On February 1, 2012, American Indian studies professor David Mathieu received the call that is every parent’s worst nightmare. Mathieu's beloved daughter, Felicity, had suddenly died when her car collided with a semi-truck on an icy, two-lane highway in rural southern Minnesota. She was only 27 years old.

Like anyone who has lost a loved one like this, Mathieu struggled mightily with grief. He wrestled with questions such as:

“Should we have done something different that would have avoided this accident? Who was at fault? Why did she choose to live in a rural area with dangerous roads? How could this happen? Was she or are we being punished? What was the role of God in this tragedy?”

In the aftermath of this horrific event, Mathieu's long-time study of Lakota spirituality—particularly conversations at the Cherokee River Reservation in South Dakota with medicine men Sidney Keith and Martin High Bear—took on new significance.

A central facet of Lakota spirituality is the concept of Wakan, translated as “mystery.” In his book, Way of Wakan: Reflections on Lakota Spirituality and........

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