Should we really be surprised that Allen focused on mainly on fighting when writing about Red Cloud and the lives of the Oglalas? During the time of the original writing, there was still an obvious perception of Native Americans as savages merely impeding American Manifest Destiny. Fighting was the only thing of importance (in the minds of many living in that time) that the Native Americans ever did. As David pointed out, why would anyone at that time care what Red Cloud did when he wasn't fighting off rival tribes? The result of such writing is that we witness Red Cloud and the Oglalas through the lense of a culture that did not hold them in high regard. This is certainly history, but it is not the complete story (history rarely is). I also plead ignorance on the subject matter with which The Autobiography of Red Cloud dealt. Given that I found the book interesting as it did give some, though skewed, insight on an era to which I have paid much attention.