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The Lakotas and the Black Hills: The Struggle for Sacred Ground
The story of the Lakota Sioux's loss of their spiritual homelands and their remarkable legal battle to regain it
The Lakota Indians counted among their number some of the most famous Native Americans, including Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Their homeland was in the magnificent Black Hills in South Dakota, where they found plentiful game and held religious ceremonies at charged locations like Devil's Tower. Bullied by settlers and the U. S. Army, they refused to relinquish the land without a fight, most famously bringing down Custer at Little Bighorn. In 1876, though, on the brink of starvation, the Lakotas surrendered the Hills.
But the story does not end there. Over the next hundred years, the Lakotas waged a remarkable campaign to recover the Black Hills, this time using the weapons of the law. In The Lakotas and the Black Hills , the latest addition to the Penguin Library of American Indian History, Jeffrey Ostler moves with ease from battlefields to reservations to the Supreme Court, capturing the enduring spiritual strength that bore the Lakotas through the worst times and kept alive the dream of reclaiming their cherished homeland.
The Lakota Indians counted among their number some of the most famous Native Americans, including Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Their homeland was in the magnificent Black Hills in South Dakota, where they found plentiful game and held religious ceremonies at charged locations like Devil's Tower. Bullied by settlers and the U. S. Army, they refused to relinquish the land without a fight, most famously bringing down Custer at Little Bighorn. In 1876, though, on the brink of starvation, the Lakotas surrendered the Hills.
But the story does not end there. Over the next hundred years, the Lakotas waged a remarkable campaign to recover the Black Hills, this time using the weapons of the law. In The Lakotas and the Black Hills , the latest addition to the Penguin Library of American Indian History, Jeffrey Ostler moves with ease from battlefields to reservations to the Supreme Court, capturing the enduring spiritual strength that bore the Lakotas through the worst times and kept alive the dream of reclaiming their cherished homeland.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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703 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Ostler
7 books13 followersJeffrey Ostler is Beekman Professor of Northwest and Pacific History at the University of Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
July 26, 2018
How much more did Americans do to these people in history? I thought I knew the whole story. It is a shame on our culture and prosperity to have used these people and their land to step up (or is that "down"?) to wealth and power.
These beatiful hills, sacred grounds to the Lakotas, were promised not to be touched by the white people, in a treaty signed in 1868. But, bad karma was there, because, after the treaty was signed, gold was discovered in the Black Hills, thanks to the manifest destiny tactics of one George Armstrong Custer, around 1874. I thought, previously, he supported the Indian nation, but the book points one of its (middle) fingers at him!
Soon, along with the exploitation of the miners, tourists and population began to take over the rich land, which was home to Native Americans since 7000 BC!
Then, as if that wasn't enough, they named a city as well as a State Park after Custer, then carved out Mount Rushmore on a cliff. Now, chisled eyes look over Lakota graves and cold huge lips pour out American history to the sacred spirits gathered there. I doubt if the spirits will answer: they're probably disgusted too.
The book is well-researched and written in a smooth style. New facts learned in this book knocked this reader to the ground. It made me question whether our power and living conditions do not contain a tragic Greek flaw: to be read with a cool towel for the forehead.
These beatiful hills, sacred grounds to the Lakotas, were promised not to be touched by the white people, in a treaty signed in 1868. But, bad karma was there, because, after the treaty was signed, gold was discovered in the Black Hills, thanks to the manifest destiny tactics of one George Armstrong Custer, around 1874. I thought, previously, he supported the Indian nation, but the book points one of its (middle) fingers at him!
Soon, along with the exploitation of the miners, tourists and population began to take over the rich land, which was home to Native Americans since 7000 BC!
Then, as if that wasn't enough, they named a city as well as a State Park after Custer, then carved out Mount Rushmore on a cliff. Now, chisled eyes look over Lakota graves and cold huge lips pour out American history to the sacred spirits gathered there. I doubt if the spirits will answer: they're probably disgusted too.
The book is well-researched and written in a smooth style. New facts learned in this book knocked this reader to the ground. It made me question whether our power and living conditions do not contain a tragic Greek flaw: to be read with a cool towel for the forehead.
April 6, 2025
Very informative and objective. Although the events the author describes are often deeply upsetting, he rarely touches on how people were personally affected by various massacres, leaders' deaths (often violent), disappointments in court, etc. The story focuses primarily on the 1850s, 60s, and 70s, describing the Lakotas' living conditions, traditions, and conflicts with westward moving white folks. Then, we flash forward into the 1970s and 80s, when the Civil Rights movement changes the way that people look back at America's history, and the courts seem more sympathetic to the idea of making a payment for what was taken from these people (but not returning the land). Meanwhile, on shrinking land allotments, Lakota people struggle to find employment, many living in poverty and hunger. I'm not sure if that's the case today, but I know that when some of my classmates did an immersion trip to a reservation in South Dakota, people were really struggling to access education and employment.
It's really shocking that the government would renege on a treaty so soon after it was made, finding excuses within the span of 15 or so years to take the land in the Black Hills. I'm not surprised, but I am disappointed. It sounds like there was a lot of cruelty and callousness throughout history, even as these people were trying to act in good faith (ex/signing treaties, appealing to courts to make claims) with a system that was continuously preying on them. I really hope that some day they are able to return to their land. It's good to hear that Native people are in positions now where they can preserve some history and culture and share it with visitors.
It's really shocking that the government would renege on a treaty so soon after it was made, finding excuses within the span of 15 or so years to take the land in the Black Hills. I'm not surprised, but I am disappointed. It sounds like there was a lot of cruelty and callousness throughout history, even as these people were trying to act in good faith (ex/signing treaties, appealing to courts to make claims) with a system that was continuously preying on them. I really hope that some day they are able to return to their land. It's good to hear that Native people are in positions now where they can preserve some history and culture and share it with visitors.
