A seminal study that is an academically impressive, substantively informative, and thoughtfully insightful.

books:

	• Ruling Pine Ridge: Oglala Lakota Politics from the Ira to Wounded Knee (Plains Histories) (Plains Histories) Akim D. Reinhardt Texas Tech University Press, 2007 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
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History that reads like a novel...

After reading the Five-Star reviews of Ruling Pine Ridge I immediately ordered a copy anticipating a scholarly historical treatment of the political climate and governmental history of Pine Ridge. And I wasn't disappointed; it is a well-written narrative carefully explaining the cultural, social and political history of Pine Ridge vis-à-vis American colonialism in the period between the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) and the takeover and ransacking of Wounded Knee (WK II) in 1973. Although it is difficult not to indulge either side of the forces at play, Professor Reinhardt does an admirable job of finding the correct balance between both sides in the cultural struggle. He proves his point eloquently that the federal presence continued through not-so-subtle colonial authority.

There was only one area where Ruling Pine Ridge left a little doubt; by describing the "reign of terror" period between WK II, the murder of two FBI agents in 1975, and the subsequent conviction of Leonard Peltier where Professor Reinhardt sourced Ward Churchill and Peter Matthiessen. Although arguably inaccurate to use these two sources alone, in deference to Professor Reinhardt it was used only as an anecdotal reference to demonstrate there was ongoing tension after WK II.

Ruling Pine Ridge is a must-read and an important resource for anyone seeking an in-depth and intellectual understanding of the dynamics between federal authority and Indian affairs on the Reservations.

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An important book on a neglected topic

Quite a bit has been written about the Oglala Lakota and their history in the 1800s. How many more books about Crazy Horse do we need anyway?
After the Wounded Knee Tragedy of 1890, scholars and popular historians seem to lose interest in the Lakota.
They're still here, and the Pine Ridge Reservation, where the Oglala reside, has become infamous as one of the poorest places in the world's wealthiest nation.
Akim Reinhardt has written an in-depth look at the political history of the Oglala in the 20th Century.
As an outsidider looking in, one hates to judge the Oglala or dictate solutions to internal problems, but even the most casual observer can see that the current tribal government is dysfunctional and clearly in need of a new constitution.
Reinhardt provides valuable insight into how the reservation became what it is today. It's a valuable resource for anyone interested in reforming the current government.

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A seminal study that is an academically impressive, substantively informative, and thoughtfully insightful.

"Ruling Pine Ridge: Oglala Lakota Politics From The IRA To Wounded Knee" by "Akim D. Reinhardt (Associate Professor of History, Towson University, Maryland) draws upon oral histories, council records, and reservation newspapers to provide an historical survey and analysis of the Oglala Lakota reservation in South Dakota during the mid-twentieth century when it was evolving from being directly run by the federal government , to indirect colonialism under the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA), to the 1973 occupation and siege of Wounded Knee as the culmination of dissatisfaction with how reservation autonomy was being hampered by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. Professor Reinhardt amply supports his thesis that the siege was not simply a political stunt of the American Indian Movement, but a genuine grassroots protest that was developing over the previous forty years. A work of impeccable and detailed scholarly research (some of which had never been previously accessed by historians), that should be a part of every university library's Native American Studies reference collection, "Ruling Pine Ridge" is a seminal study that is an academically impressive, substantively informative, and thoughtfully insightful.

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Incorporating previously overlooked materials including tribal council records, oral histories, and reservation newspapers, Ruling Pine Ridge explores the political history of South Dakota s Oglala Lakota reservation during the mid-twentieth century. Akim D. Reinhardt examines the reservation s transition from the direct colonialism of the pre 1934 era to the indirect colonial policies of the controversial Indian Reorganization Act (IRA). The new federal approach to Indian politics was evident in the advent of the tribal council governing system, which is still in place today on Pine Ridge and on many other reservations. While the structure of the reservation s governing body changed dramatically to reflect mainstream American cultural values, certain political equations on the reservation changed very little. In particular, despite promises to the contrary, the new reservation government s authority was still severely constrained by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In addition, the new governing format led to an aggravation of social divisions on the reservation.

Reinhardt then examines the period of 1968 -1973, showing that many of the political players on the reservation had changed, and although the tribal council system was well established by this point, deep dissatisfaction with the IRA government persisted on Pine Ridge. This longstanding unhappiness came to a head in 1973, with the occupation and siege of Wounded Knee. Reinhardt demonstrates that the siege is best understood not as a political stunt of the American Indian Movement (AIM), but as a spontaneous, grassroots protest that was at least forty years in the making.

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