Little Crow

A key figure in the first years of Minnesota’s statehood, Little Crow (or Taoyateduta) is best known for his role in the Dakota Uprising of 1862, but he was notable in several other ways as well. Little Crow was a strong leader of his people but also met with strong opposition and disapproval for many of his actions. He acted as both diplomat in Washington and leader of the uprising against the state. As a leader, he valued the indigenous cultures that were subverted by the expanding United States but also recognized the necessity of adapting to the expanding state. By no means does Little Crow embody every relationship that took place around him, but his many and varied relationships with his own people and with white settlers and soldiers reflect much of the social and political climate of the time.