Saga of the Sioux Read online

  NOVEMBER 6 Red Cloud signs the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) that recognizes Sioux ownership of the Powder River region, the Paha Sapa (Black Hills), and the surrounding areas.

  1874

  JULY 2 In a violation of the terms of the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868), Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer leads a gold-hunting expedition into the Paha Sapa and returns with the announcement that the Black Hills are filled with gold. Gold miners soon arrive by the hundreds.

  1875

  SEPTEMBER 20 A commission arrives at Camp Robinson, Nebraska, with orders to buy the Black Hills from the Sioux. About a week later, the commission leaves in failure.

  DECEMBER 3 Commissioner of Indian Affairs Edward P. Smith orders all nonreservation Indians to voluntarily report to agencies by January 31, 1876, or “military force would be sent to compel them.”

  1876

  JANUARY 31 Commissioner Smith’s deadline passes without any nonreservation Indians arriving. Because of heavy snow and severe winter weather, many bands did not receive the news by the deadline.

  FEBRUARY 7 Secretary of War William W. Belknap authorizes General Philip Sheridan to begin military operations against the “hostile Sioux.”

  MARCH 17 Troops under the command of Colonel Joseph J. Reynolds attack a mixed Cheyenne and Sioux camp on the Little Powder River. The camp is destroyed, but most Indians escape and join Crazy Horse in his camp.

  JUNE 17 The Battle of the Rosebud—known to the Indians as the Battle Where the Girl Saved Her Brother—is fought, ending in a Sioux and Cheyenne victory.

  JUNE 25 The Battle of Little Bighorn, the greatest victory by American Indians against the U.S. Army.

  OCTOBER 20 Colonel Nelson Miles meets with Sitting Bull to try to persuade Sitting Bull to surrender and live on a reservation. Sitting Bull refuses, and the Battle of Cedar Creek is fought the next day. In the spring of 1877 Sitting Bull takes his band up into Canada.

  1877

  JANUARY 8 Battle of Wolf Mountain. Crazy Horse and his warriors defeat a cavalry force led by Colonel Miles.

  APRIL 14 A large group of Sioux led by Chief Touch-the-Clouds surrenders to the U.S. Army.

  APRIL 27 Red Cloud meets Crazy Horse and persuades him to bring his followers to Camp Robinson and surrender.

  AUGUST 31 Angry that some of his warriors are joining the U.S. Army to help fight Nez Percé, Crazy Horse rejects the government offer of a reservation and plans to leave.

  SEPTEMBER 5 Crazy Horse is captured and killed by U.S. Army soldiers at Chief Spotted Tail’s reservation in Dakota Territory.

  OCTOBER 17 General Alfred Terry goes to Fort Walsh, Canada, to persuade Sitting Bull to return to the United States. The meeting ends in failure.

  1881

  JULY 19 After four years of exile in Canada, Sitting Bull and 186 remaining followers arrive at Fort Buford, Dakota Territory. Though promised a pardon if he returned, Sitting Bull is imprisoned at Fort Randall.

  AUGUST 5 Spotted Tail is killed by Crow Dog. Many Sioux believe it is a plot created by the U.S. government to split the Sioux leadership.

  1883

  MAY 18 The first in a series of three government commissions begins to investigate suspicious claims of new Sioux land purchases by a group of whites led by Reverend Samuel D. Hinman. The most important commission was led by Senator Henry L. Dawes. All discover that the group lied, and the sale is stopped.

  1889

  JULY 27 General George Crook and a commission arrive at the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in Dakota Territory and trick the Sioux into selling nine million acres of land to the government.

  1890

  OCTOBER 9 Kicking Bear, a Minneconjou, visits Sitting Bull and brings him word of the new Ghost Dance religion. So many Sioux become followers that the U.S. government becomes alarmed.

  NOVEMBER 20 The Office of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C., orders reservation agents to provide a list of names of Ghost Dance leaders. One of the names on the list is Sitting Bull.

