Chief Red Cloud honored

Monday, December 10, 2007 was “Red Cloud Honoring Day” in honor of Chief Red Cloud. Students and teachers from Red Cloud Elementary gathered at the prayer circle as a great Lakota leader was honored. Prayers were said and the Red Cloud song was sung in honor of Chief Red Cloud.

Holy Rosary Mission was founded by the request of Chief Red Cloud in 1888. Chief Red Cloud knew that by inviting the Jesuits to build a school, he would be able to educate his people. Chief Red Cloud rose up as a great leader of the Oglala, and led the most successful military campaign ever waged against the United States by an indigenous group.

During his lifetime, Red Cloud had had several dealings with a group of men he knew as the Sina Sapa, the "black robes", a reference to the black cassocks worn by the men of the Society of Jesus. Knowing that the Society was reknowned for its educational emphasis and the freedom that it gave to the indigenous people it educated, Red Cloud sent a petition to Washington, D.C. to allow the Jesuits to come to the Reservation and set up a school "so that our children may be as wise as the white man's children." Red Cloud saw that the way of life to which he was accustomed was ending, and that in order for his people to prosper, their children must be educated to be able to walk in both the Lakota world and the white man's world.

U.S. Government policy at that time had designated the Pine Ridge Reservation as an Episcopal reservation--that is, the only religious sect allowed to prostelytize to the Oglala was the Episcopal Church. This complicated the granting of Red Cloud's request, but before Red Cloud died, his wish was granted.

Holy Rosary Mission known now as Red Cloud Indian School has since then thrived into an organization of three schools, sixteen parishes and the Heritage Center.

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