The Oprah Magazine

and their languages

Off the reserve and trying to find ways to live and love in the big city

green chile and turkey posole

Cochrane uses a variety of sources: Ojibwe oral narratives

Muskrat and Skunk: A Lakota Drum Story Tohono O'odham The Oprah MagazineEnglish alongside Lakota translation by Agnes Gay. Perfect Reading for Ages Five and Up. Animals stop and listen. A new sound is in the forest. The beat vibrates through the trees and across the meadows. What is it? Where is it coming from? Muskrat and Skunk thump on a hollow log BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Birds begin to dance. Buffalo and Antelope join in. There is a rustle in the bushes; a large shape emerges. The animals scatter. Muskrat and Skunk drum on.