History, Solemnity, and Reflection at Wounded Knee.
Written: Mar 10 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A fascinating and emotionally moving place to visit.
Cons: None.
The Bottom Line: Come and be a witness to history at Wounded Knee.
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| Ironcladd's Full Review: South Dakota |
History, Solemnity, and Reflection at Wounded Knee.
Wounded Knee, South Dakota, is the site of one of the most barbaric and tragic events ever to take place in United States History. It was here that the U. S. Seventh Cavalry(Custer’s old unit), massacred between 160-275 Indians in the middle of winter in part to take revenge for Little Big Horn, and because they feared the peaceful “Ghost Dance” would “get out of hand”. This tragedy occurred in the last days of December, 1890. I have visited the site of Wounded Knee once, back in 1996 on one of my many driving across the country vacations, and I found it to be a very moving experience. My purpose here is to write mainly a brief history of the tragedy of Wounded Knee and the Ghost Dance, and relate my experience during my visit.
History of Wounded Knee and the “Ghost Dance”.
The history of the United States is marred by our horrible treatment and dispossession of the Native Americans, the original inhabitants of the continent. The American Indians were driven from their lands by a combination of disease and determined attacks on them by Europeans, sweeping through the continent from east to west in what has been called “manifest destiny”. First the northeastern tribes, then the southern and Midwestern tribes were attacked, and driven from their lands to reservations. Resistance was met, and many wars were fought, from the French and Indian Wars, The Seminole Wars, the Black Hawk War of the early 1800s, and finally culminating in the Great Plains Wars from 1850-1890. Valiant resistance, and even victories of the Indians over the United States Army couldn’t stop the inevitable conclusion of the final subjugation of the Plains Indians. Even the great victory of the Sioux and Cheyenne over Custer at Little Big Horn in 1876 could not save them. In fact, the contrary occurred, where the United States Government made a very determined effort to subjugate the Sioux, and they were put on reservations. In South Dakota, one such reservation is the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and it is the site of the 1891 “battle” of Wounded Knee.
The Ghost Dance of the Sioux Indians was brought back by a mystic called Wovoka, forming an interesting aspect of Native American religion and history in the late 19th century. The development of events directly follows U.S. Government confining almost all of the Indians on Reservations where they were forced to live. The land was not of their choosing, usually of poor quality given to them via treaties whose validity was questionable. Supplies and rations were given to them by the government were of poor quality. They literally had to scratch out a living with what was given to them. Oppressed by whites, tribes and tribal people had to adapt to new ways of life while still holding steadfast to their identities.
In 1880, there was a decline in intertribal warfare, the Society’s emphasis became more religious. Prayers replaced war speeches and coup counting, and gift giving replaced war honors. Later, the Society entered a purely social phase. All dancers were welcome, including visitors from other tribes. It was the preferred dance and was used for those who were ill, or in mourning as they would be happy at the sound of the drum.
A Paiute Medicine Man called Wovoka (c.1856-1932), inspired the second revival of the Ghost Dance. “Born in the Utah Territory. His father died early in his life, and so he was sent to live with a white rancher. He took the name Jack Wilson, and worked on the ranch well into adulthood. He learned to speak English, and had a fair amount of contact with Christianity. Around age thirty, he began to weave several cultural strains into the Ghost Dance religion.
His version I must say, comes very close to the teachings of Christianity. He returned to his people as a medicine man. On New Years Day 1889, Wovoka experienced a vision while ill with fever. “When the sun died he was taken up to heaven and saw god, and all the people who had died a long time ago. Wovoka claimed that he was told by god that he must go back to earth and preach goodness, industry and peace to the Indians. If they followed these instructions they would be reunited with their relatives and friends who had died. A new world would be created where there would be no death, sickness, or old age.
An important phase of the new faith, His vision reflected a wide spread yearning that every tribal group on the reservations had. To go back to a happy life, a past life before the white man. One that the Native Americans enjoyed--their Freedom. “Wovoka’s message to his people was very simple, god would punish the white man for his injustices, and wipe them from the earth,” “that the Earth would soon perish and come alive again in a pure aboriginal state to be inherited by all Indians, including the dead, and to live an eternal existence free from suffering. The buffalo herds would return, and the wild horses. To earn this new reality, Indians had to live harmoniously, honestly, cleanse often, shun the ways of the whites especially alcohol, the destroyer. He discouraged the practice of mourning, because the dead would soon be resurrected, demanding instead the performance of prayers, meditation, chanting and dancing for five days and four nights. This new religion spread throughout the reservations. Each tribe used their own interpretation of Wovoka’s teachings. “By 1890, conditions on reservations were so bad that the situation was ripe for a major movement to rise between the U.S. Government and the Indians”(from Harper’s Weekly 34, 20 Oct. 1890). This movement found it’s origins in Wovoka’s Message. Representatives from each tribal reservation took a pilgrimage to Nevada. “Sitting Bull, at Standing Rock Reservation, and Big Foot on the Cheyenne River Reservation heard of the gatherings and the prophecy. Wovoka was referred to as the Christ. Sitting Bull was finding it difficult to feed his people in a world where the buffalo was almost extinct. The new religion was being taught at all of the Sioux Reservations. Sitting Bull doubted the dead could be brought back to life. But saw that the teachings were inspirational to his people. Sitting Bull and Big Foot became enthusiastic believers and so began to teach the Ghost Dance. Sitting Bull lead his followers north in to the NW corner of Pine Ridge Reservation fleeing Government reaction..
As the number of people got involved in the Ghost Dance movement, the Indian agents began to panic and sent word to Washington. Part of the prophecy had told that wearing a white Ghost Shirt would protect its wearer from harm. Several reports thereafter were sent to Washington. Troops were brought in to control any possible uprising. Agents began to remove prominant leaders off of reservations to hold in custody. On December 15, Sitting Bull was arrested, in the struggle he was killed.
Troops planned to arrest Big Foot, but he had already left for Pine Ridge. On December 29th they were intercepted the fleeing Indians North of Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The troops made plans for the Indians to camp. While there, they sent in troops to the Indian camp to collect fire arms. A gun accidentally discharged triggering violent shooting by U.S. Troops on the Indian camp. Between 150 and 300 Indians, women children and men were killed.
Massacre at Wounded Knee ended the last struggle between the Indian and the whites. Wounded Knee was the final and most despicable act of the United States policy of oppressing the Indians in the 19th Century. The Ghost Dance was a last pitiable effort of the Plains Indians to get back what was lost, and to return to the old ways.
Visiting Wounded Knee Battlefield.
It is best to visit this site by first visiting the site of Interior, South Dakota, adjacent to Badlands National Park. The actual site of Wounded Knee is within the Pine Ridge Sioux Indian Reservation. This is not a heavily visited site, and it is a sensitive site to visit, in light of what happened here. I visited this site in 1996, on one of my almost annual driving tours of the great American West. It is a simple, and humble site to visit, and one should do so with the reverence one has when visiting cemetery or national memorial site like Little Big Horn, Pearl Harbor, or Ground Zero, for that matter. It was a very moving experience to visit this site for me, even though I am not of American Indian decent. It was late in the day, in the summer, when I visited this place, and I was all alone here. Perhaps my emotions were running away with me, but I seemed to have heard faint cries in the wind on the open plains here. It was certainly an interesting experience, to be sure.
The time needed for a visit depends on how much time you wish to have to reflect on the events that happened here.It also depends on the time of year, and the weather. I prefer summertime, although the actual anniversary date of the tragic event is in December. There are usually not many visitors, and when there are, remember that there are many American Indians who come here to pay homage and respect to their ancestors who lost their lives here. All in all, the site of the Massacre at Wounded Knee is a place of great history, tragedy, reverence, and remembrance.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Students
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Ironcladd
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Member: James Zaworski
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I am an English teacher, Archeologist and Anthropologist.
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