  DECEMBER 12 Lieutenant Colonel William F. Drum receives orders to arrest Sitting Bull.

  DECEMBER 15 Sitting Bull is shot and killed by agency policemen when Ghost Dance followers try to prevent his arrest.

  DECEMBER 17 The War Department orders the arrest of Chief Big Foot of the Minneconjou, who is accused of being a Ghost Dance leader.

  DECEMBER 28 Big Foot and his followers are captured by a cavalry force led by Major Samuel Whitside. They are ordered to make camp near Wounded Knee Creek, Dakota Territory.

  DECEMBER 29 The Wounded Knee Massacre. Cavalry troops fire on the mostly unarmed Sioux. As many as 300 are killed. The massacre ends the influence of the Ghost Dance on the Sioux nation.

  1909

  DECEMBER 10 Red Cloud dies of natural causes.

  Glossary

  AGENCY. An administrative department within the U.S. government that provides goods and services to reservation Native Americans. Also refers to land set aside for their use. See reservation.

  ALLIANCE. An agreement between different groups that unites them for a common purpose.

  AMBUSH. A surprise attack by people who were hiding in a concealed position.

  ANNUITY. A sum of money paid once a year.

  APPROPRIATION. The setting aside or assigning of something, such as money, for specific purposes.

  ASSIMILATION. Integrating a smaller, usually ethnic, group into a larger one and causing it to lose its identity.

  BREASTWORKS. A protective barrier that is chest high.

  BUFFALO. This symbol of the American West is properly named the North American bison. It got the name buffalo because it reminded European explorers of African and Asian buffalo.

  CASUALTY. A person killed or wounded in battle.

  CAVALRY. Soldiers who fight on horseback.

  CESSION. A formal giving up of rights or property, usually through the signing of a treaty.

  COLUMN. In the military, a line of troops moving in the same direction.

  COMPLIANT. Willing to agree or to obey the rules of others.

  CONDUCT. The way a person acts or behaves.

  COULEE. A streambed or small ravine.

  DIPLOMACY. The act of dealing with people in a sensitive way in order to reach an agreement or avoid conflict.

  FORAGING. Searching for food in a large area.

  GUERRILLA. A person who takes part in irregular fighting, often through hit-and-run raids, rather than participating in an organized military campaign.

  HOWITZER. A short-barreled cannon that shoots shells in a high arc.

  INFANTRY. Soldiers who march and fight on foot.

  LANCE. A spear.

  MARAUDING. Making attacks for the purpose of stealing things, damaging property, or intimidating people.

  MILITIA. A force of civilians organized in an emergency to fight an enemy.

  MULATTO. A person of mixed white and black ancestry.

  MUTINY. An open rebellion against authorities.

  PARLEY. A meeting between two opposing groups in an attempt to reach a peaceful agreement.

  PEMMICAN. A concentrated, dried food consisting of lean meat and fat.

  PENITENTIARY. A prison.

  PROSPECTOR. A person who searches land for minerals, usually gold.

  RELINQUISHMENT. The releasing or letting go of something.

  RENDEZVOUS. To meet at a particular place and time.

  RESERVATION. Land set aside for the use of Native Americans. See agency.

  RICOCHET. To bounce one or more times off something; also something (like a bullet) that ricochets.

  STOCKADE. A wall formed by upright posts and designed for defense against attack.

  SUBJECTION. A state of being controlled or dominated through the use of force.

  TANGIBLE. Real, clearly seen, touched, or understood.

  TRAVOIS. A type of sled made of two poles and strapped to a horse or dog used by Plains Indians to carry possessions.

  The Sioux Calendar

  The
calendar used today by the United States and many other nations is the Gregorian calendar. It is named after Pope Gregory XIII and was started in 1582. Before that, many civilizations—including Native American peoples—used what was called a lunar calendar, based on the cycles of the moon. The names of the different months described the seasons or the growth and changes in plant and animal life at that time of year. Because the names of the months were based on what the tribes experienced, it was common for a month to have more than one name. This was particularly true with the Sioux, some of whom lived in forests while others lived in open prairie. Also, sometimes translators would interpret the name slightly differently, causing a change in a word or two of a month’s name. It’s also worth noting that the Native American calendars did not have any days in them, only months, and some months share the same name. Here, the names of the months in the Sioux calendar are presented in relation to the months of the Gregorian calendar.