November 1, 2012
Jeffrey Ostler has produced just what I was hoping someone would - a summary of Lakota history and an explanation of the status of their claim on the Black Hills. There is a lot packed into this short, readable book.
The first part is the sad story of the unequal military and bargaining power of the Lakota western plains natives and the "overlanders". As Spotted Tail, a Brule Lakota leader, said it was fruitless to resist the newcomers, "there were too many of them." (p. 45). The attitude of the settlers and their government was best described by Lone Horn (p. 67) "This is our land yet you blame us for fighting for it."
The second part is the century long history of the attempts of the Lakota to recover their land. There are judicial and legislative initiatives and generational changes in leadership. Most important is the public's evolution in the understanding of the plight of the Lakotas. The first generation of Lakota plaintiffs faced a government and a court system which defended the government's previous unlawful actions. Today, there is agreement that the Lakotas have been wronged and the issues surround how to address it.
I highly recommend this for anyone interested in Native Americans, their history and their current struggle.
The first part is the sad story of the unequal military and bargaining power of the Lakota western plains natives and the "overlanders". As Spotted Tail, a Brule Lakota leader, said it was fruitless to resist the newcomers, "there were too many of them." (p. 45). The attitude of the settlers and their government was best described by Lone Horn (p. 67) "This is our land yet you blame us for fighting for it."
The second part is the century long history of the attempts of the Lakota to recover their land. There are judicial and legislative initiatives and generational changes in leadership. Most important is the public's evolution in the understanding of the plight of the Lakotas. The first generation of Lakota plaintiffs faced a government and a court system which defended the government's previous unlawful actions. Today, there is agreement that the Lakotas have been wronged and the issues surround how to address it.
I highly recommend this for anyone interested in Native Americans, their history and their current struggle.
August 13, 2015
I was assigned this book in several of my American Indian studies classes when in college, and it's not hard at all to see why the professor preferred the book in her classes. Safe to say, it's also been one of the books that didn't get sold back at the end of the semester!
It's a great piece of reference that gives a good, broad overview over Lakota history and culture. It spans from creation stories and mythology like it, all the way to more contemporary issues.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to learn more about the Lakotas!
It's a great piece of reference that gives a good, broad overview over Lakota history and culture. It spans from creation stories and mythology like it, all the way to more contemporary issues.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to learn more about the Lakotas!
September 10, 2015
I bought this book at Devils Tower in northeastern Wyoming on a cross-country trip. What an intelligent, thorough, and heart-breaking account of the Lakota people and U.S. conduct--and misconduct--toward them. The book provides context and background for events many of us think we know about--such as Custer's "last stand" (which I now have to put in quotes, having read the book). When I read the book I realized how old, fragmented and tinged with bias much of my so-called knowledge turned out to be. Very well done.
August 16, 2013
Eye opening, a hard, well rounded look at the Indian conflict, which despite what most people probably think is far from over.
October 13, 2014
This book is about how the US took the Black Hills from the Lakota, and their battle to get it back (Spoiler Alert: They don't. In case you were wondering)
The book is much more exciting in the first half, which talked about how the Lakota lived, and how the Black Hills came to be the sacred land of the Lakota. It talks about the mythology, about the 'racetrack, and about the beings with two legs racing those with four and it's all pretty fascinating.
Then it moves into how people began to steadily encroach on their land. The Lakota (and many other Plains natives) never had much in the way of cities, so they weren't killed off by disease the way natives in the Northeast and South largely were (settlers' tales of abandoned homes with dead bodies, left by fleeing natives terrified of whatever had decimated their population attest to this). This tells of how Lakota found gold and put a death sentence on any Lakota who spoke of it, but news got out anyway, and the miners came. With the miners came the Army, then came battles (including one with one brevet-general George Armstrong Custer), then came reservations. The Lakota were among the last to go onto a reservation, it was never willingly, and the land was always too small to support the amount of people living on it, so they needed government subsidies to survive. These subsidies were used as negotiation tools, almost always in bad faith, were often stolen (government contracting has been the last refuge of the scoundrel since there were governments to contract), and then were deducted from the money that the Lakota were awarded for the government seizing the Black Hills.
One thing the book does touch on is the creation of Mount Rushmore. The carving of enormous heads of the men who helped take the land from the Lakota in their sacred ground is particularly galling.
The book talks extensively about the lawsuits brought against the US government over the Black Hills, beginning in earnest around 1900. Eventually, there were settlements in the Lakota's favor, in the 1980s, in the neighborhood of 8 figures. Interestingly, the Lakota turned it down, asking for parcels of the land back.
This is worth reading if you want to know more about how we have arrived at this crossroads with Native Americans in this country.
Owen Gardner Finnegan
The book is much more exciting in the first half, which talked about how the Lakota lived, and how the Black Hills came to be the sacred land of the Lakota. It talks about the mythology, about the 'racetrack, and about the beings with two legs racing those with four and it's all pretty fascinating.
Then it moves into how people began to steadily encroach on their land. The Lakota (and many other Plains natives) never had much in the way of cities, so they weren't killed off by disease the way natives in the Northeast and South largely were (settlers' tales of abandoned homes with dead bodies, left by fleeing natives terrified of whatever had decimated their population attest to this). This tells of how Lakota found gold and put a death sentence on any Lakota who spoke of it, but news got out anyway, and the miners came. With the miners came the Army, then came battles (including one with one brevet-general George Armstrong Custer), then came reservations. The Lakota were among the last to go onto a reservation, it was never willingly, and the land was always too small to support the amount of people living on it, so they needed government subsidies to survive. These subsidies were used as negotiation tools, almost always in bad faith, were often stolen (government contracting has been the last refuge of the scoundrel since there were governments to contract), and then were deducted from the money that the Lakota were awarded for the government seizing the Black Hills.
