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The Cliff Notes of military history
The "Essential Histories" series from Osprey could easily be compared to the Cliff Notes series.They'll give you a nice introduction to a topic you are not familiar with, but no real depth.Most volumns are under 100 pages; therefore, don't expect many "man in the trenches" stories.

This series tends to run into problems when the time periods stretch out.Nearly 150 years is a bit difficult to present in such a small book.The more length in years, the more background necessary for items not related.

Not a Comprehensive Survey
In Osprey's The Plains Wars 1757-1900, Charles M. Robinson III, a history teacher at a Texas community college, attempts to provide a broad survey of the Indian Wars fought on the American plains in the 18th and 19th Centuries.Unfortunately, Robinson's account is written with too much of a Texas bias and too narrow a geographic focus.Robinson's narrative - while sometimes interesting - is undermined by conceptual errors and lack of data.The Plains War includes seven maps: Texas, the South Plains (1874 Red River War); the North plains; 1869 Battle of Washita; 1876 Battle of Rosebud; Red River War (again - confusing); 1876 Little Bighorn (a copy of the map from the campaign volume).There is also an appendix with a list of Principal Indian characters.

After a short introduction that clearly states that the bulk of the volume will focus on the Red River War of 1874-1875 and the Great Sioux War of 1876-1877, a 6-page "background to war section" that reverts to the period of Spanish settlement in Texas in the mid-17th Century.In this section, Robinson begins a conceptual error - driven by Texas lore - that attempts to link the late 19th Century Plains Wars with early 18th Century Spanish colonization, with not a word given to what occurred east of the Mississippi.Robinson also demonstrates a tendency to exaggerate the historical significance of minor incidents; for example, he describes the 1758 "massacre" at the San Saba mission in Texas (10 Spanish killed) as "disaster" that stopped Spanish expansion onto plains and started "full-scale warfare between Indians and whites on the Southern Plains." Even though the first Americans didn't show up in Texas until 1821 and the Spanish never committed more than a few hundred troops to defend Texas, Robinson sees this as a continuous, full-scale war. Later, Robinson describes the 1836 Indian raid on Parker's Fort as "one of the worst raids" in Texas history - five Texans killed, five captured (four ransomed). These were actually small raids in comparison to what occurred in other areas of the country, and certainly not loaded with great historical import.

Robinson's underlying thesis, presented in the main campaign narrative, is that the Plains Wars were "handed down through the generations" and that "the conflict between those tribes [from the Great Plains] lasted about 150 years and required the resources of five nations - Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America and the United States - before fighting ended in the mid-1890s."However, no serious threat was posed to the Plains tribes before the Lewis & Clark expedition and pressure only really began to build in the mid-19th Century.While Indian warfare had been a constant in American life since the 17th Century - never alluded to by Robinson - the actual period of sustained warfare against the Plains tribes was only half of the 150 year period he claims.Indeed, the independence of the Plains tribes was smashed in a few decades and with less than 10% of the effort needed to subdue the Confederacy. Despite Robinson's thesis, Spain and Mexico never put serious demographic pressure on the Plains tribes and indeed it was the paucity of Spanish settlers in the region that encouraged Americans to migrate into Texas.The Republic of Texas and CSA were on the defensive against the Plains Indians, and neither was made a major push to expand westward.Only the USA made a major effort to expand into the Great Plains, and it was the only power to offer a major threat to Plains tribes.All the major battles on the Plains were fought between American soldiers and Indians.If warfare was "handed down," it owed more to the tradition of Fallen Timbers and the Seminole Wars than it did to obscure Spanish missionaries.

Another problem that plagues this volume is a lack of reliable data.Despite a 4-page bibliography, Robinson fails to provide basic statistics like: how many Plains Indians were there in this period (only about 300,000 by 1850 versus 23 million Americans)? How large was the U.S. Army commitment in the region (about 7,000 prior to the Civil War and about 15,000 afterwards)? How many casualties were incurred by both sides in the Plains Wars (about 2,000 military versus 6,000 Indians in 1865-1890)? Robinson does not even list casualties from major battles like the Rosebud or Little Bighorn.Furthermore, Robinson tends to treat all Plains Indian tribes as more or less the same, which ignores differences in methods and temperament.Robinson also chooses to exclude the Nez Percé War and the Arizona Apaches simply because they do not fall within "the Plains" - this is a major disservice to the reader since these campaigns were very relevant to the Plains Wars.Overall, the volume fails to provide an adequate summary of the military conflict that resulted in the 19th Century from Indian resistance to westward expansion. ... Read more

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The bloody Sioux uprising that had lasting effects on Indian affairs for decades.

In August of 1862, the Santee (Dakota) Sioux tribe launched a spontaneous revolt against their white neighbors. Looting and killing, the Santee Sioux ravaged the unprotected countryside and small towns of southern Minnesota. When it was all over, more than five hundred people died. But the killing was not yet over: after a quick trial, thirty-eight Santee Sioux were later hanged to death in the largest mass execution in U.S. history. ... Read more

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On the Rez is a sharp, unflinching account of the modern-day American Indian experience, especially that of the Oglala Sioux, who now live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the plains and badlands of the American West. Crazy Horse, perhaps the greatest Indian war leader of the 1800s, and Black Elk, the holy man whose teachings achieved worldwide renown, were Oglala; in these typically perceptive pages, Frazier seeks out their descendants on Pine Ridge—a/k/a "the rez"—which is one of the poorest places in America today.