  A Teton warrior performing a vision ceremony. [LOC, USZ62-99611]

  January

  Moon of Strong Cold

  Moon of Frost on the Tepees

  Moon When the Wolves Run Together

  February

  Moon of the Dark Red Calves

  Raccoon Moon

  March

  Moon of the Snowblind

  Moon When Buffalo Cows Drop Their Calves

  Sore Eye Moon

  April

  Geese Laying Moon

  Moon of the Red Grass Appearing

  Moon of the Greening Grass

  May

  Moon When the Ponies Shed

  June

  Strawberry Moon

  Moon of Making Fat

  Moon When the Grass Is Up

  July

  Moon of the Red Blooming Lilies

  Moon of the Red Cherries

  Moon When the Cherries Are Ripe

  August

  Moon When the Geese Shed Their Feathers

  Moon When the Cherries Turn Black

  Moon When the Chokecherries Are Ripe

  September

  Drying Grass Moon

  Moon When the Calves Grow Hair

  Moon When the Plums Are Scarlet

  October

  Moon of Falling Leaves

  Moon of Changing Seasons

  Drying Grass Moon

  November

  Deer Rutting Moon

  Moon of Falling Leaves

  December

  Moon of Popping Trees

  Moon When the Deer Shed Their Horns

  Moon When Buffalo Cow’s Fetus Is Getting Large

  Fort Snelling as seen from the opposite riverbank where the Minnesota River joins the Mississippi River. [LOC, D4-4685]

  Recommended Reading

  Ambrose, Stephen E. Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors. New York, NY: Anchor Books, 1996.

  Brown, Dee. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West. New York, NY: Holt Paperbacks, 2007.

  ———. The Fetterman Massacre. Lincoln, NE: Bison Books, 1970.

  Greene, Jerome A., editor. Lakota and Cheyenne: Indian Views of the Great Sioux War, 1876–1877. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1994.

  Hedren, Paul L. Traveler’s Guide to the Great Sioux War: The Battlefields, Forts, and Related Sites of America’s Greatest Indian War. Helena, MT: Montana Historical Society Press, 1996.

  McPherson, James M. Into the West: From Reconstruction to the Final Days of the American Frontier. New York, NY: Atheneum, 2006.

  Michno, Gregory F. Encyclopedia of Indian Wars: Western Battles and Skirmishes 1850–1890. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Publishing, 2003.

  Paul, R. Eli, editor. Autobiography of Red Cloud: War Leader of the Oglalas. Helena, MT: Montana Historical Society Press, 1997.

  Philbrick, Nathaniel. The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn. New York, NY: Viking, 2010.

  Sandoz, Mari. These Were the Sioux. Lincoln, NE: Bison Books, 1985.

  Stanley, George Edward. Sitting Bull: Great Sioux Hero. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing, 2010.

  Utley, Robert M. The Lance and the Shield: The Life and Times of Sitting Bull. New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 1994.

  Utley, Robert M., and Wilcomb E. Washburn. Indian Wars. New York, NY: Mariner Books, 2002.

  Suggested Websites

  Additional information about the Sioux, including how to speak their language, can be found on the following websites:

  Please note that some of the links referenced in this work are no longer active.

  AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT

  www.aimovement.org

  The official website of the American Indian Movement.

  CARLISLE INDIAN INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL HISTORY

  http://home.epix.net/~landis/histry.html

  A site that presents the history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and the Indian boarding school program.

  DAILY LIFE IN OLDEN TIMES: THE SIOUX NATION

  http://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/plains/Sioux.html

  A website designed for middle school students that covers every aspect of Sioux life and history.

