Brief History Of The Lakota In Wind Cave National Park

The History of the Lakota in Wind Cave National Park For the Lakota tribe in South Dakota, Wind Cave National Park is much more than an awe-inspiring cave full of peculiar cave formations and bison that stand eight feet tall. For the Lakota, Wind Cave National Park is the site of their ancestors’ emergence from inside the Earth onto the land they used to call home. Upon the discovery of gold in the Great Sioux Reservation, the Lakota’s sacred land was claimed by the United States National Government. The Lakota’s history on the land, their creation story and their rituals associated with the Wind Cave has resulted in their ongoing dispute with the federal government with regard to who should have the right to the sacred lands. The Lakota

For the Lakota, the Wind Cave symbolizes their emergence from the Earth and their beginnings as people. The story goes that one of the Lakota gods, Inktomi, was alone on Earth and went out to find her people, the Buffalo Nation, known today as the Lakota tribe. Inktomi finds the Buffalo People under the surface of the Earth, so she convinces one of the men, Tokahe, to let her escort him to Earth’s surface. Inktomi and Tokahe emerge from under the Earth’s surface through the opening of the Wind Cave. Then, Inktomi teaches Tokahe about life on Earth. She exaggerates how great Earth is in hope that more of the Buffalo People will join Tokahe in coming to the surface. After Tokahe returns to tell the other villagers about Earth and all of the wonderful things it has to offer, the villagers decide to exit through the Wind Cave with him. However, Inktomi is a trickster of a god; while she told the Buffalo Nation of all the amazing things awaiting them on Earth, it turns out that none of the things she promised were true. The Buffalo Nation, now referred to as the Lakota tribe, was stuck on Earth without the guidance of Inktomi (Powers, Garrett, Martin 5296). The Lakota tribe hold their emergence story close to their hearts. It is their beginning in this world, and without it, they would not be here. Prior to United States claiming the Wind Cave, the Lakota would often travel in groups throughout the

Prior to European exploration, the Lakota tribe lived in the Black Hills, and they thrived. As settlers drew closer to the Lakota’s lands, they would retaliate by raiding the settler’s homes and then return to the safety of the Black Hills. Around this same time, there were rumors of gold in the Black Hills. The European settlers living in Yankton, a nearby town, responded to these rumors by asking Congress to perform a geological survey of the hills; however, Army General William Sherman stated that a geological survey could not be performed, since the land belonged to the Natives. In order to remedy the tensions between settlers and Natives, the Treaty of Fort Laramie was enacted in 1868. It gave the land west of Missouri to the Lakota and prohibited miners and settlers from entering that land; in return, the Lakota tribe would discontinue any raids. This treaty was unsuccessful in that it did not stop the spreading rumors of gold, the settlers entering the Black Hills in search for that gold, or the Lakota’s raids that followed. The decade following the Treaty of Fort Laramie consisted of decisions and events that completely disregarded the terms set forth in the treaty. In 1874, George Custer led an expedition into the Black Hills in order to find a suitable spot for a fort intended to keep settlers off of Native lands. However, some