Along with his longtime friend Le War Lance (whom he first wrote about in his 1989 bestseller, Great Plains) and other Oglala companions, Frazier fully explores the rez as they visit friends and relatives, go to pow-wows and rodeos and package stores, and tinker with a variety of falling-apart cars. He takes us inside the world of the Sioux as few writers ever have, writing with much wit, compassion, and imagination. In the career of SuAnne Big Crow, for example, the most admired Oglala basketball player of all time, who died in a car accident in 1992, Frazier finds a contemporary reemergence of the death-defying, public-spirited Sioux hero who fights with grace and glory to save her followers.

On the Rez vividly portrays the survival, through toughness and humor, of a great people whose culture has helped to shape the American identity.
Amazon.com Review
Given that the Great Plains long functioned as a stomping ground for the Oglala Sioux, it was inevitable that Ian Frazier would cross paths with them when he wrote his 1989 chronicle of that sublime flatland. But the encounter between the self-confessed "chintzy middle-class white guy" and his Native American counterparts went so swimmingly that Crazy Horse assumed a starring role in the book. Now Frazier continues his cross-cultural romance in On the Rez. This account of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota is as touching, funny, and maniacally digressive as anything he's written. What's more, he manages to avoid most of the politically correct potholes along the way, producing a vivid, ambivalent (i.e., honest) portrait of a community where the very "landscape is dense with stories."

Much of On the Rez revolves around Le War Lance, whom Frazier first met in Great Plains. This yarn-spinning, beer-swilling figure serves the author as a kind of Native American Virgil, introducing him to the hard facts of reservation life. In fact, their friendship, with its accents of deep affection and dependency, anchors the entire narrative and elicits some typically top-drawer prose:

Le's eyes can be merry and flat as a smile button, or deep and glittering with malice or slyness or something he knows and I never will. He is fifty-seven years old. I have seen his hair, which is black streaked with gray, when it was over two feet long and held with beaded ponytail holders a foot or so apart, and I have seen it much shorter, after he had shaved his head in mourning for a friend who had died.

Customer Reviews (80)

"...even the faithful reader tires..." (p. 199)
Indian reservations exist within - and apart from - the United States. In the 1990s, Ian Frazier spent time on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation. He reports of daily life there in On the Rez.

At its best, On the Rez allows readers to explore a different world. People at Pine Ridge live by a unique set of rhythms and values. Also, Frazier makes some interesting comments about why so many non-Indians are fascinated by Indian culture.

Unfortunately, Frazier often downplays his account of contemporary life at Pine Ridge in favor of digressions. His Oglala history is only mildly interesting. (Other writers have covered the topic in detail). Also, Frazier destroys the book's momentum with boring details - such as who was riding in each car that he sees, the family tree of everyone at Pine Ridge, and step-by-step descriptions of auto repairs.

In his dealings with the Oglala, Frazier is the ultimate sap. The Oglala constantly cadge money from him, while putting him down to his face as a "wannabe" and a "white man." In one scene, some of the Oglala show up drunk at Frazier's house, eat his food, and spill coffee on his young daughter. Afterward, Frazier beats himself up "...for being a chintzy middle-class white guy" (p. 161). Many readers will find it hard to relate to Frazier.

On the Rez is like a long car trip - occasional moments of wonder that you pay for with long stretches of boredom. This is the last Ian Frazier book that I will read.

Readable, provocative, introductory...
This book seems to have drawn more criticism than is perhaps fair, given the author's apparent intent and targeted audience.Readers already steeped in Oglala Sioux history, the history of the American Indian Movement, or that of the Pine Ridge Reservation, may find the book lacking in details and specifics.If you already have an advanced degree in Native American Studies, this book probably is not for you.However, as somebody who has always wondered what goes on farther down those dirt roads than I have ever had the chance to travel, I found this book illuminating.Ian Frazier mentions in the opening paragraphs that when people hear that he is writing about life on the reservation, typically they respond with a variation on how "bleak" it sounds.He goes on to say that "bleak" is a word not used by any of the Indians encountered in the writing of the book.Through reading the book, the reader comes to see that there is far more going on in the life of this community than the bleakness that makes it onto the CBS Evening News every few years, when some new tragedy unfolds.

Granted, Frazier at times wanders off topic.His digressions, nonetheless, reveal a certain elements of his character, which added even more intrigue to the book.Not trying to represent himself as a disinterested observer and eschewing the stale objective phrasings of an academic, Frazier's character seems to show through like some sort of mellowed out Hunter S. Thompson (Gonzo journalist after a stint in AA, perhaps).His telling of his conflicted relationship with Le War Lance: topic for his book, fitful friend, charity-case/lout-in-need-of-beer-money, brother.The book is part history lesson, part personal memoir, sometime adventure story, at times sweetly saccharin, at times hinting towards an ironic humor that may be more essential than fully revealed.Ultimately, it is readable and it has instilled in me a desire to learn more about American Indian history and modern Indian affairs.

