The First Existential War the Sioux Lost

We need to remember that the Sioux war with the Whites that took place from about 1850 to 1890 was the second existential war the Sioux lost in historic memory. The first was the one they lost when the Chippewa (Ojibway) kicked them out of their homeland in the Minnesota woods.

This war was part of the vast movement of tribes that took places beyond the edges of the white frontier as tribes jockeyed for position. The Chippewa had better access to firearms and so forth and this is likely one of the reasons they won the war.

The Sioux were first encountered in the far northern Minnesota woodlands by French traders and explorers in the 17th and 18th Centuries. The Sioux were a people of the Minnesota wild rice beds far longer than they were a people of the buffalo.

Various factions, such as the Tetons, moved out of the woodlands earlier with successive waves following. I suspect that they were pushed by the Ojibway and pulled by the buffalo. Then they displaced other tribes farther west.

The war with the Ojibway was a "War to the Knife" and took place over decades, maybe even centuries. The Sioux/Chippewa War will feature prominently in this blog. As will the tribes displaced by the Sioux farther west.

If I remember correctly, there were Sioux vs Ojibway skirmishes that were visible from the walls of Fort Snelling. Fort Snelling is located at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers at the core of Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

The following photo is taken from a Google image search and shows Fort Snelling as it was "Back in the Day."