Pine Ridge –Sunday Evening – 8-15-10
What a day! This was our tour day. We began with some initial back ground info here at Re-Member ,and then we boarded a bus and a van to go to Wounded Knee. Once there, a Lakota father and son told us the story of the Massacre that happened in 1890. It was a very different account than I had learned through other sources. The basic facts are the same.-- A whole village of people were in the process of turning themselves into be deported to a reservation, were disarmed and then systematically slaughtered. The difference is that in the Lakota account it is so much more chilling. Their story includes the killings as planned and cold bloodedly carried out, even with a priest administering last rites, although the people didn’t understand what was happening at the time. Women and children were chased into a ravine so the soldiers could better corral and account for them as they were shot. There is also a discrepancy in regard to the number of people killed and the number of battalions involved. For me the disturbing part is that it could have been such a calculated and systematic murder instead of a situational incident that got terribly out of control. Either way the white government comes out looking very bad, but with the Lakota version (could it be that cold blooded?) it is exponentially worse. I certainly can’t determine the truth, but it is very clear that the Lakota people see it in such a horrible way.
What a day! This was our tour day. We began with some initial back ground info here at Re-Member ,and then we boarded a bus and a van to go to Wounded Knee. Once there, a Lakota father and son told us the story of the Massacre that happened in 1890. It was a very different account than I had learned through other sources. The basic facts are the same.-- A whole village of people were in the process of turning themselves into be deported to a reservation, were disarmed and then systematically slaughtered. The difference is that in the Lakota account it is so much more chilling. Their story includes the killings as planned and cold bloodedly carried out, even with a priest administering last rites, although the people didn’t understand what was happening at the time. Women and children were chased into a ravine so the soldiers could better corral and account for them as they were shot. There is also a discrepancy in regard to the number of people killed and the number of battalions involved. For me the disturbing part is that it could have been such a calculated and systematic murder instead of a situational incident that got terribly out of control. Either way the white government comes out looking very bad, but with the Lakota version (could it be that cold blooded?) it is exponentially worse. I certainly can’t determine the truth, but it is very clear that the Lakota people see it in such a horrible way.
Several other statistics are equally chilling. Like the fact that for so much of our history we saw the people as less than human. George Washington in his diaries called the native peoples “beasts of prey” and called for their total destruction. It was reported that Abraham Lincoln despised the Native Americans. In fact, that was the major sentiment of “Americans.” We learned that even The Bureau of Indian Affairs was originally a part of the war department. What does that say? Congress ratified ,and Presidents signed, 372 treaties, all of which have been broken-with disasterous consequences for these people.
The major problem has been that Native peoples didn’t understand owning land or acquiring wealth instead of living in a subsistence manner that honored nature. We tried to force Christianity on them, but they already had a deep reverence for life and other people. We needn’t lift this society and people to a place of sainthood, but then, our history is also pretty bloody.
Ok, we also did a major hike in the badlands that are also a part of the reservation. It is not as hot here as it was last week. It hit 90 degrees this afternoon, and with the altitude and the lack of vegetation to absorb the sun’s rays, it was quite hot, but there was a breeze. We walked about 3 miles total in the park, and they showed us a cliff-rimed bowl that has sacred quality to the Lakota people. It has a natural sound barrier. We were invited to sit alone and be quiet for a time. It was more quiet than anything I can remember. Two images come to mind. The first is a young brave going on his dream quest to enter his manhood. He would go into the desert and seek the Great Spirit’s image. The quiet and the heat sort of took on a life force of its own. I could see visions happening after a time. It was quite intense. The other was of the old west’s cowboy who is wandering in a desert alone. So desolate. So quiet. So brutal. So hot!!!!! We had water, of course, and knew exactly how to get back to the bus. Did you know that the badlands were actually an ancient ocean? That’s why the rock formations and the brutal landscape.
We arrived back at the dorm at 4:30 and after some free time we had a demonstration of how to put up a teepee. A native Lakota and his family came to show us an authentic teepee raising. It’s quite ingenious and interesting. I took pictures of each step.
Our most recent activity was eating. We were hungry and it was SOOOO good. We had Indian tacos that are made of Indian Fry bread with all the toppings of tacos. Yum!
OK. That’s what I know. I hope things are well with all of you. We have lots to tell you when we come home. What a wonderful experience.
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