American Indian Stories

The narrator describes her grandfather, who was a Dakota medicine man who worked as a liaison between the Great Sioux Nation and the US government. He was one of the first American Indians to work with the government to improve relations. When he arrived in Washington, DC, to work on a treaty, he died suddenly.

The narrator follows in her grandfather’s footsteps, working with the US government on behalf of American Indians. One night, she has a dream that her grandfather gave her a cedar chest as a gift. She is excited to see what the chest holds because she fondly recalls her grandfather’s medicine bags and other relics. She opens the chest and is surprised to discover that it contains only a vision “of an Indian camp, not painted on canvas nor yet written” but made of “dream-stuff” (90).

The narrator is then amazed to hear a voice coming from the box, singing in Dakota. The voice sings a song that advises her to lift her spirits. The story ends with the narrator feeling elated and full of hope for the Dakota people.