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The Last Days of the Sioux Nation: Second Edition
The story of the Sioux-what they were like when they first came to their reservation, how the life that the whites prepared for them ran counter to their needs, and how their reaction to the new system eventually led to the last confrontation of the Army and the Sioux at the highly controversial Battle of Wounded Knee Creek-is explained in this fascinating account.
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1963
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About the author
Robert M. Utley
92 books73 followersA specialist in Native American history and the history of the American West, Robert Marshall Utley was a former chief historian of the National Park Service. He earned a Bachelor of Science in history from Purdue University in 1951, and an Master of Arts in history from Indiana University in 1952. Utley served as Regional Historian of the Southwest Region of the NPS in Santa Fe from 1957 to 1964, and as Chief Historian in Washington, D.C. from 1964 until his retirement in 1980.
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October 3, 2018This is not an entirely unsympathetic account of the eventss up to and including the massacre at Wounded Knee, but it is thoroughly coloured with view that there was no alternative to becoming white- which to my mind appeared as a vision of the denizens of Tamney Hall. Thinking back to the Voyage of the Beagle in which Darwin notices in most of the places he stops the efforts of the settler communities to wipe out the indigenous inhabitants, it might be possible to think that Utley had a point. I've heard that far right groups in Europe have road tested and make use of the image of the Native Americans as a proxy for the position of European societies facing immigration from various places, which I find quite amusing since it was precisely such ideas of racial distinctiveness and the ability to rank peoples in order of superiority - and intrinsic to this a faith that there was 'one best way' of living which if anything alone made the fates of indigenous peoples inevitably grim, then again his text also argues against that belief as he freely records that the Dakotas where unsuitable for arable agriculture and tough even for raising cattle. Even mentioning that in the winter of 1886-7 white cattlemen lost 75% of their herds, while Native Americans at the Standing Rock reservation lost only 30% (p.25). The way of life being pushed on the defeated Lakota was ridiculously unsuitable for the environment they were being pinned down to. Plainly some degree of acculturation would have happened in any case, Utley however at several points decries the demoralisation that might have occurred had a hard line been taken, as if being defeated in war, occupied and your cultural practice rendered illegal was not by itself demoralising, Utley also complains about inconsistency in policy - a feature of life in democratic societies.
However, in short the society of the Lakota was in severe shock when the practice of the ghost dance was introduced from the west. This was a syncretalist faith , that Jesus Christ having been killed by the white man had a special place earmarked for all native Americans, by holding true to the ten commandments and a new commandment to be good, and practising the ghost dance one might have a vision of Heaven - meeting their ones deceased relatives and seeing cheery herds of Buffalo, in the near future, heaven and earth would merge & the indigenous peoples of America would enjoy Heaven on Earth. Among the Lakota this faith had a more militant aspect, that the earth would push the settlers back into the seas, that certain spells and practises would render bullets harmless. Although varieties of the faith were widespread among many peoples in the end 1880s and in to 1890 the authorities, even the missionaries were essentially ignorant about it. And this is a major theme of the book - intelligence as in information, all the authorities saw were noted non-progresssive, former hostile, Sioux gathering, that they were spending their days having saunas in their sweat lodges and then dancing and singing for up to thirty hours, occasional collapsing and having visions (rather like souped up versions of revivalist church missions) went unnoticed, all that was perceived was danger and the military were mobilised, regiments of foot and cavalry supported by artillery were rail-roaded in and deployed to encourage groups to disarm . while disarming one group at Wounded Knee a scuffle broke out followed by firing, the deployment of the soldiers meant that some were hit quite probably in 'friendly fire' while the artillery strafed the encampment.
The title of the book would make better sense if this had been a definite attempt at independence, however this is unclear, Utley's account is rather distant from the Lakota - if any such printed sources existed when he wrote in 1960 or so. We see them as the military authorities and Agents of the Bureau of Indian affairs saw them , which in part was drawn from newspaper articles - the press was already influencing policy making in this period. Utley uncritically regards medicine men and Shaman as shysters and fanatics, and categorises individuals as progressives and non-progressives (ie supportive or not of US government policies) with no sense that the defeated had their own perspectives on what they might have considered 'progressive' - although the Lakota in his account were clearly no monolithic group, he reports for instance that Sitting Bull for instance was probably no believer in the Ghost Dance as he was too pagan for such a Christianised faith.
