A good case can be made that the worst day in American history was Dec. 29, 1890, when troops of the 7th U.S. Cavalry killed between 150 and 300 Lakota men, women and children in what has come to be called the Wounded Knee Massacre on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The American Culture Studies Program at Bowling Green State University has a good, unbiased historical overview of Wounded Knee ... it's a good starting point ... read it and find out more about the massacre and the lasting effect it has had on the American people. The Wounded Knee Museum has pictures and a sound file of a Lakota survivor. The Cankpe Opi webside has a wealth of information, some of it harsh, from a Native American point of view.
An important demonstration sometimes known as Wounded Knee II took place in the spring of 1973, as the town of Wounded Knee was occupied by protestors from the American Indian Movement and essentially besieged by federal agents for 71 days. Russell Means, one of the demonstrators, has this first-person account of the seige from Feb. 27 to May 8, 1973.
In class, pair up in groups of two, three or four, and surf the internet to see what you can find about the Ghost Dance religion, the Wounded Knee massacre of 1890 and the way it is remembered today. Post answers to these questions, and be ready to discuss them in class.
1. How would you characterize the Ghost Dances? Were they peaceful? In what way were they religious? In what way were they hostile to whites? How much of a threat, with the benefit of historical hindsight, do you think they posed to the army and to white settlers?
2. How did things get out of hand on the Pine Ridge reservation before Wounded Knee? Who was at fault? Whites? Indians? The army? Political appointees? Everybody? Nobody? How could the conflict have been avoided?
3. Looking at the websites that commemorate Wounded Knee, how many have an angry tone? How many a tone of sadness? Or a combination of both? What steps are being taken to use Wounded Knee as a constructive lesson for the future?
4. What can we, as college students (and an instructor) in Illinois more than a hundred years later, learn from Wounded Knee?
12 comments:
When someone converted into the new religion called the Ghost religion, they had to hasten the arrival of the new era as promised by the messiah.
Before the Ghost Dance took place the participants would enter a sweat lodge for purification. They would paint themselves in a sacred red pigment and then put on a special costume which was believed to be fromt the Father.
The Dance was performed by all members holding hands to create a circle. They then would be shuffling, in a counter-clockwise side-step, and chanting while they sang songs of resurrection. As the danced continues and the tempo begins to increase. Some dances would go on for days until someone died.
I believe that the Indians were afraid of the white man. This dance enabled the Indians to free or purify themselves from everything that was bad. It was a way for them to not think about the white man or how the white man treats them.
Wounded Knee was a great massacre that happened in Indian history. It happened on December 29, 1890. The newly created Ghost Dance religion was making a lengthly trail to the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota to seek protection from the military. On that day nearly 300 Lakota men, women, and children were massacred in a violent encounter with U.S. militia.
The U.S. soldiers began looking out for the Ghost Dance religion Indians because they thought that the dance was a war dance and soon the Indians would begin rioting. They were convinced that the tribes were preparing for war against the government.
1)The ghost dance does make some sense to me, but I don't believe that the Indians are going to come back after the apocalypse to restart civilization.
2)Things got out of hand because we, the whites were getting greedy.
3)I think the Indian were both sad and angry at their loss in the battle of Wounded Knee.
4)We can learn from this bloody massacre by remembering that everyone has the right to own their own land. Just because you want something it doesn't mean you should kill a bunch of innocent people for it.
By:Brad Bauman, Lucas Kesterson, and Nick Oehmke
The Way that I would characterize the "Ghost Dance" I would say that it is very peaceful because the Ghost Dance was a considered a religious movementthat had all of the Native Americans move into a huge circle by Native American's different belief systems. They were hostile to the White People because they thought that all of the Native Americans dancing in a circle portraying a war dance. However, to me it didn't really sound like it was a huge threat to the Whites because they were just honoring the deceased.
2. Things at Wounded Creek got out of hand because of a group of Army soliders, and city "folk" thought that the Native Americans were getting themselves ready for a war with the whites, I feel it could have been avoid by having the soliders just walking over to them, and investigating the situation before opening fire on the tribe.
3. In looking at the websites on Wounded Creek I found the tone to be mutual, and the steps that they are taking so that nothing like this would happen ever again are building monuments, and having the newer generation of Native Americans do a ghost dance to honor all that fell.
4. Being a college student in Illinois, I have learned that this massacre was unneeded because innocent people died before they were supposed to.
BRITTANY, NICOLE, DEVAN, AND RACHEL
1. The Ghost dance was a religious. The American Indians did this because they wanted a peaceful ending to the white American expansion. It was similar to the other Native American ritualistic dancing. The white people thought the Indians were “wild and crazy”. It couldn’t have been very peaceful because the whites wanted military protection because of it. The whites called it “demoralizing, indecent, disgusting”.
Religious wise, “the new doctrine taught that salvation would be achieved when the Indians purged themselves of the evil ways learned from the white man, especially the drinking of alcohol”.
The white people were threatened because the American Indians wanted the white people gone, but the American Indians weren’t probably going to physically do anything about it themselves, they were going to rely on the God’s to do justice.
2. Things got out of hand before Wounded Knee when the white’s military was occupying their land trying to “protect” the whites”. They went to Pine Ridge to seek protection from the military.
The American Indians and the whites were both at fault because the whites were occupying their land which infuriated the Indians causing the Indians to rebel. The Indians were performing the Ghost Dance, which was a dance to get rid of the whites, which infuriated the whites. The Indians were in opposition to the reservation’s president because his opponents accused him of mishandling the tribal funds, abusing his authority, and using force for his private army.