  DAKOTA-LAKOTA SIOUX LANGUAGE

  www.native-languages.org/dakota.htm

  A home page with links to sites designed for middle school students and devoted to the Sioux language, culture, history, legends, and other facts.

  INTERNATIONAL INDIAN TREATY COUNCIL

  www.treatycouncil.org

  The official website of the International Indian Treaty Council. It is an extensive website that spotlights issues affecting Native peoples and the environment throughout the world.

  LAKHOTA.COM

  www.lakhota.com

  An educational site that provides online resources about Sioux culture, heritage, language, and history.

  NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE/TRIBES: THE GREAT SIOUX NATION

  www.snowwowl.com/peoplesioux.html

  A general history site about the Sioux and some of its famous chiefs and holy men, with links to other Native American sites.

  NCAI

  www.ncai.org

  The official website for the National Congress of American Indians. It contains information about the organization’s history and about modern issues affecting Native Americans.

  REPUBLIC OF LAKOTAH

  www.republicoflakotah.com

  The official website of the Republic of Lakotah. It contains news and information about civil rights issues, humanitarian efforts, and issues related to establishing the Republic of Lakotah as an independent country.

  Sioux Reservation Websites

  Below is a list of the Sioux reservations in the United States and Canada that have websites. Note that the name of the reservation is often taken from a landmark feature such as a ridge, lake, or river. These sites contain information about the Sioux in general, as well as items of interest that deal specifically with the individual reservation, including tribal government, programs, and upcoming events.

  CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX TRIBE

  www.sioux.org

  FLANDREAU SANTEE SIOUX TRIBE

  www.fsst.org

  FORT PECK TRIBES

  www.fortpecktribes.org

  LOWER BRULé SIOUX TRIBE

  www.lbst.org

  LOWER SIOUX INDIAN COMMUNITY

  www.lowersioux.com

  OGLALA SIOUX TRIBE

  http://home.comcast.net/~zebrec/

  PRAIRIE ISLAND INDIAN COMMUNITY

  www.prairieisland.org

  ROSEBUD SIOUX TRIBE

  www.rosebudsiouxtribe-nsn.gov

  SANTEE SIOUX TRIBE OF NEBRASKA

  www.santeedakota.org/santee_sioux_tribe_of_nebraska.htm

  SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY

  www.shakopeedakota.org

  SIOUX VALLEY DAKOTA NATION

  www.dakotanation.com

  SPIRIT Lake TRIBE

  www.spiritlakenation.com

  STANDING ROCK SIOUX TRIBE />
  www.standingrock.org

  UPPER SIOUX COMMUNITY

  www.uppersiouxcommunity-nsn.gov

  WHITECAP DAKOTA FIRST NATION

  www.whitecapdakota.com

  Sitting Bull’s family. Standing, from left: Lodge in Sight, Seen By Her Nation, Standing Holy, and Holy Robes. The boy sitting is believed to be William Sitting Bull. [LOC, USZ62-115472]

  Index

  The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your eBook. Please use the search function on your eReading device to search for terms of interest.

  For your reference, the terms that appear in the print index are listed below.

  (Page references in italic refer to illustrations.)

  Allison, William B.

  Allotment system

  American Horse

  American Indian Movement (AIM)

  Annuities

  Antelope

  Apaches

  Arapaho; Connor’s attack on Tongue River camp of; Fetterman Massacre and

  Assimilation. See “Reform” of Indian nations

  Atsinas (Gros Ventres)

  Banks, Dennis

  Battle of the Hundred Slain (Fetterman Massacre)

  Battle Where the Girl Saved Her Brother (Battle of the Rosebud)

  Bear Tooth,

  Belknap, William W.

  Bent, Charlie

  Bent, George,

  Benteen, Frederick

  Big Eagle

  Big Foot

  Big Mouth

  Big Ribs,

  Birch Coulee, Battle of

  Black Bear

  Black Coyote

  Black Elk

  Blackfoot