Jamie Lee's Writing and Life

Reviews of Washaka--The Bear Dreamer
Midwest Book Review August 2006 "Washaka the Bear Dreamer: A Lakota Story Based On Leon Hale's Dream" is an engrossing new Lakota story based on a recurring series of dreams experienced by Leon Hale. He enlisted the help of Oglala Lakota College teacher Jamie Lee to commit the story of his dreams to novel form. The effort is so successful the reader cannot put the book down. The effort of communicating and sharing the story also helped Leon Hale to recover from life-threatening health crises. This is a beautiful story of of cross cultural friendship and the necessity of the races learning to get along. It contains a heartfelt record of a collision of cultural values and the failure engendered even between dominant culture members by a loss of respect and esteem for one another. In the book, Little Chief rescues a white boy from torture and beating by his father because of a dream he had of finding a wounded white bear. Little Chief is surrounded by Lakota family who carefully teach him the sacred way to honor his dream with his life. He follows his dream even though it finally costs him his life at the hands of the Others, leaving behind his new wife and little daughter. "Washaka the Bear Dreamer" is a visionary work whose heart is the lesson of compassion. There is not a single flaw or false start in this book. It makes me very proud to be a part of the audience who will appreciate "Washaka the Bear Dreamer" by Jamie Lee.		ForeWord Magazine July/Aug 2006 The passing on of stories has for centuries been of seminal importance to North American Native tribes, whether creation stories, humorous narratives with moral lessons, supernatural stories, historical legends, or prophetic tales. Today, in order to counter the gradual drifting away of young indigenous peoples to urban areas far from their ancestors, there is a growing movement among Native peoples to record and preserve these stories before they disappear; and to instill a love and respect for these stories in the young, so they will carry these crucial fragments of cultural identity on into the future. With this captivating tale (based on a recurring dream experienced by Leon Hale, a member of the Lakota people), the author is making an enormous contribution to that effort. Lee grew up on the Leech Lake Reservation, and is now a creative writing teacher in Rapid City, South Dakota, near the Black Hills. Hale saw the author in a restaurant with her laptop, found out that she was a writer, and asked if she would write down his dream. He had no way of knowing that he had chosen the perfect person for his endeavor. Lee and her husband have collaborated on Native programs for public radio, including a fifty-two-week series titled Oyate Ta Olowan, which features the songs of more than fifty Native American tribes. They also have operated youth camps on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and together they want to give “native people their own voice in the modern world.” Lee captured Hale’s dream and transformed it into this mesmerizing and enlightening tale of Little Chief, a young Lakota boy in the early 1800s, and his recurring dream of a white bear tied to a tree, struggling to get free. His grandfather tells him that in the future he will see something that will be similar to this dream, and that he must then act on it. Years later, the bear reappears as a white youth, tied to a tree by his abusive father merely for being less clever and strong than his twin brother. Little Chief rescues him and brings home to his village, where he is called Mato Ska (“White Bear”), and treated as family. The author’s website, www.manykites.com, contains a wealth of information about current Native cultural programs, and includes a video of Leon Hale explaining his dream, which tells a story that he hopes grandmothers and grandfathers will tell to their grandchildren. This book will enable that wish to become a reality; at the same time, it offers an intimate glimpse into Native traditions, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in Native histories or storytelling traditions. Deborah Donovan

Reviews of Washaka--The Bear Dreamer

Midwest Book Review
August 2006

"Washaka the Bear Dreamer: A Lakota Story Based On Leon Hale's Dream" is an engrossing new Lakota story based on a recurring series of dreams experienced by Leon Hale. He enlisted the help of Oglala Lakota College teacher Jamie Lee to commit the story of his dreams to novel form. The effort is so successful the reader cannot put the book down.

The effort of communicating and sharing the story also helped Leon Hale to recover from life-threatening health crises. This is a beautiful story of of cross cultural friendship and the necessity of the races learning to get along. It contains a heartfelt record of a collision of cultural values and the failure engendered even between dominant culture members by a loss of respect and esteem for one another. In the book, Little Chief rescues a white boy from torture and beating by his father because of a dream he had of finding a wounded white bear. Little Chief is surrounded by Lakota family who carefully teach him the sacred way to honor his dream with his life. He follows his dream even though it finally costs him his life at the hands of the Others, leaving behind his new wife and little daughter.

"Washaka the Bear Dreamer" is a visionary work whose heart is the lesson of compassion. There is not a single flaw or false start in this book. It makes me very proud to be a part of the audience who will appreciate "Washaka the Bear Dreamer" by Jamie Lee.

ForeWord Magazine
July/Aug 2006

The passing on of stories has for centuries been of seminal importance to North American Native tribes, whether creation stories, humorous narratives with moral lessons, supernatural stories, historical legends, or prophetic tales. Today, in order to counter the gradual drifting away of young indigenous peoples to urban areas far from their ancestors, there is a growing movement among Native peoples to record and preserve these stories before they disappear; and to instill a love and respect for these stories in the young, so they will carry these crucial fragments of cultural identity on into the future.

With this captivating tale (based on a recurring dream experienced by Leon Hale, a member of the Lakota people), the author is making an enormous contribution to that effort. Lee grew up on the Leech Lake Reservation, and is now a creative writing teacher in Rapid City, South Dakota, near the Black Hills. Hale saw the author in a restaurant with her laptop, found out that she was a writer, and asked if she would write down his dream.

He had no way of knowing that he had chosen the perfect person for his endeavor. Lee and her husband have collaborated on Native programs for public radio, including a fifty-two-week series titled Oyate Ta Olowan, which features the songs of more than fifty Native American tribes. They also have operated youth camps on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and together they want to give “native people their own voice in the modern world.”

Lee captured Hale’s dream and transformed it into this mesmerizing and enlightening tale of Little Chief, a young Lakota boy in the early 1800s, and his recurring dream of a white bear tied to a tree, struggling to get free. His grandfather tells him that in the future he will see something that will be similar to this dream, and that he must then act on it. Years later, the bear reappears as a white youth, tied to a tree by his abusive father merely for being less clever and strong than his twin brother. Little Chief rescues him and brings home to his village, where he is called Mato Ska (“White Bear”), and treated as family.

The author’s website, www.manykites.com, contains a wealth of information about current Native cultural programs, and includes a video of Leon Hale explaining his dream, which tells a story that he hopes grandmothers and grandfathers will tell to their grandchildren. This book will enable that wish to become a reality; at the same time, it offers an intimate glimpse into Native traditions, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in Native histories or storytelling traditions.
Deborah Donovan