The Lakota Sioux have inhabited the Black Hills and surrounding areas of present-day South Dakota for centuries. The Black Hills hold profound significance in Lakota culture, feature in their creation myths, and serve as the geographical center of their religious universe. However, amidst the colonial expansion of the United States, the Lakota gradually lost control over the Black Hills, along with their sacred lands and a fundamental part of their cultural heritage. Presently the US Government maintains control over the Black Hills, while the Lakota persist in their struggle to regain control over their ancestral lands.
A Brief History of the Black Hills
The Black Hills constitute an area of breathtaking scenic beauty. Surrounded by the rugged badlands of the Great Plains, weathered rock formations, sheer cliffs, and deep gorges stand in stark contrast to the lush forested hills. These lands have been home to indigenous native Americans for centuries, most notably the Lakota Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Great Sioux Nation, revere the hills as “paha sapa” – “the hills that are black.”
In 1743, the Vérendrye brothers likely led the first European expedition to the Black Hills. Eventually, the colonial expansion of the United States led to the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) and the establishment of the Great Sioux Reservation. However, in 1874, a US military expedition discovered gold, leading to the seizure of the Black Hills. Today, the Lakota have been relegated to reservations across the Dakotas, Nebraska, Montana, and Minnesota – the Black Hills remain under US control.
European Visions of the Black Hills
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterThe scenic beauty of the Black Hills was noted by the earliest Europeans to set foot in the region. The hills were likened to a lavish “earthly paradise” amidst the desolate badlands of the Great Plains. Descriptions of stunning rock formations, serene dense forests, rolling hills, lakes, streams, canyons, and gorges fill the pages of early Euro-American travelogues. After 1803, as part of the northern area of the Louisiana Purchase, the Black Hills became part of the new northwestern United States. In this regard, it was not the breathtaking splendor of the Black Hills, but their economic potential that excited settlers and prospectors the most.
The potential for new sources of economic prosperity through mining (particularly gold), logging, and cattle ranching generated serious interest. The diverse array of wildlife, such as bison, elk, longhorn sheep, and mountain lions fascinated explorers and settlers alike, though they were also seen as valuable resources for exploitation.
The Black Hills as a Sacred Landscape
Unlike Euro-American settlers, the Lakota view the Black Hills as sacred geography. Historically, the hills provided sustenance – food, fuel, medicine, and materials. Yet, are also revered within the cultural history and sacred traditions of the tribal nations that lived in the area. For the Lakota, the Black Hills are imbued with sacred significance and dotted with sacred sites and transcendent spaces – mountain tops, caves, and buttes – where they historically went to pray, fast, and seek visions. The hills form the nucleus of the Lakota religious universe – their art, music, performance, and poetry are rooted in the land.
Indeed, Lakota creation myths detail their emergence from the Wind Cave, guided by the spirits and the buffalo, into the Black Hills to find their way in the world. In this regard, the loss of the Black Hills was not just a socio-economic tragedy, but a tragic loss of sacred land and cultural identity.
The Lakota and the Black Hills Today
The Lakota are typically depicted in popular culture as fierce mounted warriors of the Great Plains. They are remembered either as the victors of the Battle of Little Big Horn (1876) or the victims of the US Army massacre at Wounded Knee – the worst mass shooting in American history (White, 2004). However, the truth of the Lakota transcends such simplified images. Like any other community, the Lakota have a rich and varied history. The Lakota of Crazy Horse (1840-1877) differ from the Lakota of the 1950s, as well as the Lakota of the present day.
As a people, the Lakota have fought to regain stewardship over their ancestral lands since the seizure of the Black Hills in the 1870s. In 1980, the US Government offered them a monetary settlement that is today valued at over 1 Billion dollars. The Lakota maintain to this day that neither they nor their sacred lands are for sale.
