Red Cloud: Photographs of a Lakota Chief (Great Plains Photography Series)

Rating:
Summary: A Historical treasure
Review: Along with the many photographs of this much-photographed Sioux leader is a well-delineated explanation of his long career and relationship with the federal government in negotiations for the betterment of his people. He used his public persona to gain understanding and awareness of the plight of the Indians, exiled to reservations and continuously betrayed by the bureaucracies in Washington, D. C. Handsome and proud, he knew the value of persistence and publicity. A reader who has not yet been introduced to the history of the Plains Indians can catch a glimpse of the frustration of the Sioux by machinations of the government, beginning with the Treaty of Fort Laramie and leading to the tragedy of the Battle of Wounded Knee. This is certainly not a complete history, but it is a good beginning.