(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Indians 101: Sioux Indians and Black Hills gold 150 years ago, 1874 [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-18 The quest to find gold was an obsession from the very beginning of the European invasion of the Americas. While the Native American worldview generally stressed the interconnectedness of people and the natural world, Europeans saw the natural world as something to be exploited. The obsession for exploitation, for obtaining personal wealth, and, importantly, for finding gold continued into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and became an important part of the mythology of the United States. History books and popular literature are filled with the stories of “gold rushes” and the fabulous wealth that was extracted from the land. In South Dakota, the Black Hills are sacred to the Sioux. Geologically, the Black Hills are the site of an ancient upheaval that pushed the rocky strata far above the surrounding plains. The resulting peaks trapped the clouds and gave the region its own climate. During the summers, this was an area which was often used for ceremonies—sweat lodges, vision quests, and Sun Dances—and for gathering medicinal plants. In the Black Hills American greed and dishonesty collided with Sioux religion. Before looking at the events of 1874 relating to the Black Hills, there are two points that need to be clarified. First there is no such thing as a Sioux tribe, meaning a single governmentally unified entity. The name Sioux has been imposed on a number of autonomous tribes resulting in the misconception that there is a single Sioux tribe. The term Sioux actually refers to three linguistic divisions – Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota – and each of these is further divided into distinct groups or tribes. Second, during the nineteenth and part of the twentieth centuries, the United States government did not recognize the validity of American Indian religions. In the United States, American Indian law is based on the premise that as a Christian nation, the United States has the right to rule the non-Christian Indian nations. Following the advice and counsel of Christian missionaries, American Indian religious activities were not only discouraged, but often criminalized. In 1868, ten Sioux tribes – Brulé, Oglala, Miniconjou, Yanktonai, Hunkpapa, Blackfeet, Cuthead, Two Kettle, Sans Arcs, Santee—signed a treaty with the United States in which the Black Hills were included in an area which was to be held for the absolute and undisturbed use and occupation of the Sioux people. By 1874, however, there were rumors of gold in the Black Hills, and political pressure to open the area up for mining, settlement, and other forms of exploitation. While the treaty clearly indicated that the Black Hills were for the Sioux people, President Ulysses S. Grant ordered the United States 7th Cavalry, led by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, to explore and map the area. Historian Jeffrey Ostler, in his book The Lakotas and the Black Hills: The Struggle for Sacred Ground, writes: “The expedition’s official purpose would be to find a suitable location for a fort, but it would also examine the Black Hills’ topography, flora and fauna, and, most important, geology.” The expedition, with 900 men and three gatling guns, invaded the Black Hills in open violation of the treaty. Historian Robert Larson, in his book Gall: Lakota War Chief, reports: “The enterprising Custer had brought along journalists who in their press releases could assure would-be gold seekers that there were promising signs of gold in the Black Hills.” With regard to the gold Custer claimed to have found, Professor Newton Winchell, the geologist from the University of Minnesota who accompanied the expedition, doubted that any gold was found. Historian Jeffrey Ostler writes: “He claimed that the little gold they showed around—worth no more than two dollars—they had brought with them.” Regarding the development of the Black Hills by non-Indians, expedition member James Calhoun wrote: “For the hives of industry will take the place of dirty wigwams. Civilization will ere long reign supreme and throw heathen barbarism into oblivion; … Christian temples will elevate their lofty spires upwards towards the azure sky while places of heathen mythology will sink to rise no more.” Concerning Indians in the Black Hills, Custer declared that the: “…Black Hills region is not occupied by the Indians and is seldom visited by them. It is used as sort of a back-room to which they may escape after committing depredations.” In his book Red Cloud and the Sioux Problem, James Olson reports: “At the same time, there was a growing opinion with the Army that as long as the Indians remained undisturbed in their possession of the Black Hills the hostiles would have a base from which they could conduct forays against the agencies and the lines of communication with Montana.” Unconcerned about whether the government would actually open the Black Hills up for non-Indian exploitation, companies began to form for an assault on the Black Hills and its rumored gold. The fact that the federal government almost always turned a blind eye toward non-Indians who trespassed on Indian land, exploited Indian resources, and even killed Indians, was well-known. Not all Americans, however, were in favor of exploiting the gold in the Black Hills. Episcopal bishop William Hare warned of dire consequences. Hare insisted that the expedition into the Black Hills would violate the country’s honor. Historian Robert Larson writes: “The bishop was among a number of prominent people in and out of government who proclaimed their opposition to any gold rush that would violate the terms of the Fort Laramie Treaty.” The 1874 military invasion of the Black Hills set in motion a controversy which continues to this day. More Nineteen-Century American Indian histories Indians 101: American Indian Reservations 150 years ago, 1874 Indians 101: American Indians in Oklahoma 150 years ago, 1874 Indians 101: American Indians and Christianity 150 years ago, 1874 Indians 101: American Indians and the federal government 150 years ago, 1873 Indians 101: American Indians in Montana and Washington 150 years ago, 1873 Indians 101: The United States invades Mexico to destroy a Kickapoo village Indians 101: An imaginary war Indians 101: The 1851 Fort Laramie Treaty [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/18/2246951/-Indians-101-Sioux-Indians-and-Black-Hills-gold-150-years-ago-1874?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/