the book. A timeline of important events in Indian history precedes the chap- ters. In addition, sidebars within the chapters offer supplemental information by discussing people, events, and organizations either not mentioned in the chapters or mentioned only briefly. Choosing the 12 subjects covered in this book was a difficult task. Other Indian leaders certainly could have been included if this volume had been larger, but all 12 discussed at length in this book thoroughly deserve their inclu- sion here. Some important Indian leaders, such as Washakie of the Shoshones, are not included because they spent much of their lives working with, rather than resisting, the U.S. government. Some individuals considered for their own chapters are described within chapters or sidebars. Much of the history education that students within the United States have long received has been from a decidedly Euro-American perspective, from the early Pilgrims through military figures such as George Armstrong Custer. Regrettably, history textbooks in their treatment of the twentieth century largely ignore Indians, as if in the late nineteenth century they ceased to exist. In the 1960s, however, that veil of invisibility began to lift through the efforts of organizations such as the American Indian Movement, and through the vision and sacrifices of many individuals, some of whom appear within these pages. It is this author’s hope that this book makes some small contribution toward creating a greater awareness of what Indians have endured throughout the centuries, what they have striven to do, and what they have accomplished by resisting efforts to deprive them of their identity and their way of life. xii Introduction
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