The whole affair unfolds as a tragedy, in a similar manner Utley mentions the disappearance of the buffalo, as though these things happened without human action being involved. Very much a victor's history in which the defeated are manipulators and tricksy, while the victors don't have to be responsible for being all- powerful. Utley is quite free in using terms like 'half-breed' which has an unfortunate whiff of livestock management in describing people and Catherine Weston a woman involved with the National Indian Defence Association who lived by Sitting Bull from 1899-90 and was closely involved with his household is dismissed as "neurotic" (p.99), though I suppose many of our motivations are fairly crazy. So the argument of the book boils down to it was all going to happen anyway because in the end as Hilaire Belloc said " Whatever happens, we have got The Maxim gun, and they have not".
However, in short the society of the Lakota was in severe shock when the practice of the ghost dance was introduced from the west. This was a syncretalist faith , that Jesus Christ having been killed by the white man had a special place earmarked for all native Americans, by holding true to the ten commandments and a new commandment to be good, and practising the ghost dance one might have a vision of Heaven - meeting their ones deceased relatives and seeing cheery herds of Buffalo, in the near future, heaven and earth would merge & the indigenous peoples of America would enjoy Heaven on Earth. Among the Lakota this faith had a more militant aspect, that the earth would push the settlers back into the seas, that certain spells and practises would render bullets harmless. Although varieties of the faith were widespread among many peoples in the end 1880s and in to 1890 the authorities, even the missionaries were essentially ignorant about it. And this is a major theme of the book - intelligence as in information, all the authorities saw were noted non-progresssive, former hostile, Sioux gathering, that they were spending their days having saunas in their sweat lodges and then dancing and singing for up to thirty hours, occasional collapsing and having visions (rather like souped up versions of revivalist church missions) went unnoticed, all that was perceived was danger and the military were mobilised, regiments of foot and cavalry supported by artillery were rail-roaded in and deployed to encourage groups to disarm . while disarming one group at Wounded Knee a scuffle broke out followed by firing, the deployment of the soldiers meant that some were hit quite probably in 'friendly fire' while the artillery strafed the encampment.
The title of the book would make better sense if this had been a definite attempt at independence, however this is unclear, Utley's account is rather distant from the Lakota - if any such printed sources existed when he wrote in 1960 or so. We see them as the military authorities and Agents of the Bureau of Indian affairs saw them , which in part was drawn from newspaper articles - the press was already influencing policy making in this period. Utley uncritically regards medicine men and Shaman as shysters and fanatics, and categorises individuals as progressives and non-progressives (ie supportive or not of US government policies) with no sense that the defeated had their own perspectives on what they might have considered 'progressive' - although the Lakota in his account were clearly no monolithic group, he reports for instance that Sitting Bull for instance was probably no believer in the Ghost Dance as he was too pagan for such a Christianised faith.
The whole affair unfolds as a tragedy, in a similar manner Utley mentions the disappearance of the buffalo, as though these things happened without human action being involved. Very much a victor's history in which the defeated are manipulators and tricksy, while the victors don't have to be responsible for being all- powerful. Utley is quite free in using terms like 'half-breed' which has an unfortunate whiff of livestock management in describing people and Catherine Weston a woman involved with the National Indian Defence Association who lived by Sitting Bull from 1899-90 and was closely involved with his household is dismissed as "neurotic" (p.99), though I suppose many of our motivations are fairly crazy. So the argument of the book boils down to it was all going to happen anyway because in the end as Hilaire Belloc said " Whatever happens, we have got The Maxim gun, and they have not".
