DOCSLIB.ORG

Federal Indian Policy and the St Francis Mission School on Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota: 1886-1908 Karla Lee Ekquist Iowa State University

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Federal Indian Policy and the St Francis Mission School on Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota: 1886-1908 Karla Lee Ekquist Iowa State University Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 1999 Federal Indian policy and the St Francis Mission School on Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota: 1886-1908 Karla Lee Ekquist Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Other Education Commons, Other History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Ekquist, Karla Lee, "Federal Indian policy and the St Francis Mission School on Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota: 1886-1908 " (1999). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 12660. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/12660 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overiaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9' black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Artx)r, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Federal Indian policy and the St. Francis Mission School on Rosebud Reservation, South Dal(ota: 1886-1908 by Karia Lee Ekquist A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Agricultural History and Rural Studies Major Professor: George McJimsey Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 1999 Copyright © KarIa Lee Ekquist, 1999. All Rights Reserved. UMI Number: 9940197 Copyright 1999 by Ekquist, Karla Lee All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9940197 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 ii Graduate College Iowa State University This is to certify that the Doctoral dissertation of Karia Lee Ekquist has nnet the dissertation requirements of Iowa State University Signature was redacted for privacy. Major Pr{6^ssor Signature was redacted for privacy. For ^ Major Program Signature was redacted for privacy. or the Graduate College iii For my parents Donald G. Ekquist and Diane R. Ekquist iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE. INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER TWO. PRE-CONTACT EDUCATION AMONG THE 7 SICANGU CHAPTER THREE. YOU MUST KNOW THAT DIFFERENT NATIONS 50 HAVE DIFFERENT CONCEPTIONS OF THINGS CHAPTER FOUR. ST. FRANCIS MISSION SCHOOL 1886-1890: 98 THE FIRST YEARS CHAPTER FIVE. NEW CHALLENGES 133 CHAPTER SIX. TREATY AND TRUST FUNDS: ST. FRANCIS 172 MISSION SCHOOL'S FIGHT FOR FUNDING CHAPTER SEVEN. CONCLUSION 212 APPENDIX A. SIOUX LAND REDUCTIONS BY TREATY 220 APPENDIX B. REDUCTION OF THE GREAT SIOUX 221 RESERVATION APPENDIX C. ROSEBUD RESERVATION MISSIONS AND 222 CAMPS: 1878-1890 APPENDIX D. ROSEBUD RESERVATION AND EDUCATION 1882 223 APPENDIX E. AUTHORIZATION FOR A CATHOLIC BOARDING 226 BOARDING SCHOOL ON ROSEBUD RESERVATION APPENDIX F. THE DAWES ACT AND THE ROSEBUD 228 RESERVATION BIBLIOGRAPHY 230 1 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Education. Since the beginning of humankind, the concept has been intricately entwined with our lives. Current generations benefit from and build on the experiences of those who went before. The transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next (i.e. education), has taken numerous forms from experiential, to observational to the highly structured classroom education, commonly utilized today. No matter its form, the goal of educational systems in which children participate are similar. The need to pass on culturally relevant survival skills and the desire to ensure the continuance and well-being of specific cultures and belief systems continues to motivate educational efforts even today. As Western Societies began to expand and explore new lands, they invariably came into contact with people and cultures that differed vastly from their own. In the majority of Western minds, however, differences did not represent new opportunities for learning and understanding, but were instead viewed as alien and threatening. The words used to describe the new peoples Europeans encountered help highlight their cultural views: 'savage,' 'heathen,' and 'barisarian' were just a few tenns applied to non-Christian, non-European peoples. The terminology made it clear these new peoples were not "us," instead they were distinctly "other." In the 2 European mind, "other" nearly automatically equated with inferior.^ European response to the native peoples of North America followed a somewhat predictable pattem based upon their ethnccentricity. Because the native peoples were different and their ways unfamiliar they were deemed inferior by the white settlers who poured into the Americas. The more humane elements of European society, honestly believed they did the Indians a great service in working to uplift them from "savagery" to "civilization."