Post by ephriam on Jan 17, 2008 9:37:18 GMT -6
Charlie:
It is important to remember that the Oglala political system and social organization was very fluid throughout the nineteenth century, constanting changing and evolving over time. Bands rose to power and prominence and then dwindled away. Political alliances were forged while others disappeard.
Some confusion also comes from the fact that some of the names listed above refer to groups of related bands.
To begin, it might be helpful to realize that by the early to mid 1870's, the Oglala included three large coalitions of related bands. These three groups were called: 1. the Oyuhpe, 2. the Oglala hca (Real Oglala or True Oglala) and 3. the Kiyaksa (or Kiyuksa). Each of these groups were made up of a number of bands with their own headmen.
Interestingly, in the Indian Office documents for the 1870s, the agent at the Red Cloud Agency advocated for the creation of seperate agencies for these three groups, since he said they were politically distinct. When Lieut. Schuyler compiled his list of "Sioux tribes" about 1876-77, he listed these three groups as seperate tribes. One is left wondering that if the reservations had not been established during the 1870s and the Oglala tribal structure had been allowed to continue changing as it was, then perhaps the Oglala might have come to consider themselves to be three seperate tribes today. In some ways, this was probably similiar to what happened to the Saone, a term used in the early 19th century to refer to a group of Lakota bands that eventually became the Hunkpapa, Sihsapa, Two Kettle, etc. Once the Oglala were confined to the reservation, the interaction of these bands fundamentally changed and the dynamic social structure evolved in a different direction in this new environment; we begin to loose this sense of the "groups of bands" that we see in the pre-reservation years.
So, part of the confusion can come when we do not distinguish between names for small bands and names for groups of closely related bands. For example, Little Wound was leader of his father's original band called the Kuinyan. This small band was part of the Kiyaksa group of bands. By 1876, Little Wound was considered to be the most influential headman among all the Kiyaksa bands. So in the agency documents of the period, he is usually referred to as the chief of the Kiyaksa. Now just to add to the confusion, there actually was a small band called the Kiyaksa who were also part of the coalition of bands also called the Kiyaksa.
Also, recall that people and families were constantly moving from band to band. Most bands consisted of a core family group to which others attached themselves -- the Soreback Band for example was built around a group of brothers including He Dog, Short Bull, Bad Heart Bull, etc. The detailed census and issue records for the Standing Rock Agency from 1876 to 1890 (the best records available for any Lakota agency), the average family appears to change bands every 3 to 5 years during that early reservation period.
Given this constant shifting between bands, it is important when asking about an individual to distinguish between their band of birth (important when seeking a spouse, since a Lakota had to marry outside their band) and their band of residence. You may change which band you lived with several times throughout your life as a Lakota, but your band of birth always remained the same.
So when you ask about American Horse, you need to be specific: are you interested in knowing what band he was born in to; or what band he lived with. American Horse was born in the __ band, but by the mid-1870s, he had moved to the Wagluhe (Loafer) band, presumably his new wife's band. An ambitious man, he became a young headman of the Wagluhe during the Great Sioux War of 1876-77. He lost support however a few years later and shifted out of the Wagluhe in the late 1870s or possibly early 1880s, to become headman within his original family band.
I hope this helps a little in coming to some understanding of the political dynamics among the Lakota.
ephriam
It is important to remember that the Oglala political system and social organization was very fluid throughout the nineteenth century, constanting changing and evolving over time. Bands rose to power and prominence and then dwindled away. Political alliances were forged while others disappeard.
Some confusion also comes from the fact that some of the names listed above refer to groups of related bands.
To begin, it might be helpful to realize that by the early to mid 1870's, the Oglala included three large coalitions of related bands. These three groups were called: 1. the Oyuhpe, 2. the Oglala hca (Real Oglala or True Oglala) and 3. the Kiyaksa (or Kiyuksa). Each of these groups were made up of a number of bands with their own headmen.
Interestingly, in the Indian Office documents for the 1870s, the agent at the Red Cloud Agency advocated for the creation of seperate agencies for these three groups, since he said they were politically distinct. When Lieut. Schuyler compiled his list of "Sioux tribes" about 1876-77, he listed these three groups as seperate tribes. One is left wondering that if the reservations had not been established during the 1870s and the Oglala tribal structure had been allowed to continue changing as it was, then perhaps the Oglala might have come to consider themselves to be three seperate tribes today. In some ways, this was probably similiar to what happened to the Saone, a term used in the early 19th century to refer to a group of Lakota bands that eventually became the Hunkpapa, Sihsapa, Two Kettle, etc. Once the Oglala were confined to the reservation, the interaction of these bands fundamentally changed and the dynamic social structure evolved in a different direction in this new environment; we begin to loose this sense of the "groups of bands" that we see in the pre-reservation years.
So, part of the confusion can come when we do not distinguish between names for small bands and names for groups of closely related bands. For example, Little Wound was leader of his father's original band called the Kuinyan. This small band was part of the Kiyaksa group of bands. By 1876, Little Wound was considered to be the most influential headman among all the Kiyaksa bands. So in the agency documents of the period, he is usually referred to as the chief of the Kiyaksa. Now just to add to the confusion, there actually was a small band called the Kiyaksa who were also part of the coalition of bands also called the Kiyaksa.
Also, recall that people and families were constantly moving from band to band. Most bands consisted of a core family group to which others attached themselves -- the Soreback Band for example was built around a group of brothers including He Dog, Short Bull, Bad Heart Bull, etc. The detailed census and issue records for the Standing Rock Agency from 1876 to 1890 (the best records available for any Lakota agency), the average family appears to change bands every 3 to 5 years during that early reservation period.
Given this constant shifting between bands, it is important when asking about an individual to distinguish between their band of birth (important when seeking a spouse, since a Lakota had to marry outside their band) and their band of residence. You may change which band you lived with several times throughout your life as a Lakota, but your band of birth always remained the same.
So when you ask about American Horse, you need to be specific: are you interested in knowing what band he was born in to; or what band he lived with. American Horse was born in the __ band, but by the mid-1870s, he had moved to the Wagluhe (Loafer) band, presumably his new wife's band. An ambitious man, he became a young headman of the Wagluhe during the Great Sioux War of 1876-77. He lost support however a few years later and shifted out of the Wagluhe in the late 1870s or possibly early 1880s, to become headman within his original family band.
I hope this helps a little in coming to some understanding of the political dynamics among the Lakota.
ephriam
