On April 20, 1890, the last soldiers left Fort Laramie. 127 years ago does not seem long ago as I have
lived more than half those years. The
fort, once one of the most important along the Oregon Trail and for years a
hotbed of activity for trappers, traders, travelers, tribes and the military
was no longer needed – that’s progress.
I decided to go back
and take a look at the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851. The treaty is short, a bit
over a thousand words (about four pages) and contains eight articles. Each
article, when broken down in today’s world, looks to be something that would
not work – and they didn’t.
ARTICLE
6. The parties to the second part of
this treaty having selected principals or head-chiefs for their respective
nations, through whom all national business will hereafter be conducted, do hereby bind themselves to sustain said chiefs
and their successors during good behavior.
Here is what I wrote about the treaty and
specifically. Article 6, a few years ago.
Although the government meant well, a lack of understanding of
Indian culture and governing policies
likely doomed the treaty from the start.
The government idea of assigning each tribe a certain area, as if each
was a state or county within a state was a foreign idea to the tribes and
likely not understood. Also, the idea of
one man as a head chief for each tribe did not work. Within the Indian culture,
if an important matter was to be decided anyone in the tribe had a say.
Fort Laramie and the
end of its day’s 127 years ago Thursday,
April 20.
