Alfreda Beartrack-Algeo, a storyteller and poet, artist and illustrator, is a member of the Lower Brule Lakota Nation, Kul Wicasa Oyate, in Lower Brule, South Dakota, where she grew up. The Day the Earth Rose Up is the story of when seven Lakota sisters venture deep into the forest to gather chokecherries, and they are surprised and chased by Mato Sica, a giant bear known to eat people. The sisters run and climb up a short rock ledge and pray for help. The ground trembles and gives a sudden jolt, and they find themselves on top of a tall earth tower. A great giant eagle comes to their rescue and carries the seven sisters up to the Star Nation, where they are welcomed home and become the Wicincala Sakowin, also known as the Seven Sisters or Pleiades star formation.