Catherine Price. The People, 1841-1879: A Political History. Lincoln and London: University of Press, 1995. xiv + 234 pp. $40.00, cloth, ISBN 978-0-8032-3710-0.

Reviewed by Michelle R. Kloppenburg

Published on H-PCAACA (August, 1996)

In The Oglala People, 1841-1879: A Political and historical works, and transcribed interviews History, Catherine Price brings light to the politi‐ with Oglala elders from 1896 through the 1930s. cal strategies of the Oglala leaders during their For her study of the nineteenth-century struggle to retain their political customs and au‐ Oglala, Price has selected the time frame of tonomy in the face of the U.S. government's accul‐ 1841-1879 instead of 1841-1890, breaking with turation eforts. In examining Lakota concepts of many scholars--including Robert Utley in The Last decision-making authority, she highlights the fuid Days of the Nation--who claim that 1890, political relationship among the several forms of the year of the Wounded Knee Massacre, was the Oglala leadership, and she demonstrates the nu‐ year in which Lakota lifeways were ultimately de‐ merous opinions regarding Lakota political rela‐ stroyed. Price asserts that her time frame refects tions with American ofcials as well as with other an Oglala perspective: 1841 saw grave political Lakota bands and subtribes. Furthermore, she il‐ upheaval among the Oglala after the murder of luminates the Oglala concept of chieftainship and Bull Bear, an infuential leader and holy man; thereby reassesses 's political status, 1877 witnessed the killing of at Fort roles, and objectives, invalidating the image sus‐ Robinson. Thus, major trauma hit earlier. tained by historians George Hyde in Red Cloud's To set the stage for her study, Price frst de‐ Folk: A History of the Oglala Sioux and James Ol‐ scribes in precise detail the organization of Oglala son in Red Cloud and the Sioux Problem. She most society, namely, the sacred hoop and its ordering eloquently points out that Red Cloud was erro‐ principle based on kinship relationships and obli‐ neously regarded as the archetypal Sioux leader, gations which fostered harmony and cooperation despite the presence of other infuential persons among the Oglala. She presents the three models such as Man Afraid of His Horse, Red Dog, Blue of pre-reservation political organization--the Horse, and Little Wound. As her sources, Price tiyospaye, multiband, and ceremonial--and delin‐ cites extensive archival materials, ethnographic eates important diferences between the Ameri‐ can politicians, who often sought monetary re‐ H-Net Reviews wards and strove to maintain solitary power, and tensions of the Oglala, who struggled to determine the Lakota leaders, who rather shared their politi‐ whether war or peace was the appropriate cal duties in a system that balanced authority be‐ method to deal with the intruding whites. Fur‐ tween the itancan, the headman, holy men, and thermore, the U.S. military ofcials' grave misun‐ the young hunters and warriors. derstanding of Oglala customs often contributed While illustrating the many developments to the disruptive outbursts that were sparked by that worked against the Oglala, Price unsparingly the presence of immigrants in the area surround‐ points out the Americans' polarized attitude to‐ ing the Black Hills. ward Native Americans, and the intense factional‐ Price cites the myterious death of Crazy ism between the Department of the Interior and Horse, together with the resulting surrender of the Department of War, or between the president Oglala pro-war camps and the establishment of and the Congress. She reveals Americans' key mis‐ the Pine Ridge Reservation, as the major turning coneptions of the Oglala--such as the belief that point in Lakota history. Despite this reputed de‐ the tribes' political systems were identical to those feat, however, the acculturation eforts of the U.S. of the United States; the assumption that the government failed to destroy Oglala political cus‐ Oglala and Americans shared a common concept toms. Even after subjugation, the tiyospaye and of a nation and nationalism; and the notion that multiband councils continued to recognize Oglala the Oglala were led by a head chief, identical in leadership roles and to reach vital decisions by status to the American president. Price also expos‐ means of a consensus. Decision-making authority, es the misperception of American ofcials and fuid and adaptable by nature, was determined by journalists who believed that Red Cloud possessed the occasion, and thus a change in the authorita‐ the authority to control the Oglala people and to tive structure symbolized neither a radical nor a make binding decisions for all of the Sioux, even permanent modifcation in Oglala political cus‐ though Red Cloud himself warned that he did not. toms. Since the United States' political system is charac‐ In closing, Price points out that some tradi‐ terized by hierarchical ofces with fxed terms tional practices of the Oglala still endure today, and clearly defned roles, and because it was driv‐ even after a more static political organization was en by the expansionism of the age, American established after the Oglala settled down at Pine emissaries naturally considered the Oglala as a Ridge. Intense factionalism did not destroy the po‐ state and latched onto Red Cloud as the epitome litical independence of the Oglala people, even in of the vanishing noble savage. the wake of Bull Bear's murder in 1841, during Using the 1856 Fort Pierre council as a princi‐ the years of sustained warfare with the U.S. mili‐ pal example, Price illustrates the U.S. Army's at‐ tary, or after the founding of the Red Cloud Agen‐ tempt to interfere with the political afairs of the cy. The Oglala took matters in their own hands Lakota. In their dealings with the Oglala, the mili‐ and adapted their political customs to ever-chang‐ tary ofcers repeatedly called for head chiefs, ing needs. subchiefs, and marshals to control the extended Price's extremely well-documented book is a families of the Oglala. The military leaders hoped most welcome contribution to the feld of Native that communication would be improved if the American Studies, and it proves to be a valuable Lakota political system could be modifed to mir‐ guide for all scholars interested the the political ror the American organization and would meet life of the Oglala. Heeding the advice of anthropol‐ American standards. The resulting collision be‐ ogist Alfonso Ortiz, Price strives to write a bal‐ tween the two peoples exacerbated the internal anced and honest history of Indian-white interac‐

2 H-Net Reviews tions--that is, to portray the indigenous peoples of North America as multi-dimensional, culturally advanced human beings, and, more specifcally, to present Oglala leaders in a realistic light. She suc‐ ceeds in her endeavors, and for this reason I high‐ ly recommend her excellent book. Many scholars will beneft from her extensive, painstaking re‐ search. This review is copyrighted (c) 1996 by H-Net and the Popular Culture and the American Cul‐ ture Associations. It may be reproduced electroni‐ cally for educational or scholarly use. The Associ‐ ations reserve print rights and permissions. (Con‐ tact: P.C.Rollins at the following electronic ad‐ dress: [email protected])

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Citation: Michelle R. Kloppenburg. Review of Price, Catherine. The Oglala People, 1841-1879: A Political History. H-PCAACA, H-Net Reviews. August, 1996.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=531

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