"This book should appeal to the casual reader who would like a closer look at Native American literature from the Southern Plains, to academics interested in the stories and cultures of the Native American nations of the Southern Plains, and to linguists interested in the nuances of translation by native speakers."—Geneva Harline, Western Folklore
"A diverse collection of texts from each linguistic family of the Native American Southern Plains, When Dream Bear Sings evokes a singular editorial freedom, and in juxtaposing texts crafted in different eras, for different purposes, and by authors of diverse sensitivities, interrogates a paradoxical literary tradition—that of the documentation and revitalization of Native American oral traditions—on its evolution, its promises, and its shortcomings."—Thierry Veyria, Journal of Folklore Research
"Those who are interested in Southern Plains culture will want this book for its authentic presentation of Native languages, its broad and deep survey of texts, and the knowledgeable essays that accompany them."—Marcia Haag, Tribal College Journal
“The vital importance of When Dream Bear Sings cannot be expressed strongly enough. The editor offers the reader multiple, reflective levels of understanding the stories and Native ways of thinking about the world around us.”—Blue Clark, professor of law at Oklahoma City University and author of Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock: Treaty Rights and Indian Law at the End of the Nineteenth Century
“To my knowledge, this is the most comprehensive collection of oral literature of the Plains that has ever been produced. I especially appreciate the diversity of tribal perspectives rendered here and the way that the text accounts for the intricacies, including problems and possibilities, of transcription.”—Lindsey Claire Smith, associate professor of English and affiliate of American Indian studies at Oklahoma State University and editor of American Indian Quarterly
“I celebrate the achievement of When Dream Bear Sings, which offers not only rich translations of extremely valuable literary traditions but also a deeper understanding of the cross-cultural translation process itself. This work and the voices that echo from its pages advance humanist aims in science for a scholarship grounded in human dignity.”—Catharine Mason, associate professor of English and linguistic ethnography at the University of Caen Normandy
“In this wonderful collection of Native American stories from the Southern Plains, Gus Palmer and his host of contributors treat the reader to Indigenous language narratives that allow us, as readers, to hear a variety of Native voices while reading well-crafted translations that deliver the power, beauty, and imagination of the originals.”—Paul V. Kroskrity, professor of anthropology and American Indian studies at UCLA
