"Red Cloud" in the Lakota language. A fierce warrior and brilliant strategist, Red Cloud defeated the United States Army more than once over several years of fighting. He visited Washington DC many times in his struggle to keep the government from taking Indian lands for white settlement as well as fighting for better treatment of those Indians who settled peacefully onto the reservations. On June 9th, 1870, he met with Ulysses S Grant to request once again that white settlers and developers keep out of Indian territory, after which he is quoted as saying, "They made us many promises, more than I can remember. But they kept but one – They promised to take our land ... and they took it."
Red Cloud, Stanion Family Photos
The name Mahpiya Luta also refers to a school, begun as an Indian Boarding School in 1888, perhaps at the invitation of Red Cloud himself. It's important to understand that the Indian Boarding Schools were created specifically to "eliminate Indian cultures, languages and spiritual traditions" through a policy known as assimilation. Assimilation basically required Indian children to be removed from their homes as early as possible (mandatory at 6 years of age) and kept away from their native culture as long as possible.
Today, the school is working to address the injustices of the past including offering a language learning camp and a heritage center where various artists sell their work.
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