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The 2004 National Conference of Librarians Serving Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals meeting in Rapid City, South Dakota,will include a program about and by Native Americans on Monday, May 3. This issue of "Focus" provides information on the tribes in South Dakota, explains etiquette for visitors to Native American communities, and contains brief descriptions of the Crazy Horse Memorial and the Journey Museum. It also presents two recommendations for outreach services.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, South Dakota has the tenth largest Native American population, consisting of approximately 62,000 individuals. The Sioux Nation, the fourth largest tribe in the United States, includes the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota tribes. There are nine tribal governments within the state. They are the Cheyenne River Sioux, Crow Creek Sioux, Flandreau Santee Sioux, Lower Brule Sioux, Oglala Sioux, Rosebud Sioux, Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux, Standing Rock Sioux, and Yankton Sioux.
The Sioux originally lived in the woodlands of Minnesota. By the 1800's they were at the height of their power, and dominated the Northern Plains, an area including most of the Dakotas, northern Nebraska, eastern Wyoming, and southeastern Montana. The Sioux were divided into bands that shared customs and traditions. They had no written language, relying on a rich oral tradition, and used winter counts (drawings arranged in a spiral on animal hide) to record historical events. They regarded the forces of nature as holy and sought to live in harmony with the natural and supernatural world.
The United States's purchase of the Louisiana Territory in 1803 fostered westward expansion, which led to the depletion of the buffalo, an animal central to the Lakota way of life, and to wars between settlers and indigenous tribes. The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 established the Sioux Reservation, encompassing most of present-day South Dakota, including the Black Hills. The U. S. Government pledged to keep settlers out of this territory. In 1874, during an expedition led by Lt. Col. George A. Custer, gold was discovered in the Black Hills. Prospectors and settlers moved in and clashed with the native population. Friction between federal troops and the Sioux reached a climax in 1876 with the defeat of Custer and his 7th Cavalry in the battle of the Little Big Horn in Montana.
In 1889, at the time South Dakota was admitted to the Union, the Sioux Reservation was split into six smaller reservations that remain today. An Indian messianic movement known as the Ghost Dance arose in 1889- 1890. This was a religious ceremony that the Sioux believed would extinguish the settlers, return the buffalo, and restore their former way of life. The suppression of this movement by federal troops in 1890 formed the last major conflict between the U. S. Army and the Sioux Nation; it resulted in the destruction of one of the bands led by Chief Sitting Bull on the Standing Rock Reservation at Wounded Knee.
The Citizenship Act of 1924 naturalized Indians born within the territorial limits of the U.S., and the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 recognized tribal governments as sovereign nations. In 1990 South Dakota's governor and representatives of the state's nine tribal governments proclaimed a Year of Reconciliation. A Century of Reconciliation was declared in 1991.
Extrapolated from the South Dakota Department of Tourism Media Site at <www.mediasd.com/facts/americanindians.asp>," A Guide to the Great Sioux Nation", and Encyclopedia Americana, 2000.
For information and maps of the nine individual tribes within South Dakota see the South Dakota Office of Tribal Government Relations at <www.state.sd.us>, then type in Office of Tribal Government Relations in the keyword box located at the top of the screen.
According to Scott Jones, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, ANA Office in Lower Brule, South Dakota, Native American communities contain diverse tribal groups who follow varying degrees of tradition. Visitors and tribal members alike are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that is respectful of tribal religion and ceremonies.
Offensive behavior includes excessive questioning regarding ceremonial events, excessive talking or laughing, demanding or sneaking photographs or sketches, and demanding preferential seating or viewing of a ceremonial event.
Adherence to general rules of propriety regarding dress, speech, and behavior is highly desired at ceremonial events. An unkempt appearance is very offensive at such events where many people wear their finest. Ragged jeans and high-riding shorts are also considered offensive.
According to the South Dakota Travel office at <www.travelsd.com/parks/crazyhorse>, the Crazy Horse Memorial, located 17 miles from Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills, is a massive sculpture depicting the legendary Lakota leader, Crazy Horse, emerging from the side of a mountain. His face which is nine stories high has been completed, and work continues on the rest of the colossal carving. Chief Henry Standing Bear, in 1939, invited sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to carve a mountain sculpture honoring American Indians. Ziolkowski began the Crazy Horse Memorial project in 1948, and his family carried it on after his death in 1982. When finished, Crazy Horse will stand 641 feet long and 563 feet high. In addition to the monument, there is a museum and cultural center. See also Crazy Horse Memorial at <www.crazyhorse. org>.
The Journey Museum is located two blocks east of the conference hotel at 222 New York Street. It brings together four prehistoric and historic collections illuminating the 2.5 billion year story of the western Great Plains. Admission is $6 per adult. Hours are Monday-Saturday, 10-5 and Sunday, 1-5. For further information see <www.journeymuseum.org>.
We're brainstorming ideas for improving outreach services to Native Americans and welcome suggestions. Two ideas are to:
Send your comments to David Whittall, network consultant, at <dwhit@loc.gov>, or Ruth Nussbaum, reference librarian, at <rnus@loc.gov>.
Updated April 26, 2004