One thing the book does touch on is the creation of Mount Rushmore. The carving of enormous heads of the men who helped take the land from the Lakota in their sacred ground is particularly galling.
The book talks extensively about the lawsuits brought against the US government over the Black Hills, beginning in earnest around 1900. Eventually, there were settlements in the Lakota's favor, in the 1980s, in the neighborhood of 8 figures. Interestingly, the Lakota turned it down, asking for parcels of the land back.
This is worth reading if you want to know more about how we have arrived at this crossroads with Native Americans in this country.
Owen Gardner Finnegan
June 3, 2017
I picked this up in a store in South Dakota on my cross country drive last year, interested in knowing more about the Black Hills and South Dakota history. My grandmother was born in South Dakota, so there's a personal interest as well (though given the time frame, my ancestors are likely some of the settlers that were part of the expansion that created much of the conflict...)
This is a well researched and informative book on the history of the Lakota (and other) Native American Indians in the Black Hills and surrounding area from the time of the western "expansion" to almost present day.
Sad. Appalling. Tragic. These are the words that come to mind as I try to write this review, and describe so much of what happened at this point in history.
Most of the history is relatively known - the battles at Little Big Horn (aka Custer's last stand) and Wounded Knee, the confiscation of the land, the formation of reservations and agencies. I didn't know that something like 16K Lakota served in the armed forces, fighting in WWI and WWII.
After decades in court, the tribe was eventually awarded a settlement of $102 million, but they have not taken the money which has grown to $1 billion (or so) because they aren't after the money, but instead a return of what they consider to be sacred land. This is an area where economic prospects are limited... but they hold fast to the idea that the land was never for sale, and that the "treaty" of 1868 that took the land from them was never valid. And honestly, how could it have been? You have a culture that believes in the value of the spoken word against apparently dishonorable politicians who had a backup strategy of termination of the Lakota / Sioux writing a treaty in English that they can't read, and not getting signatures from 3/4 of the men of the Tribe as promised.
After reading this, I felt motivated to send a donation to the Crazy Horse Memorial*, which remains unfinished. Guilt? Maybe. Crazy Horse Memorial Donations
* The Crazy Horse Memorial is near Mt. Rushmore, which initially was supposed to include Western heroes, including Red Cloud, one of the Oglala Lakota, but the sculptor decided to change the subject for "broader appeal". It was, after all, conceived as a way to get more tourist $$ into the area.
This is a well researched and informative book on the history of the Lakota (and other) Native American Indians in the Black Hills and surrounding area from the time of the western "expansion" to almost present day.
Sad. Appalling. Tragic. These are the words that come to mind as I try to write this review, and describe so much of what happened at this point in history.
Most of the history is relatively known - the battles at Little Big Horn (aka Custer's last stand) and Wounded Knee, the confiscation of the land, the formation of reservations and agencies. I didn't know that something like 16K Lakota served in the armed forces, fighting in WWI and WWII.
After decades in court, the tribe was eventually awarded a settlement of $102 million, but they have not taken the money which has grown to $1 billion (or so) because they aren't after the money, but instead a return of what they consider to be sacred land. This is an area where economic prospects are limited... but they hold fast to the idea that the land was never for sale, and that the "treaty" of 1868 that took the land from them was never valid. And honestly, how could it have been? You have a culture that believes in the value of the spoken word against apparently dishonorable politicians who had a backup strategy of termination of the Lakota / Sioux writing a treaty in English that they can't read, and not getting signatures from 3/4 of the men of the Tribe as promised.
After reading this, I felt motivated to send a donation to the Crazy Horse Memorial*, which remains unfinished. Guilt? Maybe. Crazy Horse Memorial Donations
* The Crazy Horse Memorial is near Mt. Rushmore, which initially was supposed to include Western heroes, including Red Cloud, one of the Oglala Lakota, but the sculptor decided to change the subject for "broader appeal". It was, after all, conceived as a way to get more tourist $$ into the area.
August 9, 2010
I consider this a reference book. It's a meticulous outline of the history of the Black Hills and the Lakota people from ancient myths to the present day. The bibliography and notes seem to validate its position as a scholarly work. The author provides little depth but you do feel he has noted all the important trends and events. I particularly liked his examination of the post-1960 political and legal struggles of the Lakota to win the return of the Black Hills. If you're really interested, you might want to use this book as a guide to determine which periods you would most like examine in depth.
January 24, 2018
As a native South Dakotan, I was very interested in this short, readable history of the Lakotas and the Black Hills. While I knew fragments of this history and had read some of the court rulings, I was not familiar with many of the Lakota sources (including the winter counts and oral histories) as well as other contemporaneous documents that are essential to a full understanding of the complex situation. Seven of the 25 poorest counties in the U.S. (by per capita income) are located within reservations in South Dakota. By reading this history, we can better understand how that situation came to exist. The much harder question is how it can be fixed.
July 19, 2011
Well written and the most objective book I have read on the subject. I also appreciated that this book covered such a long period so you could get more context for everything that happened. Read like a textbook, but on an interesting subject.
January 6, 2012
Read for my ASB Trip.
Informative but often dry. The second half goes far faster than the first half, somehow.
Informative but often dry. The second half goes far faster than the first half, somehow.
December 13, 2017
Mostly about legal battles over Lakota land. Jarndyce v. Jarndyce v. Crazy Horse.
February 2, 2018
Fantastic!
