Killing Custer Reflection

Welch's Killing Custer offers insight into the United States' need for the "Custer Myth" following the appearance of the limitations the Aryan race faced in their claims of racial superiority. The historical background the novel offers makes note of the United States' "white civilization's" desire to spread their society and assimilate Native Americans within their culture. However, while I respect Welch's attempts to create a distinction between the chiefs Red Cloud and Sitting Bull, I find his overall analysis on the rift lacking. Primarily, with regards to the Treaty of 1868, the Lakota representatives did not have authority to sign away any land or agree to treaty terms. The idea that one chief represented the entire people was primarily an ethnocentric view held by the white Euro-Americans. I feel as though it is imperative to make such distinctions; the portrayal of Native American chiefs in the novel makes it appear as though these chiefs were in possession of more power than they actually had. Although Welch acknowledges that the American government was incorrect in their assumption that Red Cloud and Spotted Tail spoke for all Indians, he does not make clear that even within their own tribes, the chiefs lacked any great political power.
In the novel, Welch stated that the Sioux believed that the main violation of the Treaty of 1868 occurred over the Black Hills, which was an extremely sacred area in Sioux culture. I find it extremely interesting (and also disturbing) that this area remains one of contention between the Sioux and the United States' federal government today. Over the years, non-Native American residents and businesses have made a push to make use of the Black Hills region for recreational and mining purposes. Today, the government acknowledges the crimes committed against the Sioux and other Indian tribes throughout American history, yet it still fails to grant the Native Americans their basic desire of the maintenance their sacred lands free from outside activity. Native Americans have been offered monetary compensation over the past few decades, but many are unwilling to accept the payments, despite their desperate need for funds, because of the importance of their religion. It is rather astonishing that the battle for the Black Hills, which began over one hundred years ago, still continues today.