Red Cloud: leader, warrior, diplomat
Fort Laramie today is National historical a tipi park near the Laramie River itself, where the 1868 contract was concluded. The original contract was to be signed at the fort itself, but there was not enough grass for the Indian horses. In the end, it was decided to move downstream, so it was signed 30 miles downstream from Fort Laramie at the mouth of the Horse Creek, in one of the Indian tipis. The treaty is therefore sometimes also called the Horse Creek Treaty.
I'm tired of your strife
I'm tired of your arguments
From a bloody fight
From prayers for blood feud.
Your strength is only in agreement
And powerlessness is in discord.
Reconcile yourself, O children!
Be brothers to each other!
G. Longfellow. Song of Hiawatha
I'm tired of your arguments
From a bloody fight
From prayers for blood feud.
Your strength is only in agreement
And powerlessness is in discord.
Reconcile yourself, O children!
Be brothers to each other!
G. Longfellow. Song of Hiawatha
Native American War. “And I want to read about the Indians!” - wrote one of our readers. Why should he not want this? It’s another matter that here it is necessary that his desire develops with the desire and capabilities of one of the authors of VO. Moreover, even if it happens that the author has a text in order to turn it into an article with a high level of novelty and “readable” in the sense of presentation, it is not always possible to provide it with the proper quality of illustrations. There are, for example, museums that are unknown for what reasons do not even respond to letters sent to them. They are silent, like partisans before the Gestapo, although they have interesting artifacts, photographs of which can decorate any article. In order to get such an article, three circumstances must converge: the availability of an appropriate accessible information field, the desire and mood of a journalist, the ability to get the appropriate photos from the corresponding museum. Of course, ideally, I could take a plane myself, fly where I need to take everything for a day, and then write: “Photo of the author”, only the site administration and the customer of the article are unlikely to pay the final bill, well, if he, of course, is not Deripaska ... But in this case, the one who “wants to read about the Indians”, fate smiled, because the factors have recently come together! As a result, all this will result in the continuation of the Indian War series, in which we will talk a little about the Indian warriors of North America and their battles for their land with the “white people” - “white people”. One of these warriors was precisely the leader of the Dakota Red Cloud tribe.
Today we will continue our acquaintance not only with the history of the Indians of North America, but also with their material culture. These, moccasins, for example, the Dakota Indians presented to US President Ulysses Grant. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
The moccasins of the Sioux Brulee (Dakota) Indians were very beautiful. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
To begin with, the Red Cloud (1822-1909) was one of the most influential leaders of the Oglal Lakota Indians Union from 1868 to 1909. Suffice it to say that he called the whole war of the Indians with the US army in 1866-1868 in the area of the Powder River in the northeastern regions of Wyoming and in southern Montana. It was then that the Battle of Fetterman took place, which cost the lives of 81 American soldiers, and this was the largest military defeat inflicted by the Indians of the U.S. Army on the Great Plains, until the Battle of Little Bighorn, which happened only ten years later.
Absaroks: men's leggings. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
Arapaho: women's leggings with moccasins. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
The Red Cloud was born near the modern city of North Platte in Nebraska. His mother’s name was “The Path She Picks,” and she belonged to the Oglala Lakota tribe. But his father was also a Dakota, but belonged to the Brule Union. In total, the Dakota (Lakota, as they called themselves) had “seven bonfires of tribal councils”, so it is not surprising that even within themselves it was often quite difficult to agree.
Shirt of Assiniboins. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
Crow Shirt, 1885 National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
Since the children of the Dakota belonged to the clan and the people of their mother, the Red Cloud in childhood was raised by his maternal uncle, who was the leader and was called short and clear - Smoke (1774–1864). He was also the leader of the bad tribal warrior society. When in 1825 the boy's parents died, he took him to him. Growing up, the Red Cloud participated in raids on the no less warlike Pawnee and Crow, during which he gained great combat experience.
Headdress Sioux. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
Pikuni headdress. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
Siu Chief Iron Tail in a traditional headdress. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
When whites poured into the states of Wyoming and Montana, the Northern Cheyenne, in alliance with the Dakota and Arapaho, opposed the United States Army, which defended the settlers. The most acute confrontation between 1866 and 1868 then turned into a real war, which led to heavy losses among the Americans, who were not at all ready, as it turned out, to fight the Indians of the Great Plains. However, many of the defeats suffered by the Americans were the result of the common problems of a civilized society, which were best and most amusingly reflected in the verdict of one of the Lloyd Insurance Society trials:
“During tragic circumstances, the ship's captain retired to his cabin and drank alcohol. His first assistant was already dead drunk, and the second assistant gave the command to the helmsman in English, who did not know English and also suffered from hearing defects! ”
Grizzly claw necklace. Sioux. Sioux believed that killing grizzlies means accomplishing a feat greater than killing a pale-faced, or crow. Therefore, those of them who had such an ornament were universally respected. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
It is believed that the Indians did not wear protective armor, but this is not so. Before us is a chest shell made of bison bones, the so-called hair tubes. They were made from large bones, drilled and connected on horsehair cords. They gave good protection against arrows and cold blows. weapons. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
Something similar happened during the Battle for the Hundreds of the Murdered (another name for the Battle of Vetterman), when Captain William J. Vetterman of Fort Phil Kearney was sent along with two civilians and 79 cavalrymen and foot soldiers in order to drive out a small group of Indians, attacked a group of lumberjacks near this fort. Not only one, but two officers were sent to the “case”: Captain Frederick Brown and Captain William Vetterman, and both of them were confident in their soldiers and were eager to “teach these Redskins a lesson.” Vetterman had the experience of wars with the Indians and fought with them in the Seminole Wars, but apparently neglected the experience gained. In any case, they did not obey the order to stay behind the Lodge Trail ridge and began to pursue a small group of enemy soldiers, at the head of which the Indian clearly rode on a wounded horse. And it was Croesie Horse himself, Mad Horse, the leader cunning and treacherous, and his pursuit ended with the fact that Vetterman and his soldiers were ambushed, where they were surrounded by about 2000 Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho. The soldiers began to fight back, but were able to kill only 14 Indians, while they killed the entire detachment of 81 people. And if they had obeyed the orders exactly, nothing of the kind could have happened ...
Hunkpapa Dakota: Tire for saddle. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
After this battle in 1867, a U.S. Peace Commission set out on a trip to the Plains to gather information that would help establish peace between the Indian tribes and the U.S. government. The commission found out everything and recommended that the Indians allocate territories for living where White should not be allowed. After this, Lakota, the Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho and several other tribes made peace with the United States and signed the so-called Treaty of Fort Laramie. According to it, the United States agreed to abandon all forts in the territory of these tribes, and completely leave the Dakota Indians!
General Sherman with Native American leaders in the form of Laramis, 1868 Photo from the archive of the US Congress
The traditional weapon of the Indians was the tomahawk. But ... they were mainly made by whites and sold to the Indians. To reduce the cost of their production, white began to cast tomahawks from bronze! Before us is the bronze tomahawk of Sioux Dakota. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
The treaty established the Great Sioux Reservation, covering the area west of the Missouri River in the modern state of Nebraska (which received state status in 1867), and in South Dakota. That is, everything seemed to end as the Indians wanted, but the difficult relationship between them and the continuously expanding United States, nevertheless, continued. In 1870, Chief Red Cloud traveled to Washington and met with Indian Commissioner Eli S. Parker (US Army General) and President Ulysses S. Grant.
Tomahawk Dakota 1880-1890 National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
In 1871, the government established the Red Cloud Agency on the Platte River, downstream of Fort Laramie. As indicated in the 1868 Treaty, agency employees were required to give food rations to Indians Oglal weekly, as well as to ensure annual cash distribution between them. Of course, rations were delivered irregularly, and sometimes money was not paid at all. Nevertheless, it was at least something that enabled the Indians to exist. And the Red Cloud in these difficult conditions did a lot to help its people in the transition to another lifestyle.
Apaches and Comanches preferred tomahawks, reminiscent of an ax. They were delivered to them by the Spaniards. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
According to Charles A. Eastman, the Red Cloud was the last to sign the famous treaty, “refusing to do so until all forts on their territory are released. All his demands were accepted, the new road was abandoned, the garrisons were withdrawn, and the new treaty clearly stated that the Black Hills and Big Horn were an Indian country allocated to the Indians for permanent residence, so that not a single white person could enter this area without the consent of the Sioux ... "However, as soon as this agreement was signed, they found gold in the Black Hills, and everyone who went to look for it immediately screamed:" Take away the Indians! " The US government tried to protest in order to save its face, but as a result of any serious attempts to prevent a massive violation of the treaty, it never made. It’s clear why. Well, who can resist the brilliance of gold nuggets ?!
"Applied club" of the Indians. By its popularity, the tomahawk was not inferior and was a terrible weapon in hand-to-hand combat. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
In 1874, Lt. Col. George Custer reported gold mining in Black Hills, which local Indians considered their sacred place. Previously, the army tried unsuccessfully to deter gold diggers from entering the area, but now their flow has become simply unstoppable. In May 1875, a Dakota delegation led by the leaders of the Red Cloud, Spotted Tail and Lonely Baran went to Washington and tried to convince President Grant to fulfill the existing treaties, and most importantly, not to let gold miners into their lands. Delegates met repeatedly with Grant, Home Secretary Delano and Commissioner for Indian Affairs Smith. On May 27, he told them that Congress was prepared to pay the tribes $ 25 for their land and relocate them to another territory. The delegates refused to sign such an agreement, and Spotted Tail said this proposal like this:
“When I was here before, the president gave me my country, and I put my parking in a good place, and I want to stay there. ... you are talking about another country, but this is not my country; it does not concern me, and I do not want to have anything to do with her. I was not born there. “If this is such a good country, you must send white people to this country of ours and leave us alone.”
Native American leaders in Washington. Sitting, from left to right: Yellow Bear, Red Cloud, Big Road, Little Wound, Black Raven; Standing, from left to right: Red Bear, Young Man Afraid of His Horse, Good Voice, Running Thunder, Iron Raven, White Tail, Young Spotted Tail, approx. 1860-1880 Library of Congress
Although the Red Cloud was never able to find a peaceful solution to the problem, he and his clan did not take part in the Lakota War of 1876–1877. The warriors who then entered the warpath were led by the leaders of Tashunko Vitko (Raging Horse) and Tatanka Yotanka (Sitting Bull). The war, as you know, ended in defeat, even though the Indians managed to destroy the detachment of Lieutenant Colonel Custer at Little Bighorn.
In the fall of 1877, the Red Cloud Agency was moved to the headwaters of the Missouri River, and the next year it was renamed the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
The scabbard of the picnic National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
All this time, the Red Cloud played an important role in the social life of his tribe, but the Indians never had such a level of leaderism that the leader in the tribe played an excessively large role. One could listen to it, or one could not listen. All his power rested on authority. And he received it, repeatedly visiting Washington and seeking from the whites at least some concessions. On the other hand, these same trips convinced him of the indisputable power of the Americans and the assertion that Oglala should seek peace with the pale-faced, and not fight with them.
In 1874, he met and met the American paleontologist and geologist Otniel Marsh of New Haven, and then visited him in 1880. Moreover, returning from his trip to the Indians, Marsh repeatedly wrote that they suffer because the products they emit do not reach them, that they are given inedible pork, low-quality flour, bad sugar and coffee, rotten tobacco.
In battle, it is not so important to kill the enemy and not remove the scalp from him, how to touch him with a special wand or hand and at the same time shout: “Ku!” Whoever did more “ku” was the hero. Before us is a stick for "ku." National Museum of the American Indian, Washington
Interestingly, communicating with whites, the Red Cloud was imbued with the idea of Christianity and in 1884, together with his family and five other leaders, was baptized in a Catholic rite.
In 1887, he opposed the Dawes Act, according to which the communal lands of the Indians were to be divided between separate families and transferred to them in ownership. Then, in 1889, the Red Cloud opposed the agreement to sell more Dakota land.
As a result, the Red Cloud outlived all other leaders, participants in Indian wars, and died on its Pine Ridge reservation in 1909 at the age of 87. He was buried in the cemetery, which began to bear his name. Shortly before his death, he once said about the whites:
“They gave us many promises, more than I can remember. But they did one thing: they promised to take our land ... and they took it. "
Announcements of the death of the Red Cloud, as well as a description of all his merits, were published by all major newspapers throughout the country. It's funny that the New York Times even wrote that he was the leader of all the Sioux tribal groups, which, of course, simply could not be, and never had. However, the fact that he was a good leader and a born diplomat, noted all American newspapers.
Red Cloud. Photograph by John C. Hiller, 1880 Yale University Library, New Haven, Connecticut
"The Red Cloud and the American Horse, two of the most famous of the living leaders of the Indians." Photo from the collection of 1887-1892. Library of Congress
The Red Cloud was also the most frequently photographed Indian of the XIX century. The first time he was photographed back in 1872 during his first trip to Washington, shortly before meeting with President Grant. Then he was photographed many times, so today 128 of his photographs are known. And in 2000, he was posthumously selected to the Nebraska Hall of Fame. Well, the US Postal Department issued a series of postage stamps “10 Great Americans,” among which was a stamp depicting the leader of the Red Cloud. There is a city named in his honor, and it is also located in Nebraska.
Red Cloud. Bronze sculpture of the Penza artist German Feoktistov
It got to the point that President John F. Kennedy even thought of calling his name one of the 41 American submarine missile carriers, but apparently agreed with the Pentagon’s fears that this name, even if historical, would be accepted by many Americans as pro-communist.
To be continued ...
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