^ By the nineteenth century, when white settlers began encroaching on tribal lands in the Great Plains, (in particular, the areas that today encompass the Dakotas and Nebraska) the federal govemment had established a system for dealing with the Indian tribes in the region. The govemment offered treaties designed to ensure peace and protect both settlers and Indians. The United States Army was utilized against those tribes who resisted federal policy, which operated to confine them on resen/ations lands. In addition to the army, missionaries also worked to help enforce federal policy and hasten the process of acculturation and assimilation. The federal govemment sanctioned missionary activity among Indians and promoted their use in order to Christianize the Indians. Christianization, however, was not viewed as sufficient in and of itself. In order to be assimilated, Indians had to bring their values and cultural practices into Vor a more detailed discussion of the evolution of white perception when encountering Indian peoples see also Michael Oorris, "Indians on the Shelf," in Martin, Calvin ed. The American Indian and the Problem of History. (NY: Oxford University Press, 1987), 98-105. Another well-written book on the subject is Robert F.Berkhofer, The White Man's Indian: Images of the American Indian from Columbus to the Present. (NY: Vintage Books, 1978). ^As opposed to those who woukl have preferred to eliminate Indian populations altogether. 3 line with those of white society. In order to facilitate this change, nnissionaries focused much of their energies on the establishment and maintenance of Indian schools, both on and off the reservations. Federal authorities eagerly supported such educational efforts. They generally viewed the older Indians as a lost cause, but believed, with the proper influences and strong role models, the children could be taught white values and culture. The Lakota, one of three branches of the Sioux Nation (Lakota, Dakota and Nakota), went through the painful process of white contact, restriction to reservations and exposure to white missionaries. The missionaries, representing numerous denominations, worked eagerly to introduce the Lakota to their various brands of Christianity and to educate them about the white way of life. The history of contact between the Lakota Indians and the whites has been examined by numerous scholars from various perspectives. The military and political conflicts that raged between the two groups are well documented in a myriad of works. Because the primary focus of so many of these works explore issues conceming politics, military conflicts and biographies of prominent leaders some of the social and cultural aspects of Lakota history have been neglected. One such area where relatively little has been written is the history of education among the Lakota. The Lakota are not a single political/social unit. Instead, they comprise 4 seven bands, or council fires.^ The various council fires represent subdivisions of political and social organization. The second largest band (outnumbered only by the Oglala) are known as the Sicangu (also referred to as the Upper Brule). It is various aspects of the educational history of the Sicangu that are examined in the
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Audio Book My People the Sioux by Standing Bear Download Online Qbfzrwpd
    Audio Book My People The Sioux by Standing Bear Download Online Audio Book My People The Sioux by Standing Bear Download Online My People The Sioux Download Here Formats: djvu | pdf | epub | kindle My People The Sioux audiobook for kindle | My People The Sioux audiobook download | download My People The Sioux audiobook online free 1 / 2 Audio Book My People The Sioux by Standing Bear Download Online “one of the most engaging and veracious accounts we have ever had.” - Van Wyck BrooksBorn in the 1860s, the son of a Lakota chief, Standing Bear was in the first class at Carlisle Indian School, witnessed the Ghost Dance uprising from the Pine Ridge Reservation, toured Europe with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, and devoted his later years to the Indian rights movement of the 1920s and 1930s.My People The Sioux remains a landmark in Native American literature, among the first books about Native Americans written from the Native American point of view.Luther Standing Bear (December 1868 – February 20, 1939) (Óta Kté or "Plenty Kill" also known as Mat?ó Náži? or "Standing Bear") was an Oglala Lakota chief notable in American history as a Native American author, educator, philosopher, and actor of the twentieth century. Standing Bear fought to preserve Lakota heritage and sovereignty and was at the forefront of a Progressive movement to change government policy toward Native Americans.Standing Bear was one of a small group of Lakota leaders of his generation, such as Gertrude Bonnin, and Charles Eastman, who were born and raised in the oral traditions of their culture, educated in white culture, and wrote significant historical accounts of their people and history in English.
