Lakota StruggleSometimes as a nation we forget how we acquired the land we live on today and take it for granted. Before the Founding Fathers, the Pilgrims and even Christopher Columbus, there was already a nation occupying North America. This nation was unique because it was not just a sovereign state, but thousands of unique tribes that coexisted across North America. One of the largest tribes was the Lakota tribe. The Lakotas were not only one of the largest tribes, they also suffered the most from new Americans who wanted to occupy their land, simply because they had the most to lose compared to other tribes. During failed attempts by Native Americans to reclaim their way of life and their ancestry, these Native Americans were forced to live on small reservations scattered throughout unattractive areas of the United States, usually far from their original homesteads. 'origin. The Pine Ridge Lakota Indian Reservation, also known as the Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Sioux Native American reservation located in South Dakota. Originally included in the territory of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established in 1889 in the southwestern region of South Dakota, bordering Nebraska. Currently, it spans 3,468 square miles and is the eighth largest reservation in the United States. Delaware and Rhode Island combined aren't even as big as this reservation. Pine Ridge contains all of Shannon County, as well as the southern half of Jackson County. and the northwestern part of Bennett County. Of the 3,143 counties in the United States, these three counties are among the poorest of the poor. About 84,000 acres of land are usable for agriculture and livestock raising, with...... middle of paper ......f the ferret. “There is no other example in history where a great nation has so shamefully violated its oath. The United States must forever bear the shame and suffer the punishment of its wrongdoing. Our children's children will tell this sad story in hushed tones and wonder how their fathers dared to trample justice and mock God like this. Henry Benjamin Whipple, president of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, on the capture of the Black Hills; According to statements made in the official report of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as stipulated in the Treaty of Fort Laramie of 1868, the United States government constructed Indian agencies for the various Lakota and other Plains tribes. These were the precursors of modern Indian reservations. The Red Cloud Agency was established for the Oglala Lakota in 1871 on the North Platte River in Wyoming Territory. The location was about a mile west of the present