Government officials and missionaries wanted all Sioux men to become self-sufficient farmers, wear pants, and cut their hair. The Indians, confronted by a land-hungry white population and a loss of hunting grounds, sought to exchange title to their homeland for annuities of cash and food, schools and teachers, and farms and agricultural knowledge. By 1862 the Sioux realized that their extensive kinship network and religion were in jeopardy and that...

"This work offers a history of the Dakota people and is largely based on eyewitness accounts from the Dakota themselves, including legends, traditions, and winter counts. Topics include the Dakotas' early government, the role of women within the Dakota tribes, the rituals and rites of Dakota people, and the influence of the white man in destroying Dakotan culture"--Provided by publisher.