Custer Died for Your Sins

Deloria pointed out numerous beliefs and attitudes that affect Native American-White relations. He noted that many whites claim Indian ancestry, usually by a grandmother who was an Indian Princess and wryly noted that tribes were evidently entirely female for the first 300 years of white occupation.[1] The essay goes on to list many other myths about Native Americans.

While noting that U.S. Presidents continually stressed the need to meet its treaty obligations with foreign powers, they have had over 400 treaties with Native American tribes and have yet to meet their obligations on any of them.[1] Deloria saw the Vietnam war as just another example of the lack of integrity in the American government.[1]

This chapter covered the termination policy of the 1950s, designed to assimilate tribal members into white society. Deloria believed that this was just another way for whites to obtain Native American land.[1]

Deloria recommended that Native Americans not cooperate with anthropologists, believing that they exploited Native Americans in order to further their own academic careers. He stated that they compiled useless knowledge and noted that not one anthropologist stepped forward during termination hearings.[1] He stated that "behind each policy and program with which Indians are plagued, if traced completely back to its origin, stands the anthropologist." [2][3]

The role of Christian churches was also attacked, with Deloria advocating a return to traditional religion and an expansion of the Native American Church.[1]

Deloria advocated a restructuring of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), with more discretionary funds available to the tribes. He also recommended moving BIA from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Commerce.[1]

This is the most often quoted section of the book.[1] Deloria noted that humor was a critical aspect of social control in tribal relationships, as an alternate means of pointing out flaws and errors without a direct confrontation that would affect the dignity of the accused.[1] He also noted that humor was an essential part of a tribe's survival, preventing them from going to extremes.[4]

Deloria noted the similarities of the oppression of both Native Americans and African Americans, but also pointed out differences between the two. While oppression against African Americans typically excluded them from white society, oppression against Native Americans typically involved the forced inclusion into white society.[5] Deloria believed that this was due to the white desire to appropriate and exploit Native American lands and resources. He also noted that this is one of the reasons that Native Americans did not participate fully in civil rights efforts in the 1960s, believing that the liberals did not understand Native American nationalism.[5]

Deloria addresses the lack of central leadership in Native America and the trouble that has caused. He compares specifically to the number of leaders seen during the Civil Rights' era and laments at the absence of comparable Native figures.

Deloria uses this chapter as a response to those individuals who believe that Native Americans have no place in modern society as they are. Specifically with tribalism as the central point of contention. Deloria argues that tribalism is so inherent to the Native identity that it will one day lead them to do things once thought impossible by “Indian and non-Indian alike”.[6]

In his final chapter Deloria advocates for the end of termination and the start of a new era for American Indians. Deloria reflects the civil rights movement and suggests that it is a spot Natives can find inspiration for their own movement.