August 9, 2017
"Although the expedition [into the Black Hills] gained governmental approval, it did so over the objections of humanitarians, the secretary of the interior, and the commissioner of Indian affairs, who argued that the expedition violated the 1868 treaty and would likely lead to further transgressions." pg. 81
"As always, one of the challenges facing Lakotas in the early twentieth century was the threat of further land loss. The taking of the Black Hills had been devastating, a wound that might never heal...At one level, Lakotas wanted to retain as much land as possible because of its importance to their tribal identity. The destruction of the buffalo, and the taking of the Black Hills had already damaged Lakotas' sense of being a strong and independent people. To lose even more of their land threatened nothing less than then end of the Lakota nation.
Unfortunately, the Lakotas' emerging cattle industry suffered serious setbacks in the late 1910s...
The result of all of this was the Lakotas continued to be dependent on the government. Though government officials frequently contended the Lakotas were lazy of incapable of planning for the future, this dependence was actually the result of real and serious structural obstacles to Lakota self-sufficiency--an eroding land base, inexperience with a capitalist economy, and cultural opposition to individual acquisitiveness. There was also a lack of economic opportunity." pp. 125-127
"...That view of history lay at the heart of the major Supreme Court decisions that would serve as precedents for the Court of Claims in its deliberations. The most important of those decisions was Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock, issued in 1903...In a major blow to tribal sovereignty, the Supreme Court ruled in Lone Wolf that Congress possessed "plenary power" over Indian affairs and therefore had the right to abrogate treaties. The Court did not investigate the historical facts, assuming that there was no need to...Even if a high value for the loss of the Black Hills was established, the government would surely argue that funds spent supporting the Lakotas since 1877 should be counted as an "offset" for this value. This amount could easily devour most or all of a judgment." pp. 139-140
"Case valued the Black Hills at $189 million. With interest, the Lakotas were entitled to $750 million under the Fifth Amendment's provision that the taking of property required "just compensation." p6. 141
"The collapse of the national economy in 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression brought misery to almost everyone on the northern Plains. Indians were hit the hardest...Lakotas were forced to sell the few assets they had accumulated. The government increased rations and provided temporary relief work through New Deal programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration.
The New Deal also promised a new relationship between the tribes and the federal government through the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act (IRA). The legislation ended allotment, funded tribal economic development, and allowed tribes to adopt constitutions and organize governments [which many already had in place before the arrival of Europeans]. Yet, tribal constitutions were subject to U.S. approval and imposed what many Indians regarded as alien forms of political organization. Lakotas voted to accept IRA, though more conservative "Old Dealers" were opposed and continued to regard the IRA tribal councils as illegitimate." pp. 142-143
"Although Borglum thought that "women are wonderful things" and admired the Lakotas as "the Romans among the red me," he was determined to keep Mount Rushmore and unambiguous symbol of male manifest destiny.
Mount Rushmore was completed in October 1941, eight months before the Court of Claims rejected the Black Hills claim. Although there was no direct link between the two events, their coincidence underscored widespread American assumptions about U.S. history." pg. 147
"Black Elk's prayer atop Mount Rushmore revealed that many Lakotas continued to maintain strong ties to the Black Hills. Ironically, tourism provided opportunities to keep these connections alive. In addition to the Duhamel pageant, Lakotas participated in the Water Carnival at Hot Springs, Gold Discovery Days at Custer and an Indian camp and exhibit at Wind Cave National Park." pg. 148
"When the Oahe Dam was dedicated in 1962, President John F. Kennedy remarked that its completion illustrated "how much a free society can make the most of its God-given resources," but Cheyenne River tribal member Ellen Ducheneaux, when asked to list the benefits of the dam for her people, replied "effects all bad, benefits none." pg. 157
"Arguing the claim as a Fifth Amendment violation risked being defeated by the still-powerful precedent of Lone Wolf, but they hoped to persuade the ICC that Lone Wolf did not require dismissal of the claim." pg. 160
"Three weeks after the Supreme Court's decision, Mario Gonzalez, tribal attorney for the Oglala Sioux Tribe, filed suit in U. S. District Court asking for the return of the Black Hills and $11 billion in damages for the denial of the tribe's use and occupancy of the Hills over the past 103 years. The tribe further argued that because it had allowed its contract with Sonosky and Lazarus to expire in 1977 and had not authorized the attorneys to refile claim in 1978, it was not a party to the Supreme Court decision. Accordingly, the settlement should not be paid. Fifty-seven years after the original filing, the Lakotas had finally won the Black Hills claim. Instead of taking the money, they were now in the position, unimaginable, through most of the twentieth century, of trying to stop the government from taking it." pp. 165-166
"Lakotas did not reject compensation because they had no need of the money...The tribal governments could have decided to use compensation monies to invest in economic development, education, and health care, but most Lakotas did not think this would improve their lives enough to warrant throwing away the possibility of regaining the land itself. In theory, the Lakotas could have taken the money and still worked for the return of the land, but they felt that accepting compensation was tantamount to agreeing to a sale. Most saw selling the land as a betrayal of Lakota values." pp. 175-176
"In July 1980, Gonzalez filed suit in U.S. District Court asking for the recognition of Lakota title to the Black Hills and $11 billion in damages for the denial of the tribe's use and occupancy of the hills since their confiscation. Like previous attorneys, Gonzalez argued that the taking of the Black Hills violated the Fifth Amendment. In a new twist, however, he contended that the government had done so not for a public purpose but for the private purpose of securing individual mining claims." pg. 177
"While Lakotas sometimes claimed an unbroken occupancy of the Black Hills from "time immemorial," others proposed a synthesis of east-west migration and a much older relationship to the Hills...
