The first of 15 Indian names on the Treaty of 1858 -- which made the settlement of Yankton possible -- was Pa-la-ne-a-pa-pe or the Man That Was Struck by the Ree.

His mark was followed by those of Smutty Bear, Charles F. Picotte (Eta-ke-cha), Crazy Bull, Iron Horn, One That Knocks Down Two, Fast Bull, Walking Elk, Standing Elk, the Elk With the Bad Voice, Grabbing Hawk, Owl Man, White Medicine Cow That Stands, Little White Swan and Pretty Boy.

Since that time, separating fact from fiction about the principal chief of the Yankton Sioux continues to be a dilemma for historians 190 years after he was born, probably in August of 1804.

Legend has it that, as a boy, he was wrapped in an American flag by Lewis and Clark near the site of the future territorial capital -- but the journals of the famed explorers fail to mention the event.

Even more controversial has been the chief's name. Did he strike the Ree or did the Ree strike him?

For purposes of this report, we'll use Struck-by-the-Ree from the treaty document, assuming that the story of his partial scalping by an Arickara warrior was true. However, another version has it that he avenged the murder of his brother by killing a Ree adversary with a spear. In that case, he supposedly earned the title of Strike-the-Ree.

George W. Kingsbury -- who was at Yankton during the village years and who knew the chief personally -- used the latter name in his writings. Similarly, the Frost-Todd trading post ledger, kept by George D. Fiske at the Indian camp in 1859, listed the Sioux leader's account under the heading of "Strike the Rhee." In early newspaper accounts, he was always referred to as Old Strike, never Old Struck.

But one name or the other, the fact remains that the tribal chieftain played a key role in the eventual settlement by whites of southeastern South Dakota in general and Yankton in particular. Unfortunately, for his involvement in the cession of land and subsequent removal to the reservation, Old Strike was vilified by many of his own people for the rest of his life.

Even though his name was affixed to the treaty, Smutty Bear angrily challenged Struck-by-the-Ree's so-called capitulation to the white man, but Old Strike prevailed. Later, on the reservation, it was said that malcontents constantly harassed him, burning his cabin and killing his ponies. Lore also has it that on one occasion a warrior named Aka shot a gun loaded with a blank cartridge in Old Strike's face to show disdain for the chief's actions.

To his credit, though, Struck-by-the-Ree was a realist who read the handwriting on the tepee wall. Although he may not have wanted to see the old traditions disappear, he recognized the inevitability of change. He has been quoted as saying:

"The white men are coming like maggots. It is useless to resist them. They are many more than we are. We could not hope to stop them. Many of our brave warriors would be killed, our women and children left in sorrow, and still we would not stop them. We must accept it, get the best terms we can get and try to adopt their ways."

Despite opposition, Old Strike continued through the years to promote peace and industry among his people. He was credited with convincing his militant young warriors not to join the ill-fated Santee uprising of 1862, while at the same time warning white settlers of potential danger. Later, he spoke regularly to assembled members of his tribe from the roof of his small cabin, exhorting them to work, to learn and to avoid physical confrontation which would have tragic results.

He also preached the preservation of trees and other natural resources on the reservation. "If you do not save your timber," he said, "the time will come when you will fish for driftwood and fight over it."

For his efforts in behalf of peaceful white and Indian relationships, Old Strike received medals from three U. S. presidents -- Franklin Pierce, Ulysses S. Grant and James Garfield. Although he was baptized at an early age by Fr. Pierre Jean DeSmet, the pioneer Catholic missionary who visited the Yankton area before settlement, Struck-by-the-Ree later came under the influence of Rev. John P. Williamson and adopted the latter's Presbyterian faith.

The Yankton chief -- revered by some and hated by others -- died on July 28, 1888, at the Greenwood Agency. Along with his medals, he was first buried on the edge of the Presbyterian cemetery established by Rev. Williamson on the reservation. Some 16 years later his remains were removed to the center of the cemetery, and the exhumed medals were presented to his kinspeople. He apparently had five children, but there is little, if any, public record of his wife and immediate family.

Following his reburial, a granite monument was erected at his final resting place; and it, too, added to the varied spellings of his name. Carved into the stone is a phonetic inscription in his native tongue: Padaniapapi Huhu Tawa Den Wanka Ihanktonwan Iye Tokoheya Christian Wocekiye En Mniakastanpi

Freely translated, it says that "Here lies the remains of Struck-by-the-Ree, the first Yankton to be baptized a Christian."

Also inscribed are the words: "He was in his day the strongest and most faithful friend of the whites in the Sioux Nation."

Ironically, Old Strike has been largely forgotten by later generations; and, sadly enough, the great burdens he bore during the transitional years of cession and settlement have been too often overlooked or dismissed in the recording of the history of the period.

Struck-by-the-Ree -- Pa-la-ne-a-pa-pe, Padaniapapi or Apadani -- was undoubtedly a man of more substance than the later-day portrayal of him has reflected.

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Originally published Sept. 12, 1994