Little Crow: Spokesman for the Sioux

by Gary Clayton Anderson

Government officials and missionaries wanted all Sioux men to become self-sufficient farmers, wear pants, and cut their hair. The Indians, confronted by a land-hungry white population and a loss of hunting grounds, sought to exchange title to their homeland for annuities of cash and food, schools and teachers, and farms and agricultural knowledge. By 1862 the Sioux realized that their extensive kinship network and religion were in jeopardy and that the government would not fulfill its promises.

With their way of life endangered, the Sioux turned to Little Crow to lead them in a war for self-preservation, a war that Little Crow had tried to avoid during most of his adult life. Within a year, the Sioux had been evicted from Minnesota, Little Crow was dead, and a way of life had vanished. Through his life-his biography-the complex interrelationship of Indian and white can be studied and, in some measure, understood.

Genres: History, Native American, Biography, Indigenous, American History, Biography Memoir

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 1985

About the author

A specialist in American Indians of the Great Plains and the Southwest, Gary Clayton Anderson is a professor of history at the University of Oklahoma.

Reviews

[Jessica DeWitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up expecting to skim it quickly for genealogical information, but I was engrossed as soon as I hit the first page and ended up reading it cover to cover. This is a fantastic book. It is by far the most detailed and clearest account of the Dakota War of 1862 and the events leading up to it that I've encountered. Despite being written 30+ years ago, Anderson never villainizes Little Crow or the Dakota and makes a point to write against the mythology surrounding the war. He presents the Dakota as regular folks doing the best they could in an impossible situation. Bonus for me: there is an appendix devoted specifically to Little Crow's genealogy.

[Rey Dekker · Rating 4 out of 5]

...white man speak with forked tongue...terrible stuff...strongly similar to the rape and pillage of the US economy by the robber barons on Wall Street over the past 10 years...greed...uncontrolled greed and avarice...these poor Indians were painted into a corner through starvation, cultural extermination, religious zealotry but most of all, robbery and greed on the part of the "traders" who stole them blind and then starved them into rebellion...can't blame them for their rage but the massacre of civilians was wrong though in their culture and warfare it was de rigeur...this was an intelligent man who tried his best to accommodate the white man only to be lied to and manipulated...Ramsey, Sibley, revered names, governors in Minnesota history with counties named for them...were complete assholes and murderers, only they killed by starvation and deprivation...a sad chapter in American history...with enough shame to go around to all parties involved...and let us not discount the "whiskey effect" in all this...the first murders were undertaken by drunken "warrior" stealing chicken eggs...

[Lizzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anderson explores the political career of Little Crow, a Dakota chief, who faced difficult decisions dealing with white settlers, traders, and Indian agents, eventually leading up to the violent conflict in 1862. He provides information which suggests that unlike popular belief, Little Crow was much more than a warrior chief - he was a traditionalist yet he accommodated to white culture when it suited his needs. His motives for supporting the uprising in 1862 are also examined more closely. This is an excellent book for anyone interested in Native American studies, particularly during the 19th century, and cultural persistence.

[Steve Wehling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A profile of the leader of the Dakota during the uprising of 1862. The uprising lead to the death sentences of 300 Indians. Abraham Lincoln did not want to execute the Indians, but realized that he could not commute all of the sentences and still expect the support of Minnesota in the war effort. So he had the records examined and, where the record of evidence was deemed sufficient, selected 38 death sentences to be carried out in Mankato, MN. It remains the largest official mass execution in US history.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anderson gives a history of Little Crow that is greatly investigated but he conjectures quite a bit. I enjoyed the read but as a historical book I find it rather weak. If you look at just the history of Little Crow it is well written but Anderson adds a bit of phsycological idealism to the book and I dont believe that was necessary. A good book nonetheless.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Crow is part of southwestern Minnesota's history. It has only been the last 10-15 years that the story of the Native Americans is being told from their perspective.

[Kevin Bokay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good bio of the Sioux chief that led (sort of) the 1862 uprising. Treats the complex inter-relationships the Sioux developed with the traders, missionaries, and others during the period.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting look at Chief Little Crow. The book paints a multi-dimensional portrait of this well-known Sioux leader.