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  Studies in Comparative Religion
The First English Journal on Traditional Studies - established 1963
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Joseph Epes Brown
The late Joseph Epes Brown was a professor of Religious Studies at the University of Montana. A renowned author in the fields of American Indian traditions and World Religions, Brown was one of the founders of Native American Studies and was largely responsible for bringing the study of these religious traditions into American higher education. His publications include The Sacred Pipe (1953), his famous recounting of the sacred rites of the Oglala Sioux, Animals of the Soul (1992), The Spiritual Legacy of the American Indian (1982) and Teaching Spirits (2001).

Brown received his undergraduate degree at Haverford College, an M.A. from Stanford University and the Ph.D. in Anthropology and History of Religions from the University of Stockholm. His vital interest in the traditional beliefs and values of the American Indian led him to the old Sioux Black Elk, with whom he lived for a year while recording the account of the seven rites of the Oglala Sioux. Black Elk himself requested that the book The Sacred Pipe be written so that the sacred beliefs of his people could be preserved and better understood by both Indians and non-Indians.
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  Articles

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Type TitleAuthor/
Reviewed Author*
Author 2/
Reviewer
IssueReligion
Article
This article considers the ways in which seemingly unrelated animals and ideas are connected in the views and magic of the Oglala Sioux. Their attention to such things as whirlwind, cocoons and bison factor into their use of magic and protective powers by the association understood to be between them. Just as the cocoon is a protective covering for the caterpillar as it is gradually receiving the power of wind and flight, so the Oglala use the power of whirlwind to inflict confusion on their enemies for the sake of obtaining victory. Joseph Epes Brown examines the symbolism of several animals, such as the elk and spider, and includes some illustrations taken from traditional Oglala drawings. He concludes with the observation that the linking of everyday creatures and phenomena with supernatural realities account for the strong sense of the sacred that is a central characteristic of traditional Indian lifeways.
The Unlikely Associates: A Study in Oglala Sioux Magic and MetaphysicBrown, Joseph Epes Vol. 15, No. 1 and 2. ( Winter-Spring, 1983) American Indian
Article
The Spiritual Legacy of the American IndianBrown, Joseph Epes Vol. 14, No. 1 and 2. ( Winter-Spring, 1980) American Indian
Article
This article considers the ways in which seemingly unrelated animals and ideas are connected in the views and magic of the Oglala Sioux. Their attention to such things as whirlwind, cocoons and bison factor into their use of magic and protective powers by the association understood to be between them. Just as the cocoon is a protective covering for the caterpillar as it is gradually receiving the power of wind and flight, so the Oglala use the power of whirlwind to inflict confusion on their enemies for the sake of obtaining victory. Joseph Epes Brown examines the symbolism of several animals, such as the elk and spider, and includes some illustrations taken from traditional Oglala drawings. He concludes with the observation that the linking of everyday creatures and phenomena with supernatural realities account for the strong sense of the sacred that is a central characteristic of traditional Indian lifeways.
The Unlikely Associates: A STUDY IN OGLALA SIOUX MAGIC AND METAPHYSICBrown, Joseph Epes Vol. 4, No. 3. ( Summer, 1970) American Indian
Article
Brown’s article deals with three main points. First, the essential values of the Plains Indians and the “universal quality of the underlying values” which “constitute for these original Americans a valid dialect of what has been called the Religio Perennis.” Secondly, the question of whether it is possible with the constant assault of the modern world, for this way of cultural and spiritual life to continue? Thirdly, the author’s contemporary assessment of the situation of the wellbeing of the North American Plains Indian spiritual life.
The Persistence of Essential Values among North American Plains IndiansBrown, Joseph Epes Vol. 3, No. 4. ( Autumn, 1969) American Indian
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