July 24, 2020
Really interesting work compared to Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (which he insults in the introduction as "not real history"). For all the guilty handwringing of modern takes on the latter Indian wars, Utley makes the argument that the real impetus behind wounded knee and the fall of the great chiefs was their inability to manage hot-bloooded young warriors who bullied them into further war, as well as of course congress for not living up to treaty obligations in regards to food supplies in barren reservations. A really engaging read for a work that doesnt shy away from legislative history and quartermaster reports, The Lamar Western History series really continues to not disappoint.
August 6, 2022
Wounded Knee is an event that had been building since the Little Big Horn battle. In general, the United States could not bring itself to negotiate with the Indians in general and the Sioux in particular. Follow up and compliance was lackadaisical probably due to prejudice. While there were individuals who worked for the interests of the Indians, the government was apathetic. Due to these conditions, the Indians were liable to religious beliefs that could bring back an environment without whites. The Ghost Dance was the culmination of this. Whites did not like it because of its Christian roots that used the concept of a Messiah to remove whites from the continent. It was a movement started by a Paiute on the western coast and spread throughout the West. This was the last straw the Indians grasped to get their independence.
This book explains what happened in detail and with a neutral attitude. It is chronological and scholarly in its approach. It is well-written and leaves much interpretation to the reader, as it should. There is a lot to learn here for those who heard of Wounded Knee as an event, but not the details. It is an amazing story of bravery, foolishness, incompetence, and survival. In addition to the larger picture, there were other events with fewer people that show what the Indians had to endure. The murder of Sitting Bull is a bigger event that shows the itchy trigger fingers and fear on both sides. These attitudes come forth in a big way at Wounded Knee. It shows the failure of the United States to treat all its populations fairly and humanely. This book should be read after reading A Spirited Resistance by Dowd. There is a common theme of relying on religion seeking a better life.
This book explains what happened in detail and with a neutral attitude. It is chronological and scholarly in its approach. It is well-written and leaves much interpretation to the reader, as it should. There is a lot to learn here for those who heard of Wounded Knee as an event, but not the details. It is an amazing story of bravery, foolishness, incompetence, and survival. In addition to the larger picture, there were other events with fewer people that show what the Indians had to endure. The murder of Sitting Bull is a bigger event that shows the itchy trigger fingers and fear on both sides. These attitudes come forth in a big way at Wounded Knee. It shows the failure of the United States to treat all its populations fairly and humanely. This book should be read after reading A Spirited Resistance by Dowd. There is a common theme of relying on religion seeking a better life.
April 7, 2023
Last Days
Utley has presented an interesting read that reflects his career in the National Park Service, which was to tell the story and encourage the participants to come to their own conclusions. I appreciated his sharing of the history from more than one side of the fence, without trying to make judgements as to the rightness of their position. We’ll done.
The book is long but worth the read.
Utley has presented an interesting read that reflects his career in the National Park Service, which was to tell the story and encourage the participants to come to their own conclusions. I appreciated his sharing of the history from more than one side of the fence, without trying to make judgements as to the rightness of their position. We’ll done.
The book is long but worth the read.
May 9, 2025
5/10
A pretty focused history about the events surrounding Wounded Knee. When it’s at it’s best it’s a pretty harrowing account of everything that went wrong up to Wounded Knee and the actual event itself, but at it’s worst the book comes off pretty cruel in it’s assessment of both the Sioux and any potential settlement.
A pretty focused history about the events surrounding Wounded Knee. When it’s at it’s best it’s a pretty harrowing account of everything that went wrong up to Wounded Knee and the actual event itself, but at it’s worst the book comes off pretty cruel in it’s assessment of both the Sioux and any potential settlement.
April 21, 2021
Fascinating overview of Wounded Knee
A readable, detailed account of the military, political and human actions during the final, deadly conflict of the Sioux Wars.
A readable, detailed account of the military, political and human actions during the final, deadly conflict of the Sioux Wars.
September 12, 2022
Interesting read, focused largely on military action
January 11, 2009
This is an exceptional book and recommended read. A large part of the book was devoted to Crazy Horse and the Oglala. I grieve for the loss of this culture.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews