Completing the Circle Completing the Circle

Sneve, author of stories for children about Native American culture (High Elk's Treasure), here details her family history. Descended from three branches of Sioux (the Santee, Teton and Yankton), Sneve consulted archival records and published sources to supplement the oral histories and legends that had been passed down to her by her grandmothers, whom Sneve remembers as religious, hardworking and loving individuals. They were devout Christians as a result of missionary work among Native Americans, and both women gave Sneve a respect for her Sioux cultural heritage. Her paternal grandmother, Flora Driving Hawk, was an expert quilter; Sneve's memories of her grandmother's stitching inspired her to fashion quilts of her own. Sneve also describes the suffering imposed on her great-grandmothers and grandmothers by the U.S. government when they were forced into reservation life. Of greatest interest to historians. Photos. (May)