    [Show full text]
  • Heavy Metals in Traditionally Used Fruits Among the Lakota Joanita M
    South Dakota State University Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange Theses and Dissertations 2013 Heavy Metals in Traditionally Used Fruits Among the Lakota Joanita M. Kant South Dakota State University Follow this and additional works at: https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd Recommended Citation Kant, Joanita M., "Heavy Metals in Traditionally Used Fruits Among the Lakota" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 1448. https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/1448 This Dissertation - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HEAVY METALS IN TRADITIONALLY USED FRUITS AMONG THE LAKOTA BY JOANITA KANT A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Major in Biological Sciences Specialization in Plant Science South Dakota State University 2013 ii HEAVY METALS IN TRADITIONALLY USED FRUITS AMONG THE LAKOTA This dissertation is approved as a creditable and independent investigation by a candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences with Plant Science Specialization degree and is acceptable for meeting the dissertation requirements for this degree. Acceptance of this does not imply that the conclusions reached by the candidate are necessarily the conclusions of the major department. ________________________________________ Bruce W. Berdanier, Ph. D., P. E. Date Co-Dissertation Advisor Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering ________________________________________ Gary E. Larson, Ph.
    [Show full text]
  • The Carlisle Indian Boarding School and Its Literary Legacy: the War with the Pen
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 476 009 RC 024 041 AUTHOR Harding, Letitia TITLE The Carlisle Indian Boarding School and Its Literary Legacy: The War with the Pen. PUB DATE 2001-02-00 NOTE 41p.; In: 2001 Monograph Series, Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the National Association of African American Studies, the National Association of Hispanic and Latino Studies, the National Association of Native American Studies, and the International Association of Asian Studies (Houston, TX, February 12-17, 2001). PUB TYPE Historical Materials (060) Opinion Papers (120) Speeches /Meeting Papers (150) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Acculturation; *American Indian Education; American Indian History; *American Indian Literature; American Indians; Authors; Boarding Schools; Cultural Maintenance; Educational History; Elementary Education; English (Second Language); Federal Indian Relationship; *Resistance (Psychology); *School Newspapers; Vocational Education IDENTIFIERS *Carlisle Indian School PA; *Pratt (Richard Henry) ABSTRACT When Richard Henry Pratt founded the Carlisle Indian Boarding School, he felt that assimilation of American Indians was the only alternative to annihilation. Much of the training at Carlisle was intended to break all connections between students and their families. However, the students did have opportunities to record their stories, ideas, and opinions in their school newspapers, even as they were controlled by white staff members. For Pratt's system to flourish, he intended that some graduates from Carlisle and other off-reservation boarding schools would either work at the schools as teachers or return to their reservations to continue his mission. Pratt's objectives required that the students learn both English and a marketable trade. However, some graduates used their newly-developed skills to decry assimilation policies and to denounce the methods practiced at the schools.
    [Show full text]
  • Charles Eastman, Standing Bear, and Zitkala Sa
    Dakota/Lakota Progressive Writers: Charles Eastman, Standing Bear, and Zitkala Sa Gretchen Eick Friends University a cold bare pole I seemed to be, planted in a strange earth1 This paper focuses on three Dakota/Lakota progressive writers: Charles Alexander Eastman (Ohiyesa) of the Santee/Dakota; Luther Standing Bear (Ota Kte) of the Brulé; and Gertrude Simmons Bonnin (Zitkala Sa) of the Yankton. All three were widely read and popular “Indian writers,” who wrote about their traumatic childhoods, about being caught between two ways of living and perceiving, and about being coerced to leave the familiar for immersion in the ways of the whites. Eastman wrote dozens of magazine articles and eleven books, two of them auto- biographies, Indian Boyhood (1902) and From the Deep Woods to Civilization (1916).2 Standing Bear wrote four books, two of them autobiographies, My People, the Sioux (1928) and My Indian Boyhood (1931).3 Zitkala Sa wrote more than a dozen articles, several auto-biographical, and nine books, one autobiographical, American Indian Stories (1921), and the others Dakota stories, such as Old Indian Legends (1901). She also co- wrote an opera The Sun Dance. 4 1 Zitkala Sa, “An Indian Teacher Among the Indians,” American Indian Stories, Legends, and Other Writings, Cathy N. Davidson and Ada Norris, eds., ( New York: Penguin Books, 2003), 112. 2The other titles are Red Hunters and the Animal People (1904), Old Indian Days (1907), Wigwam Evenings: Sioux Folk Tales Retold (1909), Smoky Day’s Wigwam Evenings: Indian Stories Retold (1910), The Soul of an Indian: An Interpretation (1911), Indian Child Life (1913), The Indian Today: The Past and Future of the First Americans (1915), Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains (1918), Indian Scout Talks: A Guide for Boy Scouts and Campfire Girls (1914), and his two autobiographies, Indian Boyhood (1902) and From the Deep Woods to Civilization (1916).
