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Little Crow

Leader of the Dakota

Gwenyth Swain

STATUS: AVAILABLE
$22.95, cloth, ISBN 0-87351-502-1
$12.95, paper, ISBN 0-87351-503-X
112 pp., 31 b&w illus., glossary, chronology, notes, bibliography, index
SUBJECT: Biography/Children - Middle Readers (ages 9 and up)

Phone Orders: 1-800-621-2736

About the Author | Reviews & Praise | Resources | Read an Excerpt

A compelling biography for young readers that traces the life of the Dakota leader Taoyateduta (Little Crow) and his role in the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.

The Plains Indian Wars of the nineteenth century garnered enduring fame for certain Indian leaders, their names echoing powerfully even today: Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Red Cloud. Just as significant but less often mentioned is Taoyateduta, known to whites as Little Crow, the reluctant leader of Dakota warriors during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, the opening salvo of the U.S.-Indian Wars.

In this carefully researched biography of the Dakota leader, the first ever written for children, author Gwenyth Swain presents a compelling portrait of the leader, warrior, and politician at the center of the Dakota War of 1862. Beginning with Taoyateduta's childhood along the Mississippi River near present-day St. Paul, this biography explores his life in the Big Woods, his wanderings west from the Mdewakanton Dakota's traditional home, his leadership of his people when they were forced to sign over their land to white settlers, and his role during the war of 1862. Hemmed in on a narrow reservation, frustrated by broken treaties, angered by dishonest agents and traders, and nearly starved because of crop failures and late annuity payments, Dakota Indians attacked white settlers living on the Indians' former homelands in southwestern Minnesota. Taoyateduta agreed to lead the battles, knowing that the U.S. government's response would be swift and terrible. In retribution for the thirty-eight-day war, thirty-eight Dakota men were hanged, thousands were imprisoned, and the Dakota people were expelled from the state.

Taoyateduta's story brings to life the painful experience of the Dakota as they lost their land and their livelihood--and as some chose to adopt white ways while others fought back, with disastrous consequences. Little Crow: Leader of the Dakota offers a clear and accessible account of both the man who led the Dakota into war and the causes behind that wrenching conflict.

About the Author

GWENYTH SWAIN is the author of over twenty books for children, including the biography Dred and Harriet Scott: A Family's Struggle for Freedom (Borealis Books), the novel Chig and the Second Spread, the picture book I Wonder As I Wander, and Bookworks: Making Books by Hand, winner of a Minnesota Book Award. She is also the author of biographies of women's rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Underground Railroad conductor Levi Coffin, and civil rights pioneer Mary Church Terrell. For more information, visit the author's website at www.gwenythswain.com.

Reviews & Praise

"A clear and sympathetic telling of the life of Little Crow, an important historical figure, and his part in the 'Great Sioux Uprising.' A well-told tale of a person and an event in American history that too few have heard about and even fewer have understood. Swain's story is an excellent starting place for both young and older readers." -- Joseph Bruchac, author of Pocahontas and Sacajawea: The Story of Bird Woman and the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Resources

Download a Classroom Discussion Guide for Little Crow/Taoyateduta: Leader of the Dakota (PDF file).
This web page of the Minnesota Historical Society provides background information on the Lower Sioux Agency, or Redwood Agency, where Taoyateduta led his first attack in the Dakota War of 1862. Links lead to the Birch Coulee Battlefield site, across the Minnesota River.
Minnesota Public Radio has archived its September 26, 2002, Radio Report on the Dakota War of 1862. The archive page includes audio clips, images from the war, and links to related topics.
The Dakota Conflict of 1862 was created by students at the Dakota Meadows Middle School of Mankato, Minn., and provides a broad overview of the Dakota War, including a time line and articles relating to a variety of topics, such as the hangings of 38 Dakota warriors after the war.
The Dakota Curriculum Project provides lesson plans for learning about Dakota language and culture and includes audio files of the pronunciation of many Dakota words.