FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Dec. 19, 2007
CONTACT:  Martyn Beeny, (605) 773-8161, Martyn.Beeny@state.sd.us

New book looks at the Sioux in South Dakota in the Twentieth Century

PIERRE, S.D.—Life for Sioux Indians in South Dakota after their settlement on reservations in the 1800s is the subject of the latest book from the South Dakota State Historical Society.

The 13 essays in The Sioux in South Dakota History: A Twentieth-Century Reader cover a wide range of thought-provoking topics, from the impact of federal policies to rodeos on the reservations to the build-up to the violence at Wounded Knee in 1973.

Each essay in The Sioux in South Dakota History originally appeared in the State Historical Society’s quarterly journal, South Dakota History. The authors are all established scholars or experts in their fields. Richmond L. Clow, an award-winning author and professor of Native American Studies at the University of Montana in Missoula, introduced and edited the book.

“Much of what is written about American Indians in South Dakota occurred in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries,” said Nancy Tystad Koupal, director of the South Dakota State Historical Society Press. “This new book illustrates that the twentieth century, too, is full of fascinating American Indian history. We wanted to bring these excellent articles to public attention.”

A recent Public Agenda study shows that many non-Indians’ ideas of American Indians rely solely on stereotypes and images based on pre-1900 events. The study noted that for many non-Indians, “Indian history ends with Custer and Wounded Knee.” The Sioux in South Dakota History helps readers gain a better understanding of the extent of American Indian history.

Available for $18.95 plus shipping and tax, The Sioux in South Dakota History can be purchased from most bookstores or ordered directly from the South Dakota State Historical Society Press. Visit www.sdshspress.com or call (605) 773-6009.