Ed McGaa is a member of the Oglala Lakota

Oglala Lakota

The Oglala Lakota or Oglala Sioux are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people; along with the Nakota and Dakota, they make up the Great Sioux Nation. A majority of the Oglala live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the eighth-largest Native American reservation in the...

, and American author.

Life

He received his Bachelor's degree from St. John's University, earned a law degree from the University of South Dakota

University of South Dakota

The University of South Dakota ', the state’s oldest university, was founded in 1862 and classes began in 1882. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, USD is home to South Dakota's only medical school and law school. USD is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, and its current...

, and has studied under Chief Eagle Feather and Chief Fool's Crow, Sioux holy men. He participated six times in the Sun Dance ceremony.

He served in the Marines in Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

. He served as a fighter pilot in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, flying 110 combat missions, receiving 8 air medals and 2 Crosses of Gallantry, and was recommended for a Distinguished Flying Cross.

Works

• Reminiscences of Lorraine Three Legs, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, 1969. Oral History
• Red Cloud, Minneapolis: Dillon Press, 1971. ISBN 0875180418
• Mother Earth Spirituality : native American paths to healing ourselves and our world, San Francisco : Harper & Row, 1990. ISBN 0062505963
• Rainbow Tribe: ordinary people journeying on the red road, San Francisco: Harper, 1992. ISBN 0062506110
• Eagle Vision: Return of the Hoop, Minneapolis, MN : Four Directions Publishing, 1998. ISBN 0964517361