My People the Sioux shows how an Indian perceived the events that took place during the time frontiersmen were invading Indian lands. When the Indians are camped out between White River and Crow Butte, every young man is given a horse from the government except two. The chief has a strong desire for one of the government horses, however, he gives away two horses from his own herd to suffice the boys that didn't receive a horse. In this incident, the chief is compared to the "big man" of the whites during this period. Although uneducated, an Indian chief looks after his people above all, whereas a white leader will use the office in ways to benefit himself and his family first. The title of chief came with no benefits for his immediate family and, above all, showed no false "glad-handing" as the corrupt U.S. government handles business.
I found it very strange that Plenty Kill is sent with whites to the east with Standing Bear's permission. It's evident with Standing Bear's silence on the way home that he has many different thoughts on the idea. Neither Plenty Kill or his father show any emotion when he boards the ship, as all of the others cry with their parents on shore. It then becomes clear why Ota Kte left the reservation in the first place: he pursued his dream of some brave deed to make his father proud. His mind began to race on the first night on the ship, wondering what the whites had in store for them at the end of the journey east. Their first glimpse of reality hit's the young Indians when they underpass the moon during the night. I think this opened their eyes to the fact that they were uneducated and possibly enabled them to be a bit more open-minded. When they arrived at Carlisle, the young men and women thought they would find beds, warmth, and good rest. This was the preconceived notion of how things were in the east from the eyes of an Indian.
When Ota Kte leaves the reservation to go east, the chief fears that he will lose the son that he raised on the reservation; that his priorities as an Indian will change as he is trained in the ways of the white man.