For the most part, doesn't avoid the controversy

books:

	• Red Cloud: Warrior-Statesman of the Lakota Sioux (Oklahoma Western Biographies, 13) Robert W. Larson University of Oklahoma Press, 1999 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Interesting,clever,educational,easy to follow

Red Cloud:Warrioir Statesman of the Lakota Souix is a really excellent biography. Larson does a great job of presenting all the informaton in an understandable and captivating way that really makes me want to learn more about Native American history. There is even a map/picture section in the middle of the biography that helps clarify any questions you may have while reading, as all the different battles and tribes might confuse you. Other than that temporary confusion, good job Mr. Larson

Worthy foe for the white man

Traditionally, stories of Indian leaders view them as temporarily dangerous nuisances the whites had to deal with during the reasonable and inevitable process of moving the Indians onto reservations. This book is part of a new approach of looking at what an Indian leader tried to achieve for his people and assessing how he went about it and how successful he was in meeting his own goals. There is much detail. Larson has been extremely thorough in his researches, and, though we do not really hear Red Cloud's voice, we respecfully watch him do what he had to do to further his people's best interests. He didn't wear a suit or tie or have an Ivy League degree, but Red Cloud functioned very well indeed in opposing an alien force. Anyone who thinks the earth may one day be invaded from outer space should study Red Cloud. Thank you, Oklahoma University Press.

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For the most part, doesn't avoid the controversy

Along with Crazy Horse, Red Cloud is probably one of the best known
Native American leaders, at least by name. He is also probably the
most controversial. Some see him as a statesman and visionary
who,aware that war against the whites had become pointless, negotiated
in the best interests of his people. Others see him as self-serving
and vain, using white insistance on negotiating with "one true
chief" as a means to his own ends.

For the most part, Larson
weighs in on the side of statesman, but he doesn't fail to show the
other side too. He points out how Red Cloud would often make a point
of a small issue, that would benefit only him, at the expense of a
larger issue that affected his people. One example he uses is when,
on a trip to Washington in 1870, Red Cloud became sullen and withdrawn
until he was assured that his delegation would be given 17 horses to
for the trip from the train to the reservation. However, he largely
ignored the bigger and more important issue, of mining for gold in the
Black Hills.

Unfortunately, though, on the most controversial
issue, how much Red Cloud had to do with Crazy Horse's death, or at
least plans for his arrest, Larson is disappointingly vague. He does
acknowlege that Red Cloud was probably jealous of the younger leader.
Indeed, in the last chapter he notes that "...his role in this
tragic affair is probably the blackest mark against his name."
(p.302) Unfortunately, though, Larson doesn't cover the incident in
nearly enough detail. He implies that Crazy Horse truly was planning
to go back on the warpath, rather than fight the Nez Perce as
requested by Lieutenant Clark. He also makes no mention of any possible
misinterpretation of Crazy Horse's words by the less than reputable
interpreter Frank Grouard. Larson may have had good reason for
choosing to leave out some of this material. Certainly his list of
sources shows that the book is well-researched. Unfortunately, the
choice by the publisher, not to use footnotes in this particular
series makes it difficult to determine on what Larson bases his
assumptions.

On the whole, though, the book is well written, and
easy to follow. It is especially valuable for information about Red
Cloud's life before and after the Indian Wars, a period that is not
covered much in any history books. I can definitely recommend this as
a good introduction for those not familiar with the period, or for
those who simply want to know more about the role Red Cloud played in
those important times. However, I would follow it with a good
biography of Crazy Horse.

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Red Cloud

This book is a good read. Every collection of American History should have it.

A exciting adventure

The book the Red Cloud is a really good book about the native american period. It talks about the history of one leader, Red Cloud. It talks about his life and his effect on the land and his people. He was a strong and couragous person. He stood up for what he believed in. He was kinda of like the the person in between, that is the person between the government and the tribes. Red Cloud did not favored the separation of people. He believed that we can coexist together. Red Cloud lived a long time for someone back then. This is a good book for educational purposes. It is a great tool for learning about the history of Native Americans. Even though this is an biography, it can still be a great learning experience for all.

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Opponents of the "Warrior-Statesman of the Lakota Sioux" (as the subtitle dubs him) criticized Red Cloud (1822-1909) as duplicitous. In Robert Larson's sympathetic appraisal, Red Cloud's deliberate deceptiveness was part of a delaying tactic to sustain Lakota culture in an increasingly hostile environment. Eventually concluding that the white invaders could not be stopped, the fierce fighter became a wily negotiator who wrung some concessions from the U.S. government as he presided over his people's transition from nomadism to reservation life. It's a sad story, told with sensitive awareness of history's painful ambiguities.

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