Little Crow

A key figure in the first years of Minnesota’s statehood, Little Crow (or Taoyateduta) (ca. 1810 - 1863) is best known for his role in the Dakota Uprising of 1862. Little Crow was a strong leader of his people, the Mdewakantons, though he also met with strong internal dissent and opposition. He acted as both diplomat in Washington and leader of the uprising against the state. As a leader, he valued the indigenous cultures that were subverted by the expanding United States but also believed in the necessity of adapting to the expanding state.