Little Crow: Spokesman for the Sioux

Gary C. Anderson is an expert on Dakota/Sioux history. His doctoral dissertation, published under the title "Kinsmen of Another Kind," discussed Dakota/White relations from the 17th to the 19th century. In "Through Dakota Eyes," Anderson collected dozens of Indian narratives concerning the 1862 Dakota uprising in Southeastern Minnesota. This book, "Little Crow: Spokesman for the Sioux," finds Anderson delving deep into the archives in order to present a better picture of that enigmatic Dakota chief Taoyateduta, known to history as Little Crow. The main thesis of Anderson's "Kinsmen of Another Kind" was the importance of kinship ties within the Dakota tribes as well as with outsiders. Traders formed kinship ties with the Dakota because the ties allowed the traders to use the Dakotas to gather furs for them. Dakotas benefited from kinship ties because the ties involved gift giving. Whites had to give gifts to the Dakotas if they wanted to maintain trade and relations. As more and more whites moved into the region, kinship ties slowly disintegrated because whites no longer needed to deal with the Dakotas on an equal basis. It is important to understand these kinship ties when reading "Little Crow," as Anderson again makes these relationships central to his study.Anderson begins his biographical analysis of Little Crow with an overview of Dakota culture. According to Anderson, it is impossible to understand anything about Little Crow's life and actions unless we understand his cultural underpinnings. Anderson discusses hunting, gift giving, medicine sacks and medicine societies, Dakota religion, and the role of a chief in Dakota society (chiefs, according to Anderson, held little actual power over the warriors; it was the position of speaker that held greater power, something Little Crow found out when he led the Dakota warriors during the 1862 uprising).Little Crow's life is truly fascinating. Anderson discusses in great depth the role of Little Crow's grandfather and father in their relations with the Americans at Fort Snelling. Little Crow's grandfather and father took an accommodationist stance towards white encroachment on Dakota lands, trying to toe the fine line between keeping the Dakota people happy while dealing with the whites. Anderson argues that Little Crow, despite the bad reputation he earned due to the uprising, was an accommodationist just like his father and grandfather. Time and time again, Little Crow worked with the white Indian agents and soldiers to try and benefit his people. Little Crow was intimately involved in signing several treaties with the government, worked hard to placate the government after the Inkpaduta affair of 1857, and tried to prevent war in 1862. That Little Crow failed in his dealings with the government and failed to stop the uprising is certainly a tragedy, but should not overshadow his attempts to do the right thing for his people. Ultimately, no Dakota leader could have prevented the coming doom. Littl

Little Crow, Spokesman For the Sioux is a reissuing of a well-researched biography of the famous Mdewakanton chief from Kaposia (Minnesota), presented complete with period drawings, illustrations, and maps as well as an exhaustive genealogy of Little Crow (Appendix 2) which helps to explain his complicated series of alliances and growth to power. Little Crow, or Ta-o-ya-te-du-ta is presented as a reluctant war leader and a persistent accommodater, politician and tribal spokesman, a position earned partly by blood and good alliances and partly by sacrifice and risk. The Mdewakanton's experience of betrayal, disillusionment, cultural displacement and dissolution in the war of 1862 is central to the life experience of Little Crow. His death is presented as a metaphor for his life and that of his people. In "The Last Campaign" it is asked why Little crow returned to the Minnesota Frontier in September of 1862, where it was almost certain that he would be killed. Though he spoke of obtaining a horse for each of his children, it seems more plausible that he willingly headed towards his death as a deliberate sacrifice, being blamed for the war by both whites and Mdewakanton Sioux. This is the tragedy of Little Crow's life.Faithful to the conclusions suggested by his richly varied sources, Anderson presents a realistic yet compassionate portrayal of a great Mdewakanton chief. This is a scholarly work that reads smoothly and gives good tapestry detail. Colored plates of paintings enrich the text.Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

I live in the city of Hutchinson, MN in McLeod County. Six miles north of this city is a marker identifying the site where Little Crow was shot by a local farmer. The farmer had no idea who he was shooting at, just that it was an Indian and he would collect a bounty for his scalp.Our city has a bronze statue of Little Crow looking out over the Crow River near the dam on the Main Street. Up until the time that I read this book, that summed up most of what I knew of Little Crow, the Sioux legend. We choose to drop the name Sioux that was given this people by our own ancestors, the Ojibwe. In our language it means "Snake". Their word for themselves is Dakota. It means "Friend".Now I feel as though I know him as a man. I know of his character, his integrity, his family, his people. I know a great wrong was done.At the present time there is a group of people involved in planning and hosting a reconciliation and restitution concerning the events that touched this city in regards to Taoyateduta (Little Crow) and his people. A direct descendant of Taoyateduta (meaning His Red Nation) and a direct descendant of the man who shot him will be part of the event, asking forgiveness of one another. It is never too late to say, "I'm sorry. Will you forgive?"This book has been instrumental in opening the door to the healing of this ancient wound that is still alive in many hearts.

This is the story of the life and times of Little Crow, the man chosen to speak for the Dakota nation. He was one of the principal men who went to Washington, D.C. working on treaty negotiations for his people. The Dakota people had suffered treaty abuses for many years, losing vast tracts of land with each treaty. The many treaties made between the Dakota Nation and the United States were soon broken. Money promised by treaty never made it intact to the Dakota people, being siphoned off by greedy merchants and military personnel. The small sums which finally arrived late were never enough to cover the inflated prices set by the traders. Those same traders tricked the Dakota people into signing papers which forced the available monies directly to the traders pockets, bypassing the Dakota people entirely. Speculators were selling off parcels left and right before the treaties were even signed. With encroachment, the natural dynamics of the land were destroyed, ruining the traditional hunting and gathering places. With no traditional food sources available, the Dakota were forced to buy from the traders. One fatal year, during the Civil War, the treaty monies were extremely late. The traders would not allow the abundant food in the storehouses to be distributed without payment in hand. The people were starving. Desperate men, worried about their families, took matters into their own hands to liberate the food stored in the warehouses. The Dakota went to war, up & down the Minnesota river valley forcing the inadequate army through it's paces. Individual warriors went on raids against the local settlers while the majority of the warriors organized themselves into war parties against the army. Hundreds of Dakota warriors were tricked into surrendering as prisoners of war and imprisoned. Their families were impounded in miserable stockades. Those warriors who could, took their families and fled to Canada and the plains. The Minnesota settlers demanded that all the warriors be summarily executed. The mock military trial comdemned any man who had participated in the war to death. Of the hundreds of men captured, 38 were hanged in Mankato in a mass execution the day after Christmas. The remaing warriors were imprisoned for up to five years before being released. Their families were shipped out to Crow Creek in South Dakota where they died of starvation and disease. Little Crow was blamed for starting the War and a price put on his head. He had escaped to Canada, but had come back at a later time with his son. They were picking berries when some settlers saw them and shot Little Crow. Little Crow was dead. His body was mutilated and his bones were kept in the Minnesota Historical Museum collections for far too many years.