    [Show full text]
  • Black Elk's Legacy Mark G
    Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Library Faculty Research and Publications Library (Raynor Memorial Libraries) 12-31-2006 Black Elk's Legacy Mark G. Thiel Marquette University, [email protected] Published version. Whispering Wind, Vol. 37, No. 2 (2007): 14-18. Publisher link. © 2007 Written Heritage. Used with permission. Black Elk's Legacy By Mark Thiel All photographs are courtesy of Marquette University and from its Bureau of Catholic Indian ehaka Sapa or Black Elk Missions Records, unless noted otherwise. H(1863-1950) lived one of the most controversial lives of the 20th century. To most Americans, he is best-known from Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux, as told through John G. Neihardt (Neihardt, 1979). It chronicles his life as a warrior, wild-west show dancer, and medicine man (photo right) and, although called his life story, the book ends abruptly in 1890 at the Wounded Knee massacre on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where Black Elk as a 27-year old was wounded. Black Elk dressed as a distinguished elder, probably at the Duhamel's Sioux Indian Pageant, Black Hills, South Dakota, W. Ben Hunt, photographer, ca . 1939. This image is accessible online in the Marquette University Digital Collections. In 1929, Black Elk and the Duhamel family organized a pageant near the developing Mount Rushmore Monument. The pageant included short renditions of Lakota ceremonies and dances narrated by Black Elk to educate tourists about Lakota heritage. It is believed that Black Elk's evolving narration provided the basis for his last collaborative book, The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk's Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux, for which he was interviewed in 1947 and 1948.
    [Show full text]
  • What Sort of Indian Will Show the Way? Colonization, Mediation, and Interpretation in the Sun Dance Contact Zone
    WHAT SORT OF INDIAN WILL SHOW THE WAY? COLONIZATION, MEDIATION, AND INTERPRETATION IN THE SUN DANCE CONTACT ZONE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Sandra Garner, B.A., M.A. Graduate Program in Comparative Studies The Ohio State University 2010 Dissertation Committee: Lindsay Jones, Advisor Maurice Stevens Richard Shiels Copyright by Sandra Garner 2010 ABSTRACT This research project focuses on the Sun Dance, an Indigenous ritual particularly associated with Siouan people, as a site of cultural expression where multiple, often conflicting concerns, compete for hegemonic dominance. Since European contact the Sun Dance has been variously practiced, suppressed, reclaimed, revitalized, and transformed. It has also evoked strong sentiments both from those that sought to eradicate its practices as well as those who have sought its continuance. In spite of a period of intense colonial repression, during the last three decades the Siouan form of the Sun Dance has become one of the most widely practiced religious rituals from Indigenous North America and the number of Sun Dances held and the numbers of people participating has grown significantly. How has the Sun Dance ritual endured in spite of a lengthy history of repression? What is it about the Sun Dance that evokes such powerful sentiments? And, how do we account for the growth of the Sun Dance. I argue that the current growth and practice of the Sun Dance must be considered within the context of colonialism; a central focus of this dissertation. I identify the complex and messy ways that individuals mediate the inequitable power relations that shape colonialist interactions, as well as the way they interpret these social spaces.
    [Show full text]
  • Download My People the Sioux by Luther Standing Bear [Book]
    My People the Sioux by Luther Standing Bear ebook Ebook My People the Sioux currently available for review only, if you need complete ebook My People the Sioux please fill out registration form to access in our databases Download here >> Paperback:::: 140 pages+++Publisher:::: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (December 23, 2017)+++Language:::: English+++ISBN- 10:::: 1981763872+++ISBN-13:::: 978-1981763870+++Product Dimensions::::8.5 x 0.4 x 11 inches++++++ ISBN10 1981763872 ISBN13 978-1981763 Download here >> Description: When it was first published in 1928, Luther Standing Bears autobiographical account of his tribe and tribesmen was hailed by Van Wyck Brooks as “one of the most engaging and veracious we have ever had.” It remains a landmark in Indian literature, among the first books about Indians written from the Indian point of view by an Indian. Luther Standing Bear (1868 – 1939) was an Oglala Lakota chief notable in American history as a Native American author, educator, philosopher, and actor of the twentieth century. Standing Bear fought to preserve Lakota heritage and sovereignty and was at the forefront of a Progressive movement to change government policy toward Native Americans. Standing Bear was one of a small group of Lakota leaders of his generation, such as Gertrude Bonnin, and Charles Eastman, who were born and raised in the oral traditions of their culture, educated in white culture, and wrote significant historical accounts of their people and history in English. Luther’s experiences in early life, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Wild Westing with Buffalo Bill, and life on government reservations present a unique view of a Native American during the Progressive Era in American history.
    [Show full text]
  • CONVERTING the ROSEBUD SICANGU LAKOTA CATHOLICISM in the LATE NINETEENTH and EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURIES Harvey Markowitz Washington and Lee University
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Great Plains Quarterly Great Plains Studies, Center for Winter 2012 CONVERTING THE ROSEBUD SICANGU LAKOTA CATHOLICISM IN THE LATE NINETEENTH AND EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURIES Harvey Markowitz Washington and Lee University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly Part of the American Studies Commons, Cultural History Commons, and the United States History Commons Markowitz, Harvey, "CONVERTING THE ROSEBUD SICANGU LAKOTA CATHOLICISM IN THE LATE NINETEENTH AND EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURIES" (2012). Great Plains Quarterly. 2755. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly/2755 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Quarterly by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. CONVERTING THE ROSEBUD SICANGU LAKOTA CATHOLICISM IN THE LATE NINETEENTH AND EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURIES HARVEY MARKOWITZ Following the Civil War, the United States Bureau successfully petitioned leaders of main­ government undertook a massive reform of line denominations, including members of its Indian policy, replacing the antebellum America's Catholic Church hierarchy, to enlist goal of permanently segregating Indian and personnel to educate Indians in the manners white populations with that of "civilizing and and customs of "Christian citizenship." Christianizing"
    [Show full text]
  • The Carlisle School's Impact on Indian Identity
    Volume 1 │ Issue 1 │ 2016 The Carlisle School’s Impact on Indian Identity Kaytlyn R. Lowhorn Belmont University Tennessee Eta Chapter Vol. 1(1), 2016 Article Title: The Carlisle School’s Impact on Indian Identity DOI: 10.21081/ax0022 ISSN: 2381-800X Key Words: Indian, Carlisle, industrial school, Native American, Assimilation This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Author contact information is available from the Editor at [email protected]. Aletheia—The Alpha Chi Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship • This publication is an online, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary undergraduate journal, whose mission is to promote high quality research and scholarship among undergraduates by showcasing exemplary work. • Submissions can be in any basic or applied field of study, including the physical and life sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, education, engineering, and the arts. • Publication in Aletheia will recognize students who excel academically and foster mentor/mentee relationships between faculty and students. • In keeping with the strong tradition of student involvement in all levels of Alpha Chi, the journal will also provide a forum for students to become actively involved in the writing, peer review, and publication process. • More information and instructions for authors is available under the publications tab at www.AlphaChiHonor.org. Questions to the editor may be directed to [email protected]. Alpha Chi is a national college honor society that admits students from all academic disciplines, with membership limited to the top 10 percent of an institution’s juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Invitation to membership comes only through an institutional chapter. A college seeking a chapter must grant baccalaureate degrees and be regionally accredited.
