Robert Utley writes in his introduction to "The Lance and the Shield" that it was Stanley Vestal who wrote the definitive biography of Lakota statesman, medicine man, and warrior chief Sitting Bull. Vestal conducted field research in the 1930's, talking to Lakotas who actually knew and lived along side Sitting Bull before his death in 1890. Utley argues that his biography, which borrows heavily on Vestal's research, is necessary because Vestal failed to take into account Lakota culture and lifestyles when crafting his biography. Utley aims to remedy this deficiency with this readable account of Sitting Bull's life and times.
The first chapters introduce Sitting Bull in the context of Lakota culture and lifestyle. According to Utley, there are four main virtues that every Lakota must embody in some form if they are to become productive members of their tribe. These virtues are generosity, fortitude, bravery, and wisdom. Sitting Bull showed unusually high competence in all of these traits at an exceptionally young age. Even more important, Utley shows the reader how Sitting Bull often exhibited these traits not to advance himself and his own interests, but to help others in his family and tribe. By the time Sitting Bull was a young man his reputation as an archetype Lakota led some to invoke his name as a battle cry in order to strike fear into the hearts of the enemy.
After Utley lays down the cultural context of Sitting Bull and Lakota society, he embarks on a detailed history of Sitting Bull's activities during the chaotic years of the 1860s and 1870s, when the Lakotas faced increasing competition for land resources from whites and other Indian tribes. This is where Utley's theme of the "lance" and the "shield" come into play. At various times, Utley argues, Sitting Bull adopted a warlike stance towards his enemies (the lance); at other times he took a defensive position (the shield). What does become clear in Utley's book is that as time goes by, even conservatives like Sitting Bull recognized the lance was useless against the whites. Whites had guns and endless ammunition, cannons, and overwhelming numbers. This made it extremely difficult for the Lakotas to successfully withstand the encroachment of their lands. Even following the bison further west made no long-term difference in the problems the Lakotas faced because whites moved west with them.
After the Battle of the Little Bighorn came the deluge, when a decision made at the highest levels of the American government led to an unrelenting war against the Lakota until they surrendered and moved onto reservations in South Dakota and Nebraska. Sitting Bull refused to move to a reservation. For him, the life of a sedentary reservation Indian spelled death for Lakota spiritual, cultural, and lifestyle ways. The government didn't share Sitting Bull's views; they hunted him and his bands relentlessly, eventually forcing Sitting Bull into Canada in order to escape the wrath of his old enemies in the United States Army. Sitting Bull's Canadian exile is discussed in great depth, with an emphasis on how Sitting Bull's presence in Canada strained relations between the United States and Canadian governments.
The last part of the book concerns the warrior's eventual surrender to the American military, his stay in a military prison, and his life on the reservation. It was during his stay on the reservation that Sitting Bull met up with his nemesis, Indian agent James McLaughlin. A heated debate rages over McLaughlin's role in Sitting Bull's death, but what isn't debatable is the agent's dislike for Sitting Bull. In letters, notes, and memos McLaughlin tirelessly assails Sitting Bull as a stubborn, troublemaking, and recalcitrant Indian. Utley argues that the reverse is true, that Sitting Bull actually followed the ways of a reservation Indian. Sitting Bull lived in a house, planted crops, and supported sending Lakota children to local schools run by non-Lakotas. Sitting Bull did reject Christianity, preferring to remain loyal to Lakota spiritual ways, but overall Sitting Bull caused little trouble for the reservation authorities.
This all changed when the ghost dance began. The increasing problems of reservation Indians lent itself to this eschatological movement. The ghost dance promised paradise and a return to the old ways, providing a much-needed reassurance to displaced Indians stuck on bleak reservations. Sitting Bull found himself caught up in this movement when the ghost dance arrived on his reservation. Utley argues Sitting Bull's actions towards the ghost dance reflected his role as a Lakota chief, in that he tried to find out more about the dancing and what it meant so he could advise his people about what actions they should take towards the phenomenon. The reservation agency headed by McLaughlin panicked about the ghost dance and worried about possible violence resulting from the activity. In an effort to stop the dancing, McLaughlin issued an order for the arrest of Sitting Bull, sending the reservation police to make the arrest. Unfortunately, this police force consisted of Indians, some of whom had beefs with Sitting Bull. In the midst of carrying out McLaughlin's order, Sitting Bull and several others died in a shootout.
Utley casts a wide net with his sources, utilizing government documents, books, testimonials, and letters. This gives Utley's book greater balance, even if he does tend to stray into moral judgments that have no place in a history book. His inclusion of numerous maps also helps the reader navigate the endless references to rivers, forts, plains, and agencies referenced in the book.
"The Lance and the Shield" is a book for both historians and the general reader. Even those with zero knowledge of Sitting Bull will learn many fascinating things about this Lakota war chief who dedicated his entire life in service to his people.
