Remembering Frank Deloria and the Yankton Treaty of 1858

Remembering my Great-Grand Father, Hinhan Wicasta, Owl Man, Frank Deloria, who was chosen by the other Yankton Chiefs to sign the Treaty of 1859 in Washington DC., April 19, 1858. It was ratified by the Senate on April 15, 1859.

From 1778 to 1871, the United States government entered into more than 500 treaties with the Native American tribes; all of these treaties have since been violated in some way or outright broken by the US government, with Native Americans and First Nations peoples still fighting for their treaty rights in federal courts.

My Uncle Vine Deloria Jr. always said, " We signed more than 500 Treaties with the US Government. They broke every promise they made except one! They promised to take our land, and they did!

Gray granite monument on a grassy prairie hill, inscribed to commemorate the treaty between the United States and the Yankton Sioux, concluded April 19, 1858, with YANKTON carved on the base.

Another side of the granite monument, honoring the Yankton chiefs who made the Treaty of 1858, listing names including Struck by the Ree and Frank Deloria, with SIOUX carved on the base.