🏞️

Understanding the Lakota Historical Context

Sep 8, 2024

Lecture Notes on the Lakota and Historical Context

Introduction to the Lakota

  • The Lakota are part of the Sioux tribes.
  • They were moved to reservations, referred to as "Prisoner of War Camps."
  • Pine Ridge Reservation: Located in South Dakota, central to Native American issues.

Key Historical Events

Early U.S. Government Actions

  • 1824: Bureau of Indian Affairs established in the War Department.
  • 1851: First Treaty of Fort Laramie defining Lakota Nation boundaries.

Major Treaties and Legislation

  • 1863: Execution of 38 Sioux in Minnesota by President Lincoln.
  • 1868: Second Treaty of Fort Laramie guarantees Lakota land rights, including the Black Hills.
  • 1871: Indian Appropriation Act makes Indians wards of the federal government and ends treaty-making.
  • 1887: Dawes Act ends communal ownership, divides reservation lands.

Conflicts and Violations

  • 1876: Custer's defeat at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
  • 1890: Wounded Knee Massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars.

Court Rulings and Current Issues

  • 1980: Supreme Court acknowledges U.S. violation of the Fort Laramie Treaty.
  • 2010: Chronic issues on Pine Ridge Reservation, including poverty and health disparities.

Social and Cultural Reflections

  • The speaker reflects on their identity as a Washichu (non-Indian) and the implications of historical injustices.
  • Highlights the ongoing impact of colonization and broken treaties on Native American populations.

Current Socioeconomic Conditions

  • High unemployment, poor housing conditions, and health issues on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
  • Life expectancy and infant mortality rates are alarmingly poor.

Moral and Ethical Considerations

  • Questions the responsibility of today's society in addressing historical injustices.
  • Encourages honoring treaties and returning lands to Native communities as a step towards reconciliation.

Call to Action

  • Advocacy for honoring treaties and returning the Black Hills to the Lakota.

Conclusion

  • The speaker challenges listeners to consider their role in addressing the historical and ongoing injustices faced by Native American communities.

Note: The lecture ends with a broader discussion on global issues related to resource management and sustainability initiatives by IBM. This part of the lecture connects the historical context to modern issues of efficiency and equity in resource distribution.

Full transcript