Many non-Lakota scholars agreed with the Lakota position that the Black Hills had been sacred to them at the time the Hills were taken, if not long before...Most scholars, however, did not necessarily accept the theory that the Black Hills had been at the heart of Lakota territory without interruption for several hundred years or more...World history provides examples of peoples leaving a holy land and returning after a very long period of time." pp. 183-184 [what comes to mind first is the Jews/The Nation of Israel.
"In the end, the Lakotas' argument for returning the Black Hills does not necessarily require establishing an ancient connection to the land...The government's confiscation of the Hills in 1876-1877 was established by the Supreme Court to have violated the 1868 treaty regardless of the religious significance the Lakotas ascribed to the land at the time." PP. 184-185
"As always, one of the challenges facing Lakotas in the early twentieth century was the threat of further land loss. The taking of the Black Hills had been devastating, a wound that might never heal...At one level, Lakotas wanted to retain as much land as possible because of its importance to their tribal identity. The destruction of the buffalo, and the taking of the Black Hills had already damaged Lakotas' sense of being a strong and independent people. To lose even more of their land threatened nothing less than then end of the Lakota nation.
Unfortunately, the Lakotas' emerging cattle industry suffered serious setbacks in the late 1910s...
The result of all of this was the Lakotas continued to be dependent on the government. Though government officials frequently contended the Lakotas were lazy of incapable of planning for the future, this dependence was actually the result of real and serious structural obstacles to Lakota self-sufficiency--an eroding land base, inexperience with a capitalist economy, and cultural opposition to individual acquisitiveness. There was also a lack of economic opportunity." pp. 125-127
"...That view of history lay at the heart of the major Supreme Court decisions that would serve as precedents for the Court of Claims in its deliberations. The most important of those decisions was Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock, issued in 1903...In a major blow to tribal sovereignty, the Supreme Court ruled in Lone Wolf that Congress possessed "plenary power" over Indian affairs and therefore had the right to abrogate treaties. The Court did not investigate the historical facts, assuming that there was no need to...Even if a high value for the loss of the Black Hills was established, the government would surely argue that funds spent supporting the Lakotas since 1877 should be counted as an "offset" for this value. This amount could easily devour most or all of a judgment." pp. 139-140
"Case valued the Black Hills at $189 million. With interest, the Lakotas were entitled to $750 million under the Fifth Amendment's provision that the taking of property required "just compensation." p6. 141
"The collapse of the national economy in 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression brought misery to almost everyone on the northern Plains. Indians were hit the hardest...Lakotas were forced to sell the few assets they had accumulated. The government increased rations and provided temporary relief work through New Deal programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration.
The New Deal also promised a new relationship between the tribes and the federal government through the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act (IRA). The legislation ended allotment, funded tribal economic development, and allowed tribes to adopt constitutions and organize governments [which many already had in place before the arrival of Europeans]. Yet, tribal constitutions were subject to U.S. approval and imposed what many Indians regarded as alien forms of political organization. Lakotas voted to accept IRA, though more conservative "Old Dealers" were opposed and continued to regard the IRA tribal councils as illegitimate." pp. 142-143
"Although Borglum thought that "women are wonderful things" and admired the Lakotas as "the Romans among the red me," he was determined to keep Mount Rushmore and unambiguous symbol of male manifest destiny.
Mount Rushmore was completed in October 1941, eight months before the Court of Claims rejected the Black Hills claim. Although there was no direct link between the two events, their coincidence underscored widespread American assumptions about U.S. history." pg. 147
"Black Elk's prayer atop Mount Rushmore revealed that many Lakotas continued to maintain strong ties to the Black Hills. Ironically, tourism provided opportunities to keep these connections alive. In addition to the Duhamel pageant, Lakotas participated in the Water Carnival at Hot Springs, Gold Discovery Days at Custer and an Indian camp and exhibit at Wind Cave National Park." pg. 148
"When the Oahe Dam was dedicated in 1962, President John F. Kennedy remarked that its completion illustrated "how much a free society can make the most of its God-given resources," but Cheyenne River tribal member Ellen Ducheneaux, when asked to list the benefits of the dam for her people, replied "effects all bad, benefits none." pg. 157
"Arguing the claim as a Fifth Amendment violation risked being defeated by the still-powerful precedent of Lone Wolf, but they hoped to persuade the ICC that Lone Wolf did not require dismissal of the claim." pg. 160
"Three weeks after the Supreme Court's decision, Mario Gonzalez, tribal attorney for the Oglala Sioux Tribe, filed suit in U. S. District Court asking for the return of the Black Hills and $11 billion in damages for the denial of the tribe's use and occupancy of the Hills over the past 103 years. The tribe further argued that because it had allowed its contract with Sonosky and Lazarus to expire in 1977 and had not authorized the attorneys to refile claim in 1978, it was not a party to the Supreme Court decision. Accordingly, the settlement should not be paid. Fifty-seven years after the original filing, the Lakotas had finally won the Black Hills claim. Instead of taking the money, they were now in the position, unimaginable, through most of the twentieth century, of trying to stop the government from taking it." pp. 165-166
"Lakotas did not reject compensation because they had no need of the money...The tribal governments could have decided to use compensation monies to invest in economic development, education, and health care, but most Lakotas did not think this would improve their lives enough to warrant throwing away the possibility of regaining the land itself. In theory, the Lakotas could have taken the money and still worked for the return of the land, but they felt that accepting compensation was tantamount to agreeing to a sale. Most saw selling the land as a betrayal of Lakota values." pp. 175-176
"In July 1980, Gonzalez filed suit in U.S. District Court asking for the recognition of Lakota title to the Black Hills and $11 billion in damages for the denial of the tribe's use and occupancy of the hills since their confiscation. Like previous attorneys, Gonzalez argued that the taking of the Black Hills violated the Fifth Amendment. In a new twist, however, he contended that the government had done so not for a public purpose but for the private purpose of securing individual mining claims." pg. 177
"While Lakotas sometimes claimed an unbroken occupancy of the Black Hills from "time immemorial," others proposed a synthesis of east-west migration and a much older relationship to the Hills...
