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Yankton Sioux
Discusses the history of the Yankton Sioux and their current situation. Includes a picture essay on objects used in Yankton religious observance
111 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1987
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About the author
Herbert T. Hoover
14 booksHerbert T. Hoover was one of South Dakota’s most influential historians and a long-serving professor at the University of South Dakota (USD). Over more than four decades, Hoover built a career defined by deep engagement with the region’s complex past, particularly in the field of American Indian history. His contributions ranged from academic scholarship and oral history projects to personal involvement in major events like the Wounded Knee occupation of 1973.
Born in 1930 and named after President Herbert Hoover and Theodore Roosevelt, Hoover grew up on a Minnesota farm and developed a lifelong love for history, encouraged by his schoolteacher mother. After serving in the Korean War as a Marine, he initially pursued chemistry at the University of Minnesota but found his passion in history. He earned his master’s degree at New Mexico State University and later a Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma, where he studied under Eugene Hollon and was influenced by prominent Western historians like Walter Prescott Webb and Gilbert Fite.
In 1967, Hoover joined the USD history department, where he would become a central figure in the study of South Dakota’s past. His classes increasingly focused on the Sioux and American Indian history, an area in which he was both an academic expert and a lived participant. A man of Ioway heritage, Hoover lent ceremonial and logistical support to Native American communities, hosted traditional spiritual ceremonies on his farm, and cultivated relationships with American Indian Movement (AIM) leaders during a period of growing Native activism.
Hoover authored numerous chapters and articles and contributed significantly to A New South Dakota History and South Dakota Leaders. He compiled two extensive bibliographies on the state’s history, including one solely dedicated to the Sioux. His research led to over 4,000 annotated sources and more than 750 oral interviews preserved in USD archives. His work has made South Dakota one of the most documented states in the West.
Outspoken and unafraid of controversy, Hoover remained committed to truth over comfort. He criticized both white and Native communities for perpetuating divisions and lamented the decline in spiritual leadership among tribes. Even in retirement, he continued to work on a new book about the American Indian renaissance, aiming to shed light on both its achievements and shortcomings. Hoover passed away at 89, leaving behind a legacy as one of South Dakota’s foremost chroniclers of its diverse and often turbulent history.
Born in 1930 and named after President Herbert Hoover and Theodore Roosevelt, Hoover grew up on a Minnesota farm and developed a lifelong love for history, encouraged by his schoolteacher mother. After serving in the Korean War as a Marine, he initially pursued chemistry at the University of Minnesota but found his passion in history. He earned his master’s degree at New Mexico State University and later a Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma, where he studied under Eugene Hollon and was influenced by prominent Western historians like Walter Prescott Webb and Gilbert Fite.
In 1967, Hoover joined the USD history department, where he would become a central figure in the study of South Dakota’s past. His classes increasingly focused on the Sioux and American Indian history, an area in which he was both an academic expert and a lived participant. A man of Ioway heritage, Hoover lent ceremonial and logistical support to Native American communities, hosted traditional spiritual ceremonies on his farm, and cultivated relationships with American Indian Movement (AIM) leaders during a period of growing Native activism.
Hoover authored numerous chapters and articles and contributed significantly to A New South Dakota History and South Dakota Leaders. He compiled two extensive bibliographies on the state’s history, including one solely dedicated to the Sioux. His research led to over 4,000 annotated sources and more than 750 oral interviews preserved in USD archives. His work has made South Dakota one of the most documented states in the West.
Outspoken and unafraid of controversy, Hoover remained committed to truth over comfort. He criticized both white and Native communities for perpetuating divisions and lamented the decline in spiritual leadership among tribes. Even in retirement, he continued to work on a new book about the American Indian renaissance, aiming to shed light on both its achievements and shortcomings. Hoover passed away at 89, leaving behind a legacy as one of South Dakota’s foremost chroniclers of its diverse and often turbulent history.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 23, 2022
In this book the author manages to present a concise introduction of the history and culture of the Yankton (Ihanktonwan), or middle, Sioux.
It was evident that the author has had a lot of personal contact, interaction, and relationships with members of the Yankton community. This is definitely one of the positive aspects of the book. The author presents the contemporary revival of Yankton religion and culture in a positive and respectful light.
On the flipside, the author offers a quintessential American liberal view of the history of the Yankton. He likes to describe racism as a problem "on both sides" and offers a very polite watered down history of violent American colonialism. You can tell through his writing that he is a big fan of the religious ecumenical movement and the blending of cultures without really addressing the power dynamic at work through the imposition of anglo Christianity and assimilation.
To be clear I am not giving this book a three simply because I don't agree with his liberal point of view. I am giving it three stars because that point of view takes away important elements and insights from history that should be included. Presenting all sides is fine. But trying to white wash certain aspects of history in order to make things look more impartial does a disservice to the reader, even if the author has done this unintentionally, or, even with the best intentions.
It was evident that the author has had a lot of personal contact, interaction, and relationships with members of the Yankton community. This is definitely one of the positive aspects of the book. The author presents the contemporary revival of Yankton religion and culture in a positive and respectful light.
On the flipside, the author offers a quintessential American liberal view of the history of the Yankton. He likes to describe racism as a problem "on both sides" and offers a very polite watered down history of violent American colonialism. You can tell through his writing that he is a big fan of the religious ecumenical movement and the blending of cultures without really addressing the power dynamic at work through the imposition of anglo Christianity and assimilation.
To be clear I am not giving this book a three simply because I don't agree with his liberal point of view. I am giving it three stars because that point of view takes away important elements and insights from history that should be included. Presenting all sides is fine. But trying to white wash certain aspects of history in order to make things look more impartial does a disservice to the reader, even if the author has done this unintentionally, or, even with the best intentions.
Displaying 1 of 1 review