    [Show full text]
  • “Of Avians and Indigenes”: Preliminary Notes on the Orientalization of the New World Native and Natured Others Thomas C
    Literature Compass 1 (2004) AM 054, 1–17 “Of Avians and Indigenes”: Preliminary Notes on the Orientalization of the New World Native and Natured Others Thomas C. Gannon University of Nebraska–Lincoln Abstract “Of Avians and Indigenes” combines colonial discourse theory and ecocriticism to demonstrate how the New World bird and the New World “Indian” have been similarly othered in the discourse of Western imperialism. As a result, the Passenger Pigeon and many Native American tribes have suffered a similar fate: extinction. But via the ironic co-evolutionary history of the native House Finch and the introduced English Sparrow – and spanning American literature from John James Audubon to Joy Harjo – the author offers a Native reading of this colonization, through which both avians and indigenes “speak back” against the onslaught of Euro-American ideology, as a veritable “return of the Native.” My bird is a genuine little savage, doubtless, but I value him as a neighbor. [Nature] is an Indian maiden, dark, subtle, dreaming, with glances now and then that thrill the wild blood in one’s veins. – John Burroughs1 [R]econsider Indian history. Whites were advancing not only on the Indians but on the chickadees listening, the bird unconcerned, the deer scratching. – William Bevis2 In one of the first books by a Lakota, Land of the Spotted Eagle (1933), Luther Standing Bear’s titular homeland is appropriately dubbed that of the “Spotted Eagle,” not that of his human Oglala tribe – to reflect, no doubt, “the Lakota belief that man did not occupy a
    [Show full text]
  • Ruth J. Heflin
    EXAMPLES FOR THE WORLD: FOUR TRANSITIONAL SIOUX WRITERS AND THE SIOUX LITERARY RENAISSANCE By RUTH J. HEFLIN Bachelor of Arts Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas 1985 Master of Arts Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas 1988 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May, 1997 COPYR±GHT by Ruth J. Heflin May 1997 EXAMPLES FOR THE WORLD: FOUR TRANSITIONAL SIOUX WRITERS A.ND THE SIOUX LITERARY RENAISSANCE Thesis Approved: Thesis Advisor Dean of the Graduate College 11 PREFACE Transitional era Sioux produced some of the most prolific and most influential writers among American Indians of the time. They, as an individual Indian nation, deserve a closer analysis in respect not only because of the sheer number and range ofworks--from autobiography to opera--they produced, but also because of the depth and quality of their writings. While American Indian writings should not be judged solely based on their adherence to EuroAmerican literary traditions, their contributions to those traditions should be acknowledged. Charles Alexander Eastman, Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, Luther Standing Bear, and Nicholas Black Elk all contributed to the tenor of Modernist American literature, perhaps more accurately labeled Transitional American literature for all writers from approximately 1890 to 1955. This study examines Eastman, Bonnin, Standing Bear, and Black Elk as Sioux writers who were affected by and who in tum affected Modem American literature and the writers, especially other American Indians, who followed. While examining them as Sioux writers, arguing in effect for acknowledgement of the Sioux Literary Renaissance, I examine the effect their cultures--both Sioux and EuroAmerican--and their individual choices had on their writings.
    [Show full text]
  • The Anatomy of a Lakota Shooting: Crow Dog and Spotted Tail, 1879-1881
    Copyright © 1998 by the South Dakota State Historical Society. All Rights Reserved. The Anatomy of a Lakota Shooting: Crow Dog and Spotted Tail, 1879-1881 Richmond L, Clow When Spotted Tail, a leader of the Brule band of Lako- ta (Sioux) Indians, died on 5 August 1881 from a gunshot wound to the chest, his tribesman and political rival Crow Dog admitted firing the fatal bullet.^ In accordance with Lakota tradition, Crow Dog paid restitution to the victim's family, a punishment designed to end the dispute and return peace to the community. Despite the fact that Crow Dog had satisfied tribal custom, those outside Lakota soci- ety called Spotted Tail's death "a cold-blooded political assassination" and called for his trial in the ccjurts of the United States,^ This interpretation of Spotted Tail as a blameless victim has survived over time, but closer scruti- ny of the state of affairs between the two men at this crit- ical juncture in Lakota history reveals that Spotted Tail had violated Lakota codes of honor and pushed the boundaries of tradition to the breaking point, contributing to his own demise. Both Spotted Tail and Crow Dog were descended from leaders of the Bailé, or Sichangu, Lakota, whose political 1. Throughout thi.s article, the English translations of Lakota proper names will he used The English spelling of Spotted Tail's Lakota name is Sime Gleska, while thai of Crow Dog is Kangi Sunka. "Brule" derives from the French translation of [he Lakou "Sichangu." 2. George E. Hyde, Spotted Tail's Folk: A History of the Brule Sioi*x (Norman: Universi- ty of Oklahoma Press, 1974), p.
    [Show full text]