Many non-Lakota scholars agreed with the Lakota position that the Black Hills had been sacred to them at the time the Hills were taken, if not long before...Most scholars, however, did not necessarily accept the theory that the Black Hills had been at the heart of Lakota territory without interruption for several hundred years or more...World history provides examples of peoples leaving a holy land and returning after a very long period of time." pp. 183-184 [what comes to mind first is the Jews/The Nation of Israel.
"In the end, the Lakotas' argument for returning the Black Hills does not necessarily require establishing an ancient connection to the land...The government's confiscation of the Hills in 1876-1877 was established by the Supreme Court to have violated the 1868 treaty regardless of the religious significance the Lakotas ascribed to the land at the time." PP. 184-185
February 19, 2025
Jeffrey Ostler offers a comprehensive yet concise history of the Lakota people’s relationship to and battle for the Black Hills of present day South Dakota. Though the Lakotas were not the first Indians in that region, Ostler argues that the Hills acquired deep spiritual resonance for the tribe by the time they settled there in the early 1800s. As American expansion moved west, conflicts arose between the Lakotas and overlanders, Oregon Trail pioneers, and—with frustrating regularity—the U.S. military.
This eventually led to a series of treaties between the Lakota people and the U.S. government, which acknowledged, among other things, the tribe’s sovereignty and claims to specific land. Remarkably, the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie included all of present day S.D. west of the Missouri River within the Great Sioux Reservation, of which the Lakota were granted “absolute and undisturbed use and occupation.” By 1874, however, the Fed had found a compelling reason to rethink its promises: *gold in the Hills.*
The Black Hills gold rush precipitated many of the tragedies that followed: wild encroachment and gold mining on Lakota lands, the Battle of Little Bighorn, and, ultimately, the confiscation of the Black Hills by the U.S. government, in violation of its 1868 treaty.
This move was also a violation of the Fifth Amendment, according to a ruling by the Supreme Court… in 1980.
The second half of this book covers the modern-day legal proceedings between the government and the Lakota people. I agree with reviewers who found its contents a tad dry compared to the riveting story Ostler tells in the book’s first half. Even so, it’s no less important in conveying the experience of the Lakotas, who, to this day, have collectively refused the Fed’s buyout of over $2B. The Black Hills are not for sale, they reply.
Although I’ve lived in South Dakota for nearly twenty years, I confess I’ve been oblivious to much of this history surrounding the Black Hills—a place I also deeply love. I appreciated Ostler’s fair-minded account and lucid prose. At times, his opinions show through his sparse modifiers, but I suppose that’s inevitable of any author committed to recounting such a thorny chapter of America’s past.
This eventually led to a series of treaties between the Lakota people and the U.S. government, which acknowledged, among other things, the tribe’s sovereignty and claims to specific land. Remarkably, the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie included all of present day S.D. west of the Missouri River within the Great Sioux Reservation, of which the Lakota were granted “absolute and undisturbed use and occupation.” By 1874, however, the Fed had found a compelling reason to rethink its promises: *gold in the Hills.*
The Black Hills gold rush precipitated many of the tragedies that followed: wild encroachment and gold mining on Lakota lands, the Battle of Little Bighorn, and, ultimately, the confiscation of the Black Hills by the U.S. government, in violation of its 1868 treaty.
This move was also a violation of the Fifth Amendment, according to a ruling by the Supreme Court… in 1980.
The second half of this book covers the modern-day legal proceedings between the government and the Lakota people. I agree with reviewers who found its contents a tad dry compared to the riveting story Ostler tells in the book’s first half. Even so, it’s no less important in conveying the experience of the Lakotas, who, to this day, have collectively refused the Fed’s buyout of over $2B. The Black Hills are not for sale, they reply.
Although I’ve lived in South Dakota for nearly twenty years, I confess I’ve been oblivious to much of this history surrounding the Black Hills—a place I also deeply love. I appreciated Ostler’s fair-minded account and lucid prose. At times, his opinions show through his sparse modifiers, but I suppose that’s inevitable of any author committed to recounting such a thorny chapter of America’s past.
June 6, 2019
Ostler's overview of the Lakota tribe's history with the U.S. government and the Black Hills is fascinating and comprehensive, but ultimately a bit disappointing. It is a fact that the story of the Lakotas and the struggle over their sacred ground is not complete, but the beginnings of the book don't make this clear, so that when you reach the end (such as it is) the book ends up feeling like a survey of the situation's history for use in a government report of some kind. This is not bad, in and of itself, but it just feels like something that the book doesn't set itself up for in its beginning. That being said, Ostler's writing is clear and engaging, and he does a nice job of clarifying the differing treaties, strands of thought, and interpretations surrounding the Lakota's precarious position with regard to the government and their land. There was a lot to learn in this book, and I enjoyed my time with it, but it just ended up being a bit different than I expected and than it advertised, which kind of threw me for a loop.
July 6, 2024
My understanding of the Black Hills and its history are limited, but I have gained an interest after traveling to that area recently. I found this book to be a great overview of the struggles, both legally and morally, surrounding the area and its inhabitants, with sources to allow a further dive into specifics.