The whites could have left the Indians alone to do their dance, and not called in their military, and then there wouldn’t have been much of a problem.
3. Most of the articles and websites have a tone of sadness for what happened. But most articles by whites have an angry tone.
They are using the story of Wounded Knee to teach about the treatment of Indians since the European invasion.
4. We, as college students, can learn about their treatment and how far we have come since Wounded Knee and about the white attitude. We also become appreciate for the fact that we haven’t been run off of our landed or treated like we treated the Indians.
The Ghost Dance to me is very peacefull and it is a part of their religion so it makes sense to me. The dance is performed when a cirle of people gather and hold hands.
2. Its safe to say that the things that took place at wounded creek were very out of hand, the indians began to go to war with whites. Doesnt really surprise anyone because indians have never really gotten along with whites
3. The indians were probably filled with rage after the loss at wounded knee but at the same time they were morning their own losses
4. Not much besides insanity can be remembered by this event in history but if you can gather something from it its the fact that people can own there own land.
1.) I do think the dance was peaceful. They used it as a religious dance, not to hurt anyone. The Ghost Dance religion promised an apocalypse in the coming years during which time the earth would be destroyed, only to be recreated with the Indians as the inheritors of the new earth. People now say that the ghost dance religion resembles Christianity.
2.) Things got out of hand because there was a rumor in the camp that the Indians were to be deported to Indian Territory/Oklahoma. It is known for horible living conditions. Thats when the Lakotas became panicky. I dont think its any one persons fault. I think that it was just a misunderstanding.
3.) I think the tone was a little bit of both angry and sad. They are letting Indians now do the ghost dance in respect and honor to all those who died in the massacre.
4.) We can learn a lot from the past. I think from this we have learn to respect everyones beliefs and let people practice their religion however they want.
BROOKE WILLIAMS AND ANDREA SMITH:
1. To us the Ghost Dance was a Spiritual Ritual that was not peaceful. It was meant to hasten the arrival of a new era. Those who taught the religion had visions of the second coming of Christ during an eclipse. The Indians wanted to destroyed the earth so that the whites would be completely destroyed. The Indians posed a threat because it was feared that it would renew Indian militancy and violent rebellions.
2. Things got out of hand because the white's got greedy.
3. The Indians were probably mad and or sad about their defeat in the battle of Wounded Knee.
4. We can remind ourselves that just because we want something...we shouldn't go out an kill and bunch of innocent people just to make a point because most likely, you're not going to get it anyway.
Tony Ross
Joel Thorpe
1. How would you characterize the Ghost Dances? Were they peaceful? In what way were they religious? In what way were they hostile to whites? How much of a threat, with the benefit of historical hindsight, do you think they posed to the army and to white settlers?
- We would characterize the Ghost Dances as a peaceful demonstration of these certain Indian beliefs. To the Indians this dance was very religious and was thought to hasten the coming of the new era. The dance was not suppose to be hostile but the whites interpreted this dance as a war dance and thought the Indians would eventually turn to rioting. Not much of a threat because they were out numbered and did not have the fire power the army and white settlers had.
2. How did things get out of hand on the Pine Ridge reservation before Wounded Knee? Who was at fault? Whites? Indians? The army? Political appointees? Everybody? Nobody? How could the conflict have been avoided?
- It got out of hand because of an accidental gun shot fired by Black Coyote, while the army soldiers were disarming him. We would say that nobody is at fault; it was just them misunderstanding each others cultures. If there were translators for communication between the groups and if the white people understood the Indians religion and culture better then it probably could have been avoided.
3. Looking at the websites that commemorate Wounded Knee, how many have an angry tone? How many a tone of sadness? Or a combination of both? What steps are being taken to use Wounded Knee as a constructive lesson for the future?
- We found a combination of both, sad and angry. As we know, there are no steps that are being taken to use Wounded Knee as a constructive lesson for the future. The government still tries to push people around, but now they do it outside our borders.
4. What can we, as college students (and an instructor) in Illinois more than a hundred years later, learn from Wounded Knee?
- Try to understand a culture before you criticize it. Try to think outside the box of your own religion, and allow new ideas to occupy your mind. But you know there are always going to be wars about religion, it is just the way the world works.
1. I would characterize the Ghost Dance as being a Native religion that’s believes that one day the Earth will be destroyed and new Earth will be created. When the new Earth is created the Indians will inherit it and be the leaders of the new Earth. The Ghost dances were peaceful because they were just the Indians joining hands and dancing in circles for an extended period of time. They were religious because the Indians would chant songs of resurrection and these were considered to be sacred ceremonies. The whites thought of the dances as hostile because they believed that these dances were indeed war dances, getting ready to attack the whites. With the benefit of historical hindsight it is clear that the Ghost dances posed no threat to white settlers. The Indians never intended on violence towards them.
2. Things got out of hand on the Pine Ridge reservation before Wounded Knee when the soldiers surrounded the 350 Indians and began interrogating them. The conflict could have been resolved by communication on the part of both sides. However, much of the blame has to go on the army because they were the ones that fired upon the Indians without any real reason.
3. I think that the Wounded Knee Museum page certainly has a tone of both anger and sadness towards the massacre. I think they are just trying to help people remember Wounded Knee, because it is apart of American history.