Red Cloud

Date of Birth: 1822

Zodiac Sign: Unknown

Date of Death: December 10, 1909

Biography

Red Cloud, born Maȟpíya Lúta, was a prominent leader and statesman of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) tribe. He was born in 1822 near the Platte River in what is today Nebraska. Red Cloud grew up during a time of great upheaval for Native American tribes, as settlers and the U.S. government encroached on their lands. He became a key figure in Native American resistance against this expansion. Red Cloud is best known for his role in Red Cloud’s War (1866-1868), which was a series of conflicts between the Lakota and the United States over control of the Powder River Country in northeastern Wyoming and southern Montana. The war ended with the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868, in which the U.S. government agreed to abandon its forts along the Bozeman Trail and recognize the Black Hills as part of the Great Sioux Reservation. After the war, Red Cloud continued to advocate for his people, traveling to Washington, D.C., to negotiate on their behalf. He worked tirelessly to ensure that the U.S. government honored its treaties, although he often faced disappointment and betrayal. Red Cloud lived to see the great changes that affected his culture and people, passing away on December 10, 1909, on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

5 Interesting Facts about Red Cloud

1. Red Cloud successfully led his people in the only war that resulted in a negotiated treaty favorable to the Native Americans.

2. He traveled to Washington, D.C., multiple times to advocate for Native American rights and meet with U.S. Presidents.

3. Red Cloud was one of the few Native American leaders to die of natural causes.

4. In his later years, he became an advocate for education and farming as means to improve the lives of his people.

5. He opposed the Dawes Act, which aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing communal lands into individual plots.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Red Cloud

1. “We do not want riches. We want peace and love.”

2. “They made us many promises, more than I can remember, but they never kept but one; they promised to take our land and they took it.”

3. “The whites, by law of the land, are so much stronger than the Indians that they can compel them to do whatever they wish.”

4. “When the Great Spirit chief made the world, he made no marks, no lines of division or separation on it.”

5. “I have tried to live my life as a good man, and to do what is right for my people.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

As a Native American leader and statesman in the 19th century, Red Cloud did not accumulate personal wealth in the way contemporary figures might. His value was measured in his leadership and the respect he garnered among his people and even his adversaries.

Children

Red Cloud had several children, including a notable son, Jack Red Cloud, who also became a chief and continued his father’s legacy of leadership among the Oglala Lakota.