Richard Moves Camp’s book on his family’s history has the potential to be a classic in Plains Indian studies, but it is hamstrung by a multitude of issues, some of which could be resolved in a subsequent edition. Moves Camp’s family is important to Lakota religious studies, because he is a descendant of Horn Chips, who was a contemporary of Crazy Horse and a prominent Yuwipiman who is well documented in the ethnographic record during the early reservation period. In fact, it is arguable that most Oglala Sioux Yuwipimen can trace their altars and teachings back to Horn Chips. This book fills in gaps in the history of Horn Chip’s family, shares personal stories not found elsewhere, and in some ways (for better or worse) brings the published documentation of Lakota philosophical thought well into the twenty-first century. Unfortunately, this book is riddled with new-age religious concepts that have crept into Lakota belief over the last fifteen to twenty years, and the editor makes no effort to point out problematic passages or to fact-check complete untruths.
Richard Moves Camp is not only a contemporary Lakota Medicine Man, he is also a counselor working on youth and social issues relevant to reservation life. Moves Camp, throughout the book, is sincere and passionate about encouraging young people to cherish their lives and find inspiration in themselves, their culture, and their ancestors, in order to avoid the pitfalls of alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicide. This message is the strongest theme in the book, and readers will be moved by the magnitude of Moves Camp’s efforts as they imagine the difficult situations he has been in as a spiritual advisor to his community of Wanblee, South Dakota.
Although the editor, Simon Joseph, states in a prologue that this book is not a traditional “as told to” account, that is essentially what the text is. However, unlike the well-structured and polished work of Thomas Mails or Richard Erdos, who worked with Frank Fools Crow and Leonard Crow Dog, respectively, Joseph views himself only as a recorder. Unfortunately, he does not provide footnotes or endnote material that could clarify Moves Camp’s narrative.
This book regularly breaks continuity with much of the twentieth-century scholarship on Sioux religion. Those who are familiar with the James Walker material, with Charles Eastman’s accounts of Sioux religious life, with Francis Densmore’s Teton Sioux Music, with Joseph Epes Brown’s work with Black Elk, or with any of the works of Bucko, Lewis, Parks, or DeMallie, will immediately see red flags in Moves Camp’s narrative. As an example, Moves Camp states that his great grandfather Chips worked with “grey hair” spirits that come from one of eight other planets which are inhabited by beings who travel to earth as servants of god to be friends with humans. Moves Camp describes these beings as compassionless and emotionless beings whose only desire is to be friends with humans and serve god. There is nothing like this in any ethnographic account of Sioux religion going back to the 1640s. The closest corollary would be Black Elk’s vision where he sees six white haired grandfathers representing six previous generations of Lakota.
In regard to the Ghost Dance, Moves Camp writes that it was originally a Lakota ceremony to visit relatives who had died, or potentially to visit with relatives from the future. He also states that the Lakota did not traditionally have a concept for death, but instead that they believed in travel to another world. Such statements are completely out of line with well documented interviews with Oglala Holy Men, like Finger or George Sword, in the 1890s. It seems irresponsible for Moves Camp and Joseph to not caveat these statements or provide context.
Throughout the text there are many factual inaccuracies that are never challenged or set straight by the editor. At one point, Moves Camp states that the US Army never killed any Lakota warriors, and that instead they only killed women and children. He also states that the identity of Lakota warriors was never known, as it was a secret. At another point, Moves Camp tells a story about one of his relatives being responsible for the modern powwow because he traded a pet bear to an Indian Agent, who then sent a train load of beads, feathers, bells, and other regalia items to the reservation so the Lakota could have dances. In reality, the powwow is born out of the wild west show phenomenon. The absurdity of such statements undermines the passion and sincerity of Moves Camp, and makes the reader question the entire narrative. This is easily the greatest issue with this text.
Juxtaposed with the new-age beliefs, contradictory statements, and factual inaccuracies are truly brilliant moments of insight into the lives of Sioux Holy Men. Moves Camp opens up more about how he interacts with spirits than any other Yuwipi man I have encountered in twenty years of fieldwork. There is also a reassuring sense of continuity among all the examples of cultural change. For instance, Moves Camp relates a story about a historical man who married a buffalo; the story is a version of a well-known Plains Indian myth. Similarly, several of his stories, although they no doubt happened to his relatives, appear to be allegorical as they are well documented mythemes in the ethnographic record. Moves Camp and Joseph have also done a good job capturing the oratory style of a contemporary medicine man, something which has not been done effectively in perhaps fifty years.
The bottom line with My Grandfather’s Altar, like most things in culture, is that the reader must tread cautiously. The book would greatly benefit from careful annotations from an editor willing to challenge the author. At the very least, readers should be aware that this book is not representative of Lakota or Sioux traditional religious belief as a whole, but rather is the point of view of one influential and respected family on Pine Ridge.
[Review Length: 993 words • Review posted on November 14, 2025]