Great Leader: Red Cloud of the Oglala Lakota, 1822-1909
Some Native leaders won the respect of Whites while keeping the esteem of their people. Red Cloud of the Oglala Lakota, 1822-1909, was a respected leader, warrior, diplomat and advocate for his people who stands in the same rank as Tecumseh, Osceola, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and Geronimo, among others. Red Cloud was born in 1822, in what is now North Platte, North Dakota. His mother, Walks as She Thinks, was an Oglala. His father, Lone Man, was a Brule Lakota leader. Sioux culture is matrilineal, meaning that a child took his mother's tribal membership and status from her. Red Cloud's maternal uncle, Old Chief Smoke, provided his warrior's training and sponsored his rise in Oglala society. After the deaths of Red Cloud's parents, Smoke raised Red Cloud as his own child. Under Smoke's direction, Red Cloud began his career in skirmishes with Crow and Pawnee, gaining early experience. Settlers began pouring into Wyoming and Montana. ...