Organized Lakota resistance to the white world faded in the aftermath of Wounded Knee. Not all the old warriors were dead, however. Later, some of them would tell their stories, including Red Cloud, who did not die until 1909. By then, many of his earlier military accomplishments were forgotten. That was due, in part, to his long life and the fact he had not resisted and fought to the bitter end like that brave Oglala warrior Crazy Horse or that charismatic Hunkpapa hero Sitting Bull. But unlike the other two members of the most famous Indian trio, Red Cloud had faced an even more difficult task in the end–trying to meet the confusing demands of the white man’s world while also trying his best to keep Lakota culture alive. Lakotas had often been warlike in the past, but war, he knew, was not everything–especially when the odds against them were stacked higher than the Black Hills.

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This article was written by Gregory Lalire and originally appeared in the April 2001 issue of Wild West magazine.

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