota households and her assessment of how Lakota identity—shaped by values, gender, ethnicity, race, and class—is inextricably bound up with the modern reservation economy.