Dances with Wolves, a novel by Michael Blake (1945 – 2015) is a fast-moving story of bravery in the face of abandonment of one’s own culture. Most of the story takes place in the Black Hills of South Dakota, 1863.

Lieutenant John Dunbar is ordered to Fort Sedgewick in South Dakota. Much to his amazement, when he arrives he finds the Fort abandoned. The place is a mess with scattered garbage, piles of human waste, collapsing buildings, and no sign of humans, soldiers or otherwise. He has his powerful buckskin horse, but otherwise no living beings seem to exist. But then a wolf comes sniffing around and the two, Dunbar and the wolf, form a sort of friendship, albeit from a distance.

Dunbar cleans up the fort, thinking that soon it will again be an occupied, working fort. But days pass, then weeks, and no one comes. Dunbar begins to explore the surrounding territory. He loves the prairie and watching the buffalo grass sway in the breeze, alive as the ocean. In the distance he sees a thin trail of smoke, follows the origin of the smoke and finds a Comanche camp. The people seem as curious about him and he is about them. He notices a young woman who looks different from the others, a woman with red hair who is called Stands With A Fist. He learns that she is recently widowed and still mourns the loss of her husband. Stands With A Fist is the foster daughter of a prominent tribal medicine man, Kicking Bird.

Communication between the Lieutenant and his new acquaintances is difficult, but perhaps Stands With A Fist will remember enough of her childhood English language to bridge the gap. Much to Dunbar’s surprise, he has much respect and admiration for his new friends and their way of life. He learns how important buffalo is to them, how buffalo are considered the life of the prairie, and how much of Comanche life is centered around these amazing animals. He sees for himself how industrious the Comanches are, how they make themselves a part of nature. But what of his dedication to his profession as a U.S. Army officer?

I loved this book. I have seen the Oscar-winning movie, Dances with Wolves, and found the two very similar. Having seen the movie first gave me the advantage of picturing the various characters. The novel does a remarkable job showing Native culture and the surrounding landscape. Whether right or wrong, it also puts forth a negative view of the United States Army in that time period. Both the novel and the movie provide memorable entertainment.