"All the tribes tell the same story. They are surrounded on all sides, the game is destroyed or driven away; they are left to starve, and there remains but one thing for them to do - fight while they can"

George Crook’s words reflect a moment of dire crisis and reveal the desperation of Native American tribes during the era of westward expansion and the Indian Wars. He notes a universal narrative across tribes: encirclement and relentless pressure by advancing settlers and military forces. The image created is one of inescapable siege. Instead of isolated incidents, Crook sees a pattern, a repeated, almost ritual destruction of the indigenous peoples’ way of life.

A key point in Crook's observation is the deliberate eradication of game, specifically buffalo and other essential animals, which were foundational to the survival of many tribes. By destroying or forcing away the animals, the United States’ policies and actions were not simply military but targeted the very sustenance and economic basis of Native communities. This was not just a loss of food, but a shattering of their cultural fabric, spiritual beliefs, and traditional independence.

As starvation looms, Crook recognizes that the tribes are presented with a bleak dichotomy: submit and perish, or resist through armed struggle. The phrase “left to starve” underscores the magnitude of their suffering and the total loss of agency inflicted upon them. There is no negotiation, no alternate solution, only an existential fight for survival.

Crook’s account is not only a recounting of historical fact but a condemnation of a system that left Indigenous peoples with violence as their only recourse. It acknowledges the inevitability of resistance when a people are left with no other options. The words carry a tone of empathy, possibly even frustration, at the policies that forced such a choice upon the tribes. Crook’s perspective remains a concise yet powerful indictment of the destructive path that was chosen in the settlement of the West, and it endures as a testimony to the tragic consequences of dispossession and cultural annihilation.