Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-266) and index.
Contents:
Introduction: An Indian American story -- A very unusual young man -- Agent of the Indian New Deal -- Responsibilities of weight and importance -- This is the white man's world -- They'll never vote for an Indian -- Congressman Reifel -- No man more familiar with Indian problems -- The best of both cultures.
Summary:
As the first Lakota to serve in the United States Congress, Benjamin (Ben) Reifel (1906-1990) made a career of straddling two distinct cultures. A bilingual member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, Reifel often found his ideas challenged by American Indian activists. He advocated for his people to become self-reliant citizens, not by abandoning traditional values, but through education and integration. Throughout his earlier career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and in Congress during the 1960s, Reifel worked to bring economic success to the reservations and to South Dakota as a whole, dividing his time between agriculture policy and Indian affairs. A moderate-conservative Republican, he quickly rose to prominence on the House Appropriations Committee. Sean J. Flynn offers an alternative to depictions of American Indians as victims of eighteenth- and nineteenth century conquest, showcasing the life of a man who prospered in the American mainstream without forsaking his racial identity.
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