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Crow Dog[edit]

Crow Dog (lak. Kȟaŋǧí Šúŋka; 1834 – 1911) was a member of the Brulé Lakota tribe and is most well-known for the murder of the Brulé chief Spotted Tail

(lak. Siŋté Glešká) on the Rosebud Indian Reservation on August 5, 1881. Although U.S. authorities did not have jurisdiction over Indian territory, Crow Dog was sentenced to death by the Dakota Territorial Court in Deadwood, South Dakota; this decision was later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court and all charges were dropped.^[1]

Life[edit]

Crow Dog was born in present day South Dakota, probably in 1834. He spent most of his life on the Great Sioux Reservation, which was established in 1868 by the Fort Laramie Treaty. More specifically, he lived in the region which is the Rosebud Indian Reservation today. The name Crow Dog is a poor translation of his name; he should more accurately be called Crow Coyote, as it is said that after a battle he lay wounded in the snow and was warmed by a coyote and shown the way home by a crow.^[2]

After the murder of Spotted Tail and the subsequent trial, Crow Dog continued to live on the reservation and was known for being a strong advocate of the Ghost Dance, a cultural practice especially popular among the Lakota that called for resistance against the Whites.^[2]

Murder of Spotted Tail[edit]

There is no dispute over the fact that Crow Dog shot and killed chief Spotted Tail on August 5, 1881; however, many different versions of the event exist and it is not sure if it was self-defense or an assassination.

Both Spotted Tail and Crow Dog were powerful leaders amongst the Brulé. While Crow Dog was a subchief, Spotted Tail was a chief appointed and backed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). As a chief he tried to find a balance between the interests of the white men and the traditionalists amongst the Lakota. After he had visited American cities in the East, he was convinced that it was useless to resist the Whites as there were cities, of which “a single one [...] contained more people than could be found in all Plains tribes put together”.^[2] Unlike other powerful Lakota leaders such as Red Cloud, Crazy Horse or Sitting Bull, Spotted Tail sought peaceful cooperation with the Americans while paying attention to more traditional Indian views, which is why he appointed Crow Dog a captain of the Indian police.^[3] The following is Crow Dog's account of the event, in which he claims it to be self-defense.

“I shot and killed Spotted Tail. Arrived at the scene of the tragedy on a wagon in company with my wife and child. There was no box on the wagon - two loose boards spanning the space between the bolsters. One of these had worked forward and dropped to the ground. Had got off to fix it. Had gone to horses to unwind a line when a person approached at a gallop from the direction of the council lodge, whom I recognized as Spotted Tail. He checked his horse into a walk. As he approached, seemed to search for weapon in the vicinity of his hip. My wife said something that I did not understand. Saw from the facial expression of Spotted Tail that trouble was on hand. Deceased halted - drew his pistol - leveled it at me, when I fired and killed him. I ran around the wagon and was putting another cartridge - thinking I had missed him - when Iron Wing caught hold of me; I shot him without taking aim from a distance of fifteen feet. I was standing on the ground, my heart beating violently, as I was sure from demeanor of deceased that the time had come.”^[1]

Apart from Crow Dog's own account, the best known narrative of the murder is by the historian George E. Hyde, who claims several different reasons for the killing with the overarching theme of a fight over political power.^[3] Crow Dog is said to have been jealous of the power and the material advantages of being a BIA-backed chief and was furthermore enraged because he had been removed from his powerful position as police captain twice.^[3] As a last reason, Hyde states that there was a dispute over an Indian wife, Light-in-the-Lodge, that further stirred up the quarrel.^[3]

Aftermath[edit]

As was the custom, the matter was settled after the two families had met and agreed upon the payment of $600, eight horses, and one blanket to Spotted Tail's family.^[1] However, it appears that the U.S. government had been looking for a “test case” to extend their influence over Indian territory and people and therefore had Crow Dog arrested for the murder of another Indian, which had never happened before.^[3] Crow Dog was found guilty by the Dakota Territorial Court and was supposed to be hanged. He then appealed to the Supreme Court arguing that the federal government did not have jurisdiction in Indian-to-Indian matters.^[4] Although the Treaty of Fort Laramie included a repeal that made prosecution possible, the Supreme Court argued that it would reverse U.S. Indian policy and restrict tribal sovereignty thereby releasing Crow Dog. The Supreme Court decision in Ex Parte Crow Dog is an important link between the Treaty of Fort Laramie and Worcester v. Georgia and the following Major Crimes Act and United States v. Kagama in matters of Indian sovereignty.

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c Crow Dog, Leonard; Erdoes, Richard (1995-01-01). Crow Dog: four generations of Sioux medicine men. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0060168617.
^ ^a ^b ^c Dog, Mary Crow (2014-11-18). Lakota Woman. Grove/Atlantic, Inc. ISBN 9780802191557.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Harring, Sidney L. (1988-01-01). "Crow Dog's Case: A Chapter in the Legal History of Tribal Sovereignty". American Indian Law Review. 14 (2): 191–239. doi:10.2307/20068289.
^ J., Wishart, David (2004-01-01). Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. University of Nebraska Press. p. 451. ISBN 0803247877. OCLC 907107538.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External Links[edit]

Charles J. Kappler, Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, Archive.org, https://web.archive.org/web/20111126131814/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/Vol2/treaties/sio0998.htm#mn1

Ex parte Crow Dog, 109 U.S. 556 (1883), Justia.com, https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/109/556/

[:1-1] Crow Dog, Leonard; Erdoes, Richard (1995-01-01). Crow Dog: four generations of Sioux medicine men. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0060168617.

[:0-2] Dog, Mary Crow (2014-11-18). Lakota Woman. Grove/Atlantic, Inc. ISBN 9780802191557.

[:2-3] Harring, Sidney L. (1988-01-01). "Crow Dog's Case: A Chapter in the Legal History of Tribal Sovereignty". American Indian Law Review. 14 (2): 191–239. doi:10.2307/20068289.

[4] J., Wishart, David (2004-01-01). Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. University of Nebraska Press. p. 451. ISBN 0803247877. OCLC 907107538.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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