Lakota America A new history of indigenous power

On first encountering this book, curious readers may wonder whether another book on Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and George Armstrong Custer is necessary, although a glance at the subtitle may begin to alleviate that concern. Though Lakota America contains plenty of biographical detail on all three prominent figures, it also places them (as well as the Lakota, their allies, and their adversaries) within a rich historical and economic context. The book is comprehensive--its writing vivid, with rare clarity and power--setting a very high standard for any new work in this well-trodden field. Hämäläinen (Univ. of Oxford, UK) writes absorbingly, for example, of disease among Native peoples infected with smallpox: "Shattered worlds emerged everywhere in the pandemic's wake. Unburied bodies remained rotting on the ground, ghastly reminders of broken families and lineages.... Despair and sorrow gripped entire communities, spawning apathy or, increasingly, violence to ease the pain" (p. 21). The author's eye for detail also captures readers without fail, e.g., when describing polygamy among the Lakota, noting that some men included "two spirits" (i.e., men who identified as women) among their wives. This is a wonderful, engaging, and sometimes tragic book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels. --Bruce Elliott Johansen, emeritus, University of Nebraska at Omaha (emeritus)

Hämäläinen (history, St. Catherine's Coll., Oxford Univ.; Comanche Empire) is one of the world's leading experts on nomadic equestrian peoples. His latest monograph focuses on the evolution of the Lakota from the 16th to 21st century. They initially were ensconced in the Missouri Valley where they proved influential in opposing the imperial designs of England, France, and Spain. In rising up against the colonial powers, they laid the foundation for later dominance of the Missouri Valley by the United States. By that time, the Lakota had adopted an equestrian lifestyle and had come to dominate the Great Plains. Their prowess as horsemen was evident at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, where they delivered a devastating victory to George Armstrong Custer and the Seventh Cavalry. Although a great victory, the Lakota lost the Great Sioux War of 1876--77 since they could not match the sheer numbers of the soldiers utilized by the United States during the conflict. The ability to adapt to changing circumstance, as exhibited first in the Missouri Valley and later in the Great Plains, has continued into the present, as the Lakota have been central to the effort to demand tribal sovereignty. VERDICT An essential purchase for all collections of American history and Native American studies.--John R. Burch, Univ. of Tennessee at Martin