Tribal Laws, Treaties, and Government

About the Book

Oglala Chief Red Cloud is quoted as saying, "The white man made many promises to us, but he kept only one; he promised to take our land and he took it." Initially the method of taking Indian land was through treaties, a legitimate and acceptable agreement between Indian nations and the United States. Following the treaty period, Congress embarked on a series of legislative acts, administrative decisions, and outright confiscation of Indian lands, which resulted in the loss of millions of acres of Indian land; particularly, the land of the Lakota Sioux Indians of western South Dakota.This book describes the methods, other than treaties, that the United States used to acquire more Lakota land than the Lakota expected to lose. The book is written by a Lakota, for the Lakota, and provides the reader with a historical perspective not commonly found in most U. S. history books. If you are interested in the Lakota perspective of the federal government's Indian policies, this book is required reading.

About the Author

Patrick Lee is a member of the Oglala Sioux Lakota Tribe. He was born and educated on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota. He received a bachelor’s degree at Black Hills State University and his juris doctor’s degree at the College of Law, Arizona State University. He served as Chief Judge of the Oglala Sioux Tribe for twenty years and is currently an instructor at Oglala Lakota College. He and his wife, Faith, are the parents of several grown children and many grandchildren. They live in Rapid City, South Dakota.