Wedding Clothes and the Osage Community: A Giving Heritage (Material Vernaculars)

Wedding Clothes and the Osage Community: A Giving Heritage explores how gift exchange, motivated by the values of generosity and hospitality, serves as a critical component in the preservation and perpetuation of Osage society. Authors, Daniel C. Swan and Jim Cooley collaborate with members of the Osage Nation to discuss this foundational cultural practice over two centuries and in multiple social contexts. 
 The book begins with an in-depth examination of the Mízhin form of marriage, which bound two extended Osage families together for economic, biologic, and social reasons intended to produce value and community cohesion for the larger society. Swan and Cooley then follow the movement of Osage bridal regalia from the Mízhin from of marriage into the "Paying for the Drum" ceremony of the Osage Ilonshka―a variant of the Plains Grass Dance, which is a nativistic movement that spread throughout the Plains and Prairie regions of the United States in the 1890s. The Ilonshka dance and its associated organization provide a spiritual charter for the survival of the ancient Osage physical divisions, or "districts" as they are called today. Swan and Cooley demonstrate how the process of re-chartering elements of material culture and their associated meanings from one ceremony to another serves as an example of the ways in which the Osage people have adapted their cultural values to changing economic and political conditions. At the core of this historical trajectory is a broad system of Osage social relations predicated on status, reciprocity, and cooperation. Through Osage weddings and the Ilonshka dance the Osage people reinforce and strengthen the social relations that provide a foundation for their respective communities.

History

Swan, Daniel C.

Cooley, Jim

Americas

Indiana University Press

Over one million young men and women play high school football in the United States each year. Many of these athletes will be diagnosed with a concussion. Others may suffer from a concussion but are not aware or do not report it. The story of Cody Lehe is a cautionary tale of the dangers of playing with concussive symptoms. Written from the perspective of his physical therapist, The Impact of Cody Lehe examines Cody's injury in an Indiana high school football game. Following only minor contact in practice four days later, a cascade of chemical events inside Cody's brain altered Cody's life forever. This insightful story offers a look into the sacrifices that Cody's family has made to help him adapt to his new life, after injury. It also displays Cody's determination and sense of humor as he struggles to stand, transfer, walk, and especially carve out a new identity for himself. Cody's story is inspiring and educational. The goal of this story and of the Lehe family is to raise concussion awareness so that athletes can continue to safely play the sports that Cody loves. Cody's warning to every young athlete is: "If you ever have a headache (or other symptom) in a game (or practice), sit out, Bub, right now, or you are going to regret it" Net Proceeds from the sale of this book will help fund concussion education and research in honor of Cody Lehe. Cover Graphics Credit Christine Dahlenburg of Christine's Photography, Reynolds, Indiana

The Impact of Cody Lehe

Sports & Outdoors

InspiringVoices

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Books by Cooley, Jim