February 10, 2013
The treatment of Native Americans by the US Government has been abysmal; honoring treaties has not been on the agenda. Jeff Ostler is a professor of history at the University of Oregon, his book is a scholarly, well researched narrative but not the least bit dry, it is a very readable, engrossing story.
The Black Hills are sacred to the Lakotas, a place they believe where life began. How they lost this land and their fight to regain their rightful property is told in a fair and balanced manner. Ostler opens with a description of the Black Hills that beautifully sets the scene, bringing you to feel as if you are standing in this stark, beautiful landscape and letting you know what that land means to the Lakota. He starts at the beginning, with the Lakotas first interactions with what was basically an invasion of their territory. First there were settlers passing through, heading west, then gold fever, and finally settlers who wanted the Lakota gone so they could have the land.
What is especially gripping about this book is the way Ostler takes you through the whole story, from the negotiation for passage through Lakota land, to the building of forts, and the signing of treaties that were not fully disclosed to the Lakota (the did not read English and were not versed in contract law). The Gold Rush of 1874 put more pressure on the tribe. Custer’s disaster at Little Big Horn had an impact on the minds of leaders back in Washington DC and affected the Lakota. Expect to hear about the involvement of many a famous name, Red Cloud, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse among others. The Lakota’s situation became more and more untenable as the game they relied on was driven out by the settlers. Hungry and facing waves of settlers they could not turn away, the Lakota were put on reservations.
Conflicting claims on this sacred land continue. The Lakota have been involved in a lengthy, decades long, legal battle to regain the Black Hills. Ostler does an excellent job in informing the reader of the legal maneuvering, setbacks, victories and long term goals, truly involving the reader in this ongoing struggle. The Lakota do not want to settle for compensation they want their land. But the land has other claimants; it is home to Mount Rushmore and a destination for tourists. Resolution may be complicated.
This book is rich in history written in an accessible, very readable, and captivating style. I enjoyed reading it very much; it gives a deeper understanding of this chapter in history. And it is a very interesting story. Jeff Ostler has a mastery of his subject that brings this story to life.
The Black Hills are sacred to the Lakotas, a place they believe where life began. How they lost this land and their fight to regain their rightful property is told in a fair and balanced manner. Ostler opens with a description of the Black Hills that beautifully sets the scene, bringing you to feel as if you are standing in this stark, beautiful landscape and letting you know what that land means to the Lakota. He starts at the beginning, with the Lakotas first interactions with what was basically an invasion of their territory. First there were settlers passing through, heading west, then gold fever, and finally settlers who wanted the Lakota gone so they could have the land.
What is especially gripping about this book is the way Ostler takes you through the whole story, from the negotiation for passage through Lakota land, to the building of forts, and the signing of treaties that were not fully disclosed to the Lakota (the did not read English and were not versed in contract law). The Gold Rush of 1874 put more pressure on the tribe. Custer’s disaster at Little Big Horn had an impact on the minds of leaders back in Washington DC and affected the Lakota. Expect to hear about the involvement of many a famous name, Red Cloud, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse among others. The Lakota’s situation became more and more untenable as the game they relied on was driven out by the settlers. Hungry and facing waves of settlers they could not turn away, the Lakota were put on reservations.
Conflicting claims on this sacred land continue. The Lakota have been involved in a lengthy, decades long, legal battle to regain the Black Hills. Ostler does an excellent job in informing the reader of the legal maneuvering, setbacks, victories and long term goals, truly involving the reader in this ongoing struggle. The Lakota do not want to settle for compensation they want their land. But the land has other claimants; it is home to Mount Rushmore and a destination for tourists. Resolution may be complicated.
This book is rich in history written in an accessible, very readable, and captivating style. I enjoyed reading it very much; it gives a deeper understanding of this chapter in history. And it is a very interesting story. Jeff Ostler has a mastery of his subject that brings this story to life.
December 11, 2012
"Sacred Ground" is a scholarly rundown of how the American Indians of the Black Hills of South Dakota were overrun by a flood of white immigrants, and the Indians' generational effort to be compensated or, finally, to have their land simply given back.
Ostler tells a tale not only of promises made and broken by the U.S. government (which at the start of things considered Indians subhuman savages) but also the changing attitudes of the Lakotas themselves, which were by no means homogenous. By the time their decades-long court battle won a large cash settlement in the 1970s, the group had radicalized and spawned the American Indian Movement and Russell Means, who called for a return of the Black Hills land and refused to accept the cash award, which has been accruing interest for nearly a half-century now.
The book is sympathetic to the Indians' plight, but also asks the question whether the US is just the latest (and the most overwhelming) in a series of enemies against which the Lakotas have defended their ancestral home for eons.
Although not a gripping read, the book is mildly entertaining, in part because of the amusing Indian names (Man Afraid of His Horses comes to mind) and because of the inclusion of famous Indians such as Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, both of whom were in the running to be memorialized at Mount Rushmore before famous U.S. politicians took their place in a fitting analog to the story of the beleaguered Indians.
(Bill Bradley and Jimmy Carter were notably sympathetic to the Indians.)
The scope of the book is too broad to allow for penetrating insights, but it offers a good overview of the ongoing conflict.
Ostler tells a tale not only of promises made and broken by the U.S. government (which at the start of things considered Indians subhuman savages) but also the changing attitudes of the Lakotas themselves, which were by no means homogenous. By the time their decades-long court battle won a large cash settlement in the 1970s, the group had radicalized and spawned the American Indian Movement and Russell Means, who called for a return of the Black Hills land and refused to accept the cash award, which has been accruing interest for nearly a half-century now.
The book is sympathetic to the Indians' plight, but also asks the question whether the US is just the latest (and the most overwhelming) in a series of enemies against which the Lakotas have defended their ancestral home for eons.
Although not a gripping read, the book is mildly entertaining, in part because of the amusing Indian names (Man Afraid of His Horses comes to mind) and because of the inclusion of famous Indians such as Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, both of whom were in the running to be memorialized at Mount Rushmore before famous U.S. politicians took their place in a fitting analog to the story of the beleaguered Indians.
(Bill Bradley and Jimmy Carter were notably sympathetic to the Indians.)
The scope of the book is too broad to allow for penetrating insights, but it offers a good overview of the ongoing conflict.
October 15, 2012
I listened to this as an audio book, mostly during my early morning workouts before work. It provides a very informative history of the Sioux, Lakotas, and US - native American relations in general, including treaty making and treaty breaking. Two interesting bits that stick with me 1) the first concern of the US government was to provide passage for their citizens to the west coast through Lakota lands, while the initial concern of the Lakotas was the buffalo habitat destruction caused by the settlers' passage on the overland trail and 2) when the US switched policies from isolation of Indians on reservations to assimilation they allotted reservation lands to individual Indians. But, the intent was to allot less than the full amount of lands, leaving land that was one on the reservation for settlement by US citizens. So, the whole idea of assimilation was disingenuous like so much of the rest of US policy towards Indians. The recent history of the Lakotas' attempts to reclaim the Black Hills is interesting and very apropos to current events.
January 19, 2022
A well-written narrative of Lakota-US relations with a focus on land disputes over the Black Hills. Unsurprisingly, the story is pretty depressing and the actions of US government officials are unimpressive for nearly the entire period in question (roughly the last 150 years). It is not clear to me what further legal challenges can be made since the Supreme Court has already ruled on Lakota claims to the Black Hills. Any more movement towards returning even parts of that land to their management, to say nothing of transferring sovereignty over the land to the Lakotas, will probably have to wait for legislation from Congress. This book provides a good overview of these legal and legislative issues and even if the author's point of view is clear, nonetheless the evidence and citations marshaled are numerous enough that readers are given a good opportunity to review those arguments themselves.
August 19, 2010
This book discusses the efforts of the Lakota people to regain possession of the Black Hills in South Dakota, a place of historical, spiritual and cultural significance for them. The first part of the book discusses the processes by which the US Government took possession of the Black Hills from the Lakota by defeating them on the battlefield, abrogating treaty provisions, violating their fifth amendment rights under the US Consitution, and other less than honorable means. The second part of the book discusses the legal efforts by the Lakota to regain possession through the US judicial and legislative processes. While they eventually won a compensatory settlement, the Lakota have not yet accepted it saying that the Hills are ours and are not for sale.
Read
May 30, 2011Lakotas in the Black hills: the struggle for Sacred Ground, by Jeff Ostler, narrated by George Wilson, produced by recorded Books, downloaded from audible.com.
professor and award-winning author Jeffrey Ostler recounts the Lakota Sioux's loss of their spiritual homeland, the Black Hills, and their
continuing legal battle to regain it. Moving easily from battlefields to reservations to Supreme Court chambers, Ostler captures the strength that bore
the Lakotas through the worst times and keeps alive the dream of reclaiming their cherishedBlack Hills.
professor and award-winning author Jeffrey Ostler recounts the Lakota Sioux's loss of their spiritual homeland, the Black Hills, and their
continuing legal battle to regain it. Moving easily from battlefields to reservations to Supreme Court chambers, Ostler captures the strength that bore
the Lakotas through the worst times and keeps alive the dream of reclaiming their cherishedBlack Hills.
March 31, 2018
I grew up watching pretty much every TV Western show I could. As a result, I've always been fascinated by American history, and especially the way that the Native Americans have been treated (or, more honestly, mistreated). This book is a well-grounded look at the history of the Black Hills of Dakota, a fascinating subject. It does tend to dwell rather on more modern history of the lawsuits involved in the Lakota attempts to reclaim the Hills, which is why I deducted a star, but the early chapters are wonderful.
May 26, 2011
This book will shatter any stereotypes you may have. Even the casual but somewhat serious reader will enjoy this book as my book club did recently. Each of us came away from the book with new insights into the Sioux and other tribes. The detailed account of treaties and incursions was excellent but the book can also be read solely from the perspective of the sweep of history. It is an engaging read.
March 10, 2011
Effective attempt at impartial historical narrative: this book. I have my own (highly politicized) views on the conflict explored by Jeffrey Ostler, and I have to say just about everyone who writes on the subject does, which made this effort at objectivity appreciable. I'm not sure success is possible, although if you asked the courts, every writer or politician or activist who has knowledge of it, and the heads on Mount Rushmore, someone might disagree. Quick, decent read.
November 16, 2012
Good look into the Lakotas and their relationship with the Black Hills. I listened to the audiobook -- the reader came a little close to being soporific and I sometimes found my mind wandering, even though the text was usually interesting. I hope the paper copy of the book contains photos. As I listened, there were many times I wish I could have seen some -- they would have been a great enhancement.
June 24, 2017
This is an excellent read that brings Lakota history with Euro-America up to date. If you have a no-to-poor background in Native history (for example, how much time did you spend covering the King Philip's War in school vs. the Revolution?), this is a MUST read. You know the names...Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, Custer, Sherman, but also Black Elk, Manypenny, Case, Rehnquist and, of course, the Black Hills. After reading, get to know your local Native peoples and their history too!
June 11, 2013
A good history. Though the Euro-American treatment of North America's indigenous people is lamentable in more instances and ways than I can enumerate, the Lakota's claim to the Black Hills seems a little disingenuous since they had taken it from the vanquished Cheyenne just 100 years before. The history of North America and the world is one of conquest. I'm not saying it's right, but it is true.
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