Power and Place - Summary

Power and Place, by Vine Deloria, Jr. and Daniel R. Wildcat, Copyright 2001 published through Fulcrum Resources, is a book on Native American Indian education and the issues facing Native American students in the American school system. This collection of sixteen essays discusses problems in western civilization’s attempt to educate the indigenous people, Wildcat's term for Native Americans.

Wildcat declares “The Native American still does not fit comfortably or conveniently into western civilization.” He says this is not something that the indigenous people should regret. Each essay is a dialog that begins with explaining the current situation, the western ways, and how indigenous ways could be used to respond to the problems.

An example is in the essay of “Understanding the Crisis,” Wildcat points out how scientists want to solve the energy crisis with technology. He declares that this crisis cannot be solved by technology alone, but through the philosophy of how we live. This formula is repeated as Delora and Wildcat have an essay-by-essay dialog about the system, how it works, and how it could or should work.