Best price The Lakotas and the Black Hills: The Struggle for Sacred Ground (Penguin Library of American Indian History), Viking Adult Today

I read this book soon after finishing Nathaniel Philbrick's gripping "The Last Stand" (on the Battle of Little Bighorn), so on opening the book I anticipated a comparatively dry read. I'm happy to say I had no reason to worry.

Ostler's book may not be an up-all-night page-turner, but it interlaces history and anecdotes, scholarly points of contention and the author's own analysis in a very engaging way. Covering roughly three centuries (or 2.5 billion years, if you include the geological background!) in 190 pages, Ostler crafts concise summaries of key happenings in Lakota and broader Native American history--such as the Fetterman Massacre, Ghost Dance, and emergence of the American Indian Movement. He seems to very judiciously choose which details deserve more lengthy discussion--such as a lucid description of key articles of the very consequential (and contentious) 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty.

For me, not knowing anything of the twentieth century battle for the Black Hills, I found the narration of the legal proceedings to be surprisingly engrossing. I mean, how can you not get riled up by a story full of spineless politicians, tone-deaf courts, and decades-long waits for court decisions? And there is some satisfaction as the courts (and country) start to come to their senses in the 70's and 80's. But of course the story can't end on a triumphant note and Ostler does a good job of assessing just what one can hope for at present.

Finally, I'll echo previous reviewers as to Ostler's fair assessment of the sources. After reading the book you can probably guess where his sympathies rest on most points of debate he mentions, but he takes care not to denigrate any side of an argument. If anything, he made me want to more fully engage in the debates at hand, and better understand the intricacies of the issue--which is I guess another reason to recommend the book!

Ostler, who is very familiar with Lakota from previous book reflecting their history since Lewis and Clark, writes a two part history of the Lakota (preferred over Sioux). The first is a very well detailed history that surprisingly covers a lot of ground from the Lakotas early known periods in the Black Hills, there movement west from their eastern tribal associations virtually to present time. Ostler covers the major events such as their difficult contacts with Lewis and Clark, their dealings with the manifest destiny travel through their lands, the Fort Laramie treaty that becomes the basis for their later court battles, the ridiculous Gratten affair over an aged cow, Red Clouds War, the Black Hills expedition, the Little Big Horn, creation of reservations, the reservation problems, attempts to semi-assimilate the tribes and of course wounded knee. The telling of Red Clouds successful war and the emergence of Spotted Tail, Sitting Bull, Gall and Crazy Horse is captured very well. The manipulation of treaties, the complex detail only understood by whites the erosion of their land, manipulation of supplies for tribal agreements, the failure to provide quality food stuffs, the elimination of the buffalo and attempts to educate the Lakota children while stripping hem of their heritage is a depressing story but accurately depicts the Lakotas plight. The second half of the book focuses on the Lakotas' battle initially to be properly compensated for their loss of Paha Sapa (Black Hills). Until the very early 1900s, many of the famous chiefs were still involved; however, legal obstacles constantly block the tribes abilities to achieve redress. Ostler weaves through the many complicated attempts made by the Lakota to receive a judgement. The exhaustion attempts include representation by one attorney for almost 40 years without much success. During much later attempts by a new team, Ostler provides a picture of tribal fractionallsm, the arrival of AIM, the conflicts between Dick Wilson and the more traditionalists, the occupation of Wounded Knee, the occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and he brings you up to date o their current legal status. The major break through occurs in 1980 with a major legal victory but a change of direction by the Lakota to not just settle for compensation but regaining the Black Hills that is given life through the Bradley Bill. As Ostler explains, the Lakota continue their fight and have not given up even today. A unique book that goes beyond the history that most know before Wounded Knee and he provides a modern history update that tells of the 130 year battle with the U.S. government that has gained traction.

Jeffrey Ostler, the author, does an excellent job of presenting a very balanced analysis of the question of ownership of the Black Hills, home of Mount Rushmore. It takes a great deal of effort to avoid sounding judgmental, and Ostler is largely able to do so successfully. He presents the Lakota and federal government "sides of the story" and leaves it to the reader to decide what the result should be. Justice would seem to lean in favor of the Lakota people, but history has leaned the other way all too often. Ostler makes the people in this book come alive, and their stories have a personal quality to them. It is easy to see that Ostler had the advantage of first-hand research among the Lakota people, hearing their stories and oral histories. In that regard, and as a scholar of Native American politics and history, I am jealous of him. This is a relatively short book, only 191 pages in the hard cover edition, and easy to read in a short period of time. I learned quite a few things about a story I thought I knew pretty well, so that is another mark of a good book. If you are interested in Native American history, or the relations between the federal government and the tribes, or the idea of justice and history, then this is a good book for you to read. Enjoy.