Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-12-25
THE SIOUX INDIANS.
BRIEF HISTORY OF A GREAT
ABORIGINAL NATION.
Their Original Domain was an I'm
mense Territory-Their Various
Uprising Against the Whites.

most popuious OF the various aboriginal
nations of North America, and no amount
oil hghting and bad treatment stops their
numerical increase. Seventy years ago
although they had been at war for more
than century with the Hurons and Chip
Pewas, they numbered about thirteen
thousand souls. Since that date they
nave had many struggles with soldiers,
settlers, starvation, smallpox, Indian
agents and other torments, yet now
they number about fifty thousand. The
French, the English, and later our own
government, sought to subdue them, but
they held most of their territory until,
part at time, it was obtained from
them by treaty and purchase on terms
which seldom were honorably adhered to
by the whites.
{. The original domain of the Sioux was
indeed royal; it was larger than England,
france and Germany combined. More
than two centuries ago when the French
explorers and missionaries, moving west
ward on the lakes, first found them, the
Sioux, otherwise known as Dakotas, oc-
cupied nearly all of what now is Mime
sofa, North and South Dakota, besides
much of Wisconsin and part of Iowa and
Nebraska. The nation then consisted
OF sixteen tribes, the names of many of
which are still recognized by the nation.
The Chippewas pressed them slightly
southwark, but the Sioux found more
room in the West, reaching the head
waters of the Missouri. In 1887 they
ceded to the United States all their
lands east of the Mississippi, and in 1851
they made new treaty, which moved
thot. 1o,, l. a.
what was then the State of Minnesota,
in which they retained about 5000
square miles.
Up to this time the Sioux had made
the whites no trouble, but unfortunately
the Indian ring at Washington had been
gathering strength, and hunger and fail
ure of the government to keep its prom
ises caused so much bad feeling that
through quarrel over an attempted
arrest in 1854 an army officer and de-
tachment of troops were DESTROYED.
Hostilities on the border began at once
and within year General Harncy de-
feated the principal armed body of the
Indians and compelled treaty of peace.
One tribe of an Indian nation, however,
cannot bind another and during sue
ceeding years there were many small
but bloody raids on the Minnesota bor-
der, although whites were rapidly fill
ing the State and feeling able to defend
themselves.
In 1862, while most of the regular
army were taking part in the civil war,
the Sioux rose in force and attempted to
retake all of their old hunting
grounds which had been ceded to the
whites The effects were most severely
felt in Western Minnesota, where many
settlements were destroyed, many whites
were captured and more than thousand
killed. Troops were promptly sent to
the border, however, and, under Gener-
ais Harney and Sully, both famous
Indian fighters, compelled the Sioux to
cry quits and give up many of the white
women and children they had captured.
captured were tried for murder, and
about forty of them were hanged. The
moral effect of the defeats and executions
was so great that many of the Sioux
hurried northward into Canada, while
others hid themselves in the Black Hills,
always the favorite resort of the nation
A year later all the reservation Sioux in
Minnesota were moved further West.
As what now is Dakota was then
known as "The Country of the Bad
Lands" it was supposed that the Sioux
were permanently removed from contact
with whites other than soldiers and
hunters. But soldiers and Sioux could
never agree; the Indians protested
against forts being maintained in their
country, and some bands showed their
disapprobation by occasionally killing
off small detachments of soldiers. In
1866 general treaty was made, and
there was an attempt made to persuade
the Indians to take to Agriculture and
other civilized ways. Success was at
tanned to the extent of all Indians wear
ing trousers and hats when they could
get them, but the agricultural outfit sup
piled was not what was promised, although
members of some tribes did considerable
farming and showed what might be
achieved were the government to live up
to its agreement. 1t is only fair to say,
however, that while the buffalo existed
the majority of the Indians preferred to
live on such meat as they could get and
depend for the rest of the time up.
ON the wretched rations which the In
dian agents supplied, rations which sell
dom were up to the quality and quantity
agreed upon.
But white men could not keep out of
the Indians territory. Hunters discov-
cred gold in the Black Hills and pros
pectors and miners followed. them, talk
ing their lives in their hands and fire.
quently failing to preserve them. An
effort was made in 1868 to persuade the
Sioux to leave the Black Hills and 90 to
the Indian Territory, but love of coun-
try is quite as strong among savages as
with white men. A deputation of big
chiefs-among them the now famous
Red Cloud, Spotted Tail and Sitting
Bull-went to Washington during Pres
ident Grants last administration and
were reasoned with on the part of the
government by sensible member of
their own race-General Ely Parker, a
highly educated Seneca, who then was
the effort to persuade them to cede their
lands and take a new reservation failed.
The chiefs put on the manner of the man
who does not want to sell at any figure.
They named conditions and price which
were utterly impossible; they also called
attention to failures and frauds which
would compel them, in any event, to
distrust the governments promises
The troubles with the Sioux were not
all chargeable to the whites, however.
There are some ''good Indians" among
the Sioux-some tribes and chiefs who
have desired to live atpeace with their
neighbors, but there always were many
who never were happy except while
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