Lakota Woman

Lakota Woman

by

Mary Crow Dog

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Lakota Woman makes teaching easy.

Old Grandpa Fool Bull Character Analysis

Old Grandpa Fool Bull was one of Mary’s relatives. Before he died, Mary went to him to learn Lakota cultural traditions. He was a traditionalist; in fact, he was the last Lakota who knew how to make the tribe’s “old-style flutes.” He also lived through the Wounded Knee Massacre, one of the U.S.’s infamous acts of violence against Native Americans (he was nearby and heard the rifle fire). Old Grandpa Fool Bull brought Mary to her first peyote meeting when she was young; unlike Mary’s grandmother and mother, he believed in the importance of maintaining Lakota traditions.
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Old Grandpa Fool Bull Character Timeline in Lakota Woman

The timeline below shows where the character Old Grandpa Fool Bull appears in Lakota Woman. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: A Woman from He-Dog
Assimilation, Tradition, and Identity Theme Icon
...side of her family, Mary is related to the Brave Birds and Fool Bulls, including Old Grandpa Fool Bull , who was the last maker of a kind of traditional flute. He lived 100... (full context)
Chapter 2: Invisible Fathers
Assimilation, Tradition, and Identity Theme Icon
Racism and Sexism Theme Icon
...Bill left Mary’s mother shortly after she got pregnant with Mary. Neither Mary’s mother nor Mary’s grandfather (Bill’s father) told Mary anything about Bill, except that he drank a lot. When Mary... (full context)
Assimilation, Tradition, and Identity Theme Icon
Racism and Sexism Theme Icon
...identity, she would have to seek help from other elders. She went to her great-uncle Dick Fool Bull , who took her to her first peyote meeting, and her grandmother’s niece, Elsie Flood.... (full context)
Chapter 7: Crying for a Dream
Activism and Resistance Theme Icon
Assimilation, Tradition, and Identity Theme Icon
Unity, Inclusion, and Equality Theme Icon
...Mary’s Catholic mother regretted Mary’s desire to drop the Christian faith, Mary went to her Grandpa Dick Fool Bull , an old man who practiced traditional Lakota rituals. He was the one who took... (full context)