To read the term of use for this site, hover over Menu until the tab appears and click. Soje Publishing is an imprint of author Anna Lee Walters, a member of the Pawnee and Otoe-Missouria people of Oklahoma.
The "Soje" Story
Welcome from Anna! I write most of the content here, unless another writer is identified. Soje Publishing spotlights Native writers and artists living in tribal communities today and their lived experiences as tribal/indigenous people. Everyone featured here retains all rights to their own works, so please apply Fair Use law when accessing their materials. Soje (pronounced So-jay) in the Otoe-Missouria language means smoke, which has several connotations for Native American people. ​
Looking back...
From The Sacred: Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life by P.V. Beck, et al 8, Navajo Community College Press, 1977
Most Native Americans share the follow six concepts:
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A belief in or knowledge of unseen powers or what some people call the Great Mystery
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Knowledge that all things in the universe are dependent on each other.
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Personal worship reinforces the bond between the individual, community, and the great powers. Worship is a personal commitment to the sources of life.
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Sacred traditions and persons knowledgeable in sacred traditions are responsible for teaching morals and ethics.
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Most communities and tribes have trained practitioners who have been given names such as medicine men, priests, shamans, caciques, and other names. These individuals also have titles given them by The People which differ from tribe to tribe. These individuals are responsible for specialized, perhaps secret knowledge. They help pass knowledge and sacred practices from generation to generation, storing what they know in memories.
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A belief that humor is a necessary part of the sacred. And a belief that human beings are often weak—we are not gods—and our weakness leads us to do foolish things; therefore clowns and similar figures are needed to show us how we act and why.
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Looking Ahead...
From Vows, a Novel
"If not for stories... If not for love... "(page 235)
"Lineages..." (page 236)
"Shining streams..." (page 237)
"Life flows, turns..." (page 237)
"Forces drawing us together..." (page 238)
"Surprise..." (page 239)
"Mothers and sons..." (page 241)
"Something's been shaken...Turned upside down... "(page 242)
"Family..." (page 243)
"Persistence..." (page 243)
"There's a stream... An unstoppable flow..." (page 244)
"Deep soft living space... Bright whirling stars..." (page 244)
"Stories... Everywhere..." (page 245)
"Now this..." (page 245)
"Clear vision... Restraint..." (page 246)
"Laws of earth and sky..." (page 246)
"Beloved teachers..." (page 246)
"Serenity..." (page 247)
"Where does it go? What does it become? " (page 247)
"Man's behavior... Natural laws... Self control... (page 247)
"Yes, it's all one... Seamless... " (page 247)
"Sacred ground... "(page 248)
"Ah! I see... Life's deep..." (page 249)
"Sanctuary..." (page 249)
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From A Remembrance of the Earth - Maya Suje Mi
"I tell of the Earth - Maya Suje Mi and how she was razed and remade so all of us, Wansige Ninge, will pass this remembrance on in future time... (page 1)
It is a love story about us, .. ,and the great mother to all and how we emerged from ancestor dreams." (page 2)
Now...
Quote from Wolfkiller
"It is ourselves that we must control."
​(As told and recorded by Louisa Wetherill, page 40, published by Gibbs Smith, 2007.)​
Quote​ from Hatathli Johnson Dennison, 2017
"The mind doesn't care what it thinks. It has to be trained."​
Video and Book Shelf
New Video Coming Soon.
The story goes on.
My relatives, what's YOUR story?
Citation Information (Add date accessed):
APA, Seventh Edition, Website Native American Literature/Soje Publishing. (n.d.-b). Soje Publishing: https://www.sojepublishing.com/
MLA, 8, Website Walters, Anna L. “Native American Literature.” Soje Publishing, www.sojepublishing.com
Note: This site is being updated. Other pages will change in the next few days. Thanks for your patience.I