ON THE REZ by Ian Frazier
I just finished reading Ian Frazier's book, ON THE REZ(2000).Then I read some of the reviews posted on Amazon and was really shocked by some of the criticisms I read.
The most outrageous statement said Ian had made up the stories about SuAnne Big Crow.That is simply not true.
I have lived on Pine Ridge for the past 6 years.I am a white city-girl with no desires to be either Lakota or country.I am here in support of my partner who was born in Pine Ridge in 1938.Even though I knew her 6 years before our move to the rez I feel I've learned priceless things about her (and myself) by living here.
Unlike some others I enjoy Mr. Frazier's style of writing very much.I do not find him rambling and I understand all his side stories and their relevance.
My first emotions reading this had to do with being "seen".It seems to me very few people care about Pine Ridge and the people here.The fact that Ian spent so much time and energy wanting to understand the rez is truly remarkable to me.I feel his impressions are similar to my own and I find that validating.
I also like his sense of humor and irony.
I find his humility refreshing.He has no suggestions for the Oglala and that's a great start.
This book is so good I want to read some of his others.

Enlightening
The story of the up and down friendship between a native American on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and a white man from the city.Frazier also writes about local heroes, the ongoing problems with alcoholism and poverty, the persistence of spiritual faith.

Loved this book-
It's been a few years since I read On the Rez, but I found it to be a compelling look into a world I'd never seen. Mr. Frazier, an excellent writer, told the story of some of the people of the Pine Ridge reservation with a lot of care and even some humor. I'd recommend this book highly to those who are interested in learning more about Pine Ridge or Lakota culture. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

excellent comparative history
In this book, Gump compares the British conquest of the Zulu to the United State's conquest of the Sioux and finds suprising similarities. The book is extremely well written and one of the most engaging history books which I have ever read. While I do not know much about Zulu history, Iam a student of Native American history and his analysis of Sioux history seems sound to me. The comparison of the Sioux and Zulu history presents the American conquest of the Sioux in a new and interesting light that helps widen the readers understanding of the conflict.

So boring my pillow needs a pillow
I absolutely love history and foreign relations, but this book is written in the most boring style possible. Horrible, I wouldn't recommend it. He has some great points, but you are better off reading the book reviews to get his argument.

A major contribution to field of comparative history
Please disregard the 2 of 5 rating from the sleep deprived person from North Carolina. This 5 out of 5 work of comparative history will keep you turning the pages. It may actually disturb your sleep with its effectivedemolition of the historiography of American exceptionalism when it comesto imperialism towards indigenous peoples.

More importantly, this is NOTa narrative about the Sioux or the Zulu as "victims." Althoughmany scholars have noted the impact of Western imperial expansion onindigenous peoples throughout the world, it is only recently thathistorians have begun to employ the ill-defined and problematic methodologyof comparative history to understand the similarities and differences ofthese diverse colonial encounters.

Gump's book integrates two majorthemes. One theme is that indigenous societies and cultures are dynamic.This means that they are characterized by intentional action and change.Whether the forces of change are internal or external, indigenous societiesare not static.

The second theme is that societies and cultures arecomponents of particular times and actual places. There is a dynamicinterrelationship between attitudes, values, beliefs, behaviors and thespecific circumstances of historic events.Examining two of these 19thcenturyinterrelationships provides us with an understanding of thedynamism of indigenous peoples' cultural adaptation and resilience. TheSioux and the Zulu were as involved in the historical process of changeover time as any other people. In spite of their economic and culturalmarginalization, adjusting to these circumstances did not necessarilydiminish their cultural values.

For a good introduction to thecomparative frontier history of the United States and South Africa seeLeonard Thompson and Howard Lamar's chapter, "Comparative FrontierHistory" in their book, The Frontier in History: North America andSouth Africa Compared, (Yale University Press, 1981), 3-13.

For acomparative study in race relations consult George M. Frederickson's book,White Supremacy: A Comparative Study in American and South AfricanHistory,(Oxford University Press, 1981).

A compairson of 2 native cultures fighting for a way of life
I was put to sleep three times by this book.Those poor natives.They just can't get no justice.This book does provide a new look at what an injustice western civilation has done to native people. ... Read more

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A rediscovered, defiant work of Native American literature, presented here on the 175th anniversary of its first publication

Upon its publication in 1833, this unflinching narrative by the vanquished Sauk leader Black Hawk was the first thoroughly adversarial account of frontier hostilities between white settlers and Native Americans. Black Hawk, a complex, contradictory figure, relates his life story and that of his people, who had been forced from western Illinois in what was known as the Black Hawk War. The first published account of a victim of the American war of extermination, this vivid portrait of Indian life stands as a tribute to the author and his extraordinary people, as well as an invaluable historical document. ... Read more