This book is essential in the library of all Native Americans and Non-Native Americans alike. Forget the old stereotypes, this work based on the intense research of Francis LaFlesche, an anthropologist and Native himself, blows all pre-conceived notions of Native thought and society. The intense and complex cosmological musings harken back to the Greek philosophers and Eastern Taoism and Confucianism. Finally something that truly shows the complexity and diversity of the original peoples of this continent.

This dictionary was compiled by the Omaha Francis LaFlesche, a BAE ethnographer and student of Osage ritual texts. It was published postumously. The orthography is influenced by Omaha-Ponca phonetics (b d ds g bth gth for p t ts k br l, i ~ u ~ iu for u, etc.) and by LaFlesche's Omaha orthography, which uses c-cedilla for s and z (theta in LaFlesche's Omaha dialect), x for the voiced and voiceless velar fricatives, o for all back nasal vowels, etc. In addition, the verb paradigms are mostly after the Omaha-Ponca pattern, which is especially noticeable with th-stems. The definitions are written in an elevated style with old-fashioned usages that sometimes confuse modern readers. There are some typographical errors, and verb paradigms are sometimes mixed. However, the headwords, if adjusted in spelling, are good, somewhat archaic Osage, and overall this work is an impressive feat of scholarship. Check both the Osage and English sides, as they are not always equivalent. An essential reference on Osage (and Omaha-Ponca!), and one of the best dictionaries of a Siouan language, praise in no way muted by there being so few!

Alice Fletcher was a woman of many interests and talents. As one of the first woman anthropologists in the U.S., she spent many years working with, studying and advocating for Native American tribes. This book is an interesting study of her life and the times in which she lived. A really interesting read.