The Last Lakota Warrior and Other Montana Short Stories

In the shadow of the Crazy Mountains and the dusty streets of a northern Montana reservation town, eleven unforgettable stories capture the spirit of the American West as it really is; funny, flawed, and fiercely alive.

A dying Lakota veteran paints his face yellow, robs a bank with a plastic tomahawk, and plans one final buffalo hunt. An old Crow grandfather and his grandson “borrow” water from their neighbor at midnight and turn a tense standoff into laughter. A young camp tender survives a grizzly attack and a Basque sheepherder who sings Beach Boys songs to the flock.

With the sharp eye of a man who has split enough firewood to last a lifetime, Clarence M. Haugan weaves fiction from the real voices of veterans, sheepherders, and Native elders. His stories honor the old ways while laughing at the new—where a Purple Heart dangles from a boy’s neck and a scaffold burial becomes the ultimate act of defiance.

Raw, tender, and laced with dry Montana humor, The Last Lakota Warrior and Other Montana Short Stories is a love letter to the high plains and the people who refuse to be forgotten. Perfect for fans of Louise Erdrich, Jim Harrison, and Annie Proulx.