Indian Heroes and Great ChieftainsEastman, Charles A.
History
Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains
Eastman, Charles A.
Dakota Indians -- Biography; Heroes; Indians of North America -- Biography
The name of Spotted Tail was prominently before the people during the
rest of his life. An obscure orphan, he had achieved distinction by his
bravery and sagacity; but he copied the white politician too closely
after he entered the reservation. He became a good manipulator, and was
made conceited and overbearing by the attentions of the military and of
the general public. Furthermore, there was an old feud in his immediate
band which affected him closely. Against him for many years were the
followers of Big Mouth, whom he had killed in a duel; and also a party
led by a son and a nephew of the old chief, Conquering Bear, whom
Spotted Tail had succeeded at his death. These two men had hoped that
one or the other of them might obtain the succession.
Crow Dog, the nephew of Conquering Bear, more than once taunted Spotted
Tail with the fact that he was chief not by the will of the tribe, but
by the help of the white soldiers, and told him that he would “keep
a bullet for him” in case he ever disgraced his high position. Thus
retribution lay in wait for him while at the height of his fame. Several
high-handed actions of his at this time, including his elopement with
another man’s wife, increased his unpopularity with a large element of
his own tribe. On the eve of the chief’s departure for Washington, to
negotiate (or so they suspected) for the sale of more of their land,
Crow Dog took up his gun and fulfilled his threat, regarding
himself, and regarded by his supporters, not as a murderer, but as an
executioner.
Such was the end of the man who may justly be called the Pontiac of the
west. He possessed a remarkable mind and extraordinary foresight for
an untutored savage; and yet he is the only one of our great men to be
remembered with more honor by the white man, perhaps, than by his own
people.
LITTLE CROW
Chief Little Crow was the eldest son of Cetanwakuwa (Charging Hawk).
It was on account of his father’s name, mistranslated Crow, that he was
called by the whites “Little Crow.” His real name was Taoyateduta, His
Red People.
As far back as Minnesota history goes, a band of the Sioux called
Kaposia (Light Weight, because they were said to travel light) inhabited
the Mille Lacs region. Later they dwelt about St. Croix Falls, and still
later near St. Paul. In 1840, Cetanwakuwa was still living in what
is now West St. Paul, but he was soon after killed by the accidental
discharge of his gun.
It was during a period of demoralization for the Kaposias that Little
Crow became the leader of his people. His father, a well-known chief,
had three wives, all from different bands of the Sioux. He was the only
son of the first wife, a Leaf Dweller. There were two sons of the second
and two of the third wife, and the second set of brothers conspired
to kill their half-brother in order to keep the chieftainship in the
family.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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