Jessica Crabtree

December 10, 1909 – Death of Red Cloud

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the death of one of the Lakota nation’s most renowned leaders. Red Cloud, or Makhpiya-Luta as he was known in the Lakota language, spent many years leading the military resistance against American encroachment. He is perhaps most remembered for his involvement in the conflict known as Red Cloud’s War in the 1860′s. In his later years, however, he took a controversial stand against armed resistance and instead advocated diplomacy as a means to obtain justice for his people and to ease their transition to reservation life. He fought relentlessly against fraudulent land deals and bureaucratic corruption. He died on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota at the age of 87.

“They made us many promises, more than I can remember, but they kept only one; they promised to take our land, and they did.”

“I am poor and naked, but I am the chief of the nation. We do not want riches but we do want to train our children right. Riches would do us no good. We could not take them with us to the other world. We do not want riches. We want peace and love.”

Wikipedia: Red Cloud

Profile of Red Cloud on PBS: The West