The Day the World Ended at Little Bighorn: A Lakota History

Insight comes from new perspectives ... timely view with fresh eyess

I enjoyed reading the other side of a historical event. Well written and informative.

“The Day the World Ended at Little Bighorn”, a Lakota History by Joseph Marshall III This is a very good discussion of the complex significance of the Battle of the Little Bighorn had for Lakota culture. It is not a detailed replay of the battle, nor is it intended to be.Marshall gives interesting “bios” of several of the Sioux leaders in relation to the battle but, more importantly to their stances and activities during the post-battle adjustment period as their tribesmen and culture slowly crumbled. A criticism, though, is that Marshall omitted the important influence of three of the major players in the Bighorn fight and the Yellowstone Expedition in general – Sheridan, Sherman and Grant. Another is that like virtually all Lakota (et al) writers, Marshall never delves into the activities of the substantial numbers of pro-Indian Whites and the intensive pressures they tried to bring to bear in Washington on behalf of all “Indians”. But it’s his book and he gets to write it to suit himself and his friends, Most importantly, Marshall shows that the Lakota didn’t just fade away to live happily ever after in Hollywood after 1890. He presents the reader with the “bloodless war” waged on Lakota peoples and culture by the Government via Christian missionaries and the ever unpopular Bureau of Indian Affairs. He shows how that oppression has carried through the 20th century into the 21st century too. And he demonstrates how the Lakota peoples, at least some of them, have fought to keep their culture and language alive in spite of all the Government’s numerous machinations. Americans of all stripes should see that our beloved Government is busy doing to us today exactly what they did to the Lakotas (and other tribes) a century ago. It is waging economic war on small, rural communities forcing more and more of us onto overcrowded reservations (called: Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, etc.) to live as wards of the Great Godless Nanny. It is taking our children away from the influence of parents and other family and corralling them in government schools that we pay for but cannot influence their government agenda. If I were Lakota I would certainly be thinking: “What goes around, comes around” right about now.

Chief Marshall really laid it out for all Caucasian Americans. The US Government lied, cheated and stole from those in their care. Had a tad of honesty prevailed in treatment of the Indians, many settlers would have lived out their days in peace.As a white American, the stories told me by Cherokees, Choctaws and Southern Cheyenne and having a small percentage ig Eastern Woodland Indian blood in my veins, I am ashamed of our government.One cannot blame the Army as much as the government for they carried out orders issued by those who had little or no personal knowledge of the their conditions. Had I been in care if those governments and feed rotten beef and weevil infested flour, I would have left the reservation, also.A very good read, even though Chief is understandably biased. He corroborates other accounts I have read.I shall purchase more of his books, especially concerning Crazy Horse.

I love and enjoy reading about our Native Americans and the Little Bighorn. This was such an extremely well written and incredibly enjoyable book that it was difficult to put down once I started reading it. If you have read other books on the Battle of the Little Bighorn, you will immensely enjoy this book as well.

Very factual book by Joseph M Marshall

I work with the native population of South Dakota and This book should be required reading for all people living on the great plains.

Book was great for outlining much of the information associated with what Lakota and others went through and how, once more, screwed they were by the US Govt. Expected to read much more about the battle, yet was pretty light on that. Felt a lot of filler was added to the book. Glad I read it, but not what expected.

Marshall is a well-documented writer, a scholar who writes simple.

Enjoyed this and other books by Joseph Marshall. Recommended for anyone interested in the Sioux wars.

An excellant read !

An excellent view from the lakota side of history, this takes the reader up to the (almost) present day experiences of the ancestors of those who fought - and won - at The Big Horn.

This book is described as illustrated and I purchased it in the expectation of finding reproductions of Native American illustrations by the participants like the famous paintings by Red Horse. In fact the book contains no illustrations at all, only a few small sketch plans