Chapter Summary: Ghost Dancing At Pine Ridge

The sound of gun fire echoed across the central plains like deafening crashes of thunder. The rich green grass was slowly turning red with blood, as Native Americans and the United states army were waging war at the battle of the Little Big Horn. Many people know that the Native Americans were victorious over the United states army, which was under the command of General George Custer, but few people know that Custer’s long journey to the Little Big Horn started in the heart of North Dakota, at Fort Abraham Lincoln. Today this beautiful Fort has been reconstructed to have both historical significance as well as a variety of recreational activities, and has been renamed Fort Abraham Lincoln state park. I will be talking about the reconstructed

My hand swung to my side, feeling the sharp stone puncture layers of skin and muscle. Wailing in agony as blood spurted out of the wound, I run towards nearby shelter. The shrill screams of dying men rip through the air, accompanied by the sounds of arrows whizzing through the air and the Indians whoop when they hit a target. Dizzy from pain and hunger, I lay in a more comfortable position, just hoping to survive this wretched attack. ”Why did I ever come here?” the thought pounded through my head. “Oh yeah, I remember why. Land. Money.” That irritating know-it-all voice answered. I hear feet pounding around me and realize that the Indians have gone inside the town. One enters the door and maliciously grins when he sees me. He runs toward me and my eyes widen with shock as the spear plunges down, and becomes closer and closer….

Of course, as soon as rumors that the Black Hills contained gold began to circulate, this promise became as empty as any others made by the 'Great White Father' to native peoples. And on May 17th 1876, the breaking of this treaty precipitated the crushing defeat of the 7th Calvary at the hands of the Sioux nation led by the defiant, "You need not bring any guides; you can find me easily. I will not run away" , Sitting Bull (Cooke 136) in the Battle of Little Bighorn (Cooke 133-151). But this battle, though a victory over the Anglo invaders, was temporary and short-lived. By September 5, 1877 Crazy Horse was dead, Sitting Bull was in exile in Canada and "…in all the Great Plains, from Canada south, there was no longer a free tribe or a "wild" Indian. It had not taken long; in 1840 the boundary of the permanent Indian Country had been completed and the Great Plains were to belong forever to Indians. A mere thirty-seven years later every solemn promise had been broken and no bit of ground large enough to be buried in remained to any Indian that could not--and probably would--be arbitrarily taken from him without warning" (Andrist 300). The Westward expansion was on, and the push to break up and the sell the Great Sioux Reservation was supported by a "westward-pushing railroad [and] promoters eager for cheap land to be sold at high profits to immigrants"

Wounded Knee was a terrible event in US history. It showed how the US government didn't understand the Native Americans and treated them badly and unfairly.

It is easy to picture nearly the entire column, which was marching from Fort William Henry to Fort Edwards, being slaughtered when you hear the story. When 1600 armed, Indian warriors are attacking a defenseless, panicked column of about 2400 people (including women & children), there is not much left to the imagination how things happened. In reality, however, it did not happen the way that the most people think it did. Colonel Monro's own estimations were that 129 were killed and wounded among the British troops. Regarding the colonial militia, he said, "No Regular Accot Could be got from the Provincials but their Numbers Kill'd Could not be Less than Four Officers & about 40 Men. And very near as many Men Wounded." There is no doubt some killing occurred, but in the big

The Sand Creek Massacre involved many native tribes, including the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Sioux, Kiowa, and Comanche. Among many of these tribes were the targeted, Black Kettle and White Antelope leaders of the Cheyenne. Left Hand and Little Raven were the Arapaho chiefs. “The Cheyenne and the Arapaho were the tribes that were mainly affected in this massacre.” (Hoig 15)

In 1885, the United States government found themselves facing a dilemma in the American Southwest. Years of raiding by some members of the Chiricahua Apache under the leadership of the famed leader Geronimo finally reached its climax and subsequent conclusion. Geronimo and his band of Apache warriors surrendered, and they were promptly incarcerated at Fort Bowie, Arizona. Consequently, the United States Government faced a dilemma on how best to manage the incarcerated Apaches and how to ensure that the Apache would never again be able to raid settlements in the American Southwest. The government’s response to this dilemma was severe. They decided to use the children of all of the Apache, whether those parents supported Geronimo or not, as leverage to ensure that the Chiricahua Apache would never again resume the war raids typical of Geronimo.

The book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie, tells of Native American life on the reservation. In the story “The Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire” symbolism is used to echo how Native Americans were mistreated by the United States government. Still to this day Native Americans are forced to live on reservations which were originally prisoner of war camps. Alexie uses the symbolism of Thomas Builds-the-Fire’s conviction to show how Native Americans pay the price for injustices committed by the United States of America.

The reservation was also the place where the Battle of Wounded Knee occurred (“History of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation”). As the Ghost Dance movement grew in strength and popularity, so did the uneasiness of the United States government. Sitting Bull was captured and killed. The U.S. 7th Cavalry attacked Black Elk’s Sioux encampment, killing 200 men, women, and children. Black Elk also experienced the poverty and starvation forced upon them by the policies of the U.S. government (“Black Elk”). The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 guaranteed land to the Great Sioux Nation. This was cut down to create the present day Pine Ridge Reservation (Martinez).

A brave and fearless man has finally fallen. The remarkable man was known as Tecumseh, son of the Chief Pucksinwah. During the Battle of Thames, a stray bullet found its mark, embedding into his hip. He was fighting for justice, against the oppression of Native Americans. It was his calling in life to defend his homeland, land that “The Great Spirit gave to his Red children.” He made it his duty to protect his people from the Americans’ ill intentions. He devoted his time toward this goal, and even when he drew his last breath, his focus never wavered.

The Chiricahua named Chihuahua has a different opinion of their new home. Comparing their new home with that of their Fort Marion home He has this to say about it “We didn’t know what misery was until they dumped us in those swamps” Once again it would seem that the U.S. Government thought they knew what was best and were willing to do little the fact that it wasn’t. After being at this new site for only two years the Chiricahua were being decimated at an alarming rate of 25% mortality. After the arrival of Dr. Walter Reed on a tour of duty as post surgeon it is determined that ten more Chiricahua have died from a combination of yellow fever and tuberculosis. The conditions were made worse by the fact that the Government was supplying food that went against their own tradition such as fish and pork, causing them to sell their persona; effects in order to obtain necessary food to eat further lowering the overall moral of a decimated people. All of this is found out by the aforementioned Mr. Welsh a staunch Indian advocate who was planning to deliver a report before the Mohonk Conference, however he was unable to attend once again he makes a call to the activist community to not let the government rest until something is done. A proposal is made to move the band to North Carolina where a tract of land is to be purchased from the Cherokees by the Indian Rights Association who later pulls the offer due to the fact that the original tract is changed to a less suitable location

This movie was pleasantly surprising. It was an enjoyable watch and told a story that kept the plot line and details close to the real history of the Sioux Indians’ lives, starting with The Battle at Little Big Horn.

As the party draws nearer to Kurtz’s station, they are attacked by a tribe of wild looking Africans, who are using bows, arrows and spears. The pilgrims on board the vessel open fire with guns and are very proud of each other afterwards because they think they have killed a vast number of their attackers. One of the pilgrims says “Say! We must have made a glorious slaughter of them in the bush. Eh?” (Chapter 2, page 47). Marlow remarks on their poor marksmanship though,

Crazy Horse was brutally murdered and the Sioux surrendered (“Battle”). In 1890 the government learned that the Native Americans were doing the Ghost Dance (Cayton 265). The Ghost Dance was a ritual in which people join hands and twirled in a circle (Cayton 265). When the government saw the Ghost Dance, they thought the Native Americans were crazy and trying to rebel, so they tried to arrest Sitting Bull (Cayton 265). In this conflict that came to be known as the Battle of Wounded Knee, soldiers killed Sitting Bull, 120 men, and 230 women and children (Cayton 265). These battles pushed Native Americans onto reservations and took away their basic human rights.

The defeat of the first United States army by a coalition of Native Americans is the focus in Collin Calloway’s The Victory with No Name. In this historical account, Calloway addresses what occurred on November 4th, 1791, when an Indian army consisting of a variety of Indian tribes, led by Little Turtle and Blue Jacket, ambushed the first American army near the Wabash River to protect themselves from American expansion of the Northwest Territory. The American army, led by Revolutionary War veteran Arthur St. Clair, was ill-equipped with men, horses, and weaponry, and ignorant about Indian whereabouts and tactics. Calloway organizes his argument by describing America’s desire for land, the invasion and settlement of Indian land, and the resistance formed by Native Americans. Calloway continues by illustrating the defeat of the American army and the aftermath of the battle between Native Americans and the U.S. By drawing on extensive historical evidence that illustrated the events before, during, and after the battle, Calloway presents a detailed historical narrative that challenges the idea that “winners write the history…even when they lose” and offers a narrative that shows both the Native American and the U.S. perspective, ultimately giving credit to the Indians for their victory. However, Calloway provides information that is irrelevant to his argument and the book, which makes it difficult to follow along throughout the story.