Kent Nerburn, the author of this year’s Reading in Common book, The Wolf at Twilight, spoke at Gustavus Adolphus College on Tuesday, Sept. 13. Nerburn was joined by the Native American father and son tandem of Raymond and Martin Sensmeier, who shared their experiences and insight as members of the Tlingit Tribe of Yakatut, Alaska.
You can now view that event in its entiretly online on either the Gustavus Reading in Common website or YouTube.
Nerburn is the author of 12 books on spirituality and Native themes, including Chief Joseph and the Flight of the Nez Perce, Simple Truths, and The Wisdom of the Native Americans. He was born and raised near Minneapolis, but now resides in Northern Minnesota.
The Wolf at Twilight is a follow-up of sorts to Nerburn’s nationally acclaimed book Neither Wolf Nor Dog, which was published in 1994. The Wolf at Twilight is a fictionalized account of actual events as the author rekindles a friendship with a Lakota elder named Dan. The story reveals the Native American way of teaching and learning and also unmasks the dynamically complicated relationship between a white American and a Dakota Indian. Nerburn also uncovers a common occurrence in the late 19th and early 20th century when many Indian children were taken from their families and sent away to boarding schools where teachers forced them to abandon their tribal traditions and learn English.
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