Pine Ridge is the given “home” of the Oglala Nation. Somewhere in its earth Crazy Horse was secretly buried by his parents, while Red Cloud’s final resting place at the cemetery of Holy Rosary Church in the town of Pine Ridge itself can be visited by all.
Pine Ridge was created by an Act of Congress on March 2, 1889, and consists of 3,468 sq miles, making it one of the largest reservations in the United States. Today, known more for its poverty and social deprivation than for its history, no more than 30,000 people live across its huge area. Yet it was here that two separate events with a common cause took place that continue to resonate culturally in the lives of its inhabitants. Firstly, at Stronghold Table—a mesa in the Oglala-administered portion of Badlands National Park where the last Ghost Dance inspired by the Movement of the same name took place, and, secondly, at Wounded Knee, where the Seventh Cavalry wrought its late revenge on the Lakota in the outrage perpetrated there.
The Ghost Dance was a shamanistic ritual incorporated into numerous Native American belief systems. Originating from the teachings of the Northern Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka, the practice was supposed to evoke the spirits of the dead, bringing them back for the fight against European westward expansion. Unfortunately, the popularity of these dances worried the administrators on the reservations greatly, so much so that they reported the beginnings of a widespread uprising in the making, concerns circumstantially amplified by the prevalence given to the shirts worn by the dancers, said to be bullet proof. Tragedy soon struck, first at the Hunkpapa reservation at Standing Rock, where Sitting Bull was killed during efforts to arrest him because of the tension caused there by the dances, and then at Wounded Knee on the Oglala reservation, when a mixed band of Miniconjou and Hunkpapa fleeing the situation at Standing Rock and seeking sanctuary at Pine Ridge, were intercepted, surrounded and then attacked in their camp by a detachment of the Seventh Cavalry after an attempt to disarm the nervous Lakota went badly wrong on December 29, 1890.
Pine Ridge is located in South Dakota and Nebraska, encompassing a total of 3,468 sq. mi (8,984 Km2) It’s population is roughly 40,000 people. 1.7 million acres of land is held in trust by the United States government. By land area, the reservation is the seventh-largest in the country.
The land that makes up Pine Ridge Reservation is an integral part of the Lakota culture and the economic base of the reservation. The reservation is situated in southwestern South Dakota on the Nebraska state line, about 50 miles east of the Wyoming border. The area includes over 11,000 square miles contained in seven counties; Bennett, Custer, Fall River, Jackson, and Oglala counties in South Dakota.
The southern and eastern sections consist of wide-open grassy plains.
The west-central section merges into the small eastern spurs of the Black Hills, which are further to the west. The result is an area of rolling pine-covered hills and ridges, providing the inspiration for the name Pine Ridge.
To the north of the wooded area are approximately 160,000 acres of Badlands.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe is part of the Great Sioux Nation of the Titowan Division. The Black Hills are located in the center of the Great Sioux Nation. In 1874, General George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry entered the Black Hills and found gold. The Gold Rush started the conflict between the United States and Great Sioux Nation. The United States Government wanted to buy or rent the Black Hills from the Lakota people, and the Great Sioux Nation refused.
The Great Sioux Nation went through years of battles, massacres, and broken treaties . . . all while trying to keep ownership of their land.
On December 29, 1890, the 7th Cavalry massacred 300 of Chief Big Foot’s band of Minneconjou Teton Sioux at Wounded Knee, located on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Years of fighting for their land had finally left the Great Sioux Nation demoralized and defeated.
Today, the Oglala Sioux Tribal government maintains jurisdiction within the boundaries of the reservation. The Tribe is governed by an elected body consisting of a 4-member Executive Committee and an 18-member Tribal Council, all of whom serve a two-year term.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe’s major economic occupation is cattle ranching and farming for tribal operators. The Tribe operates a large Parks and Recreation Department and guided hunting for small game and large game like buffalo and elk. The Tribe also operates the Prairie Wind Casino and the Cedar Pass Lodge which includes a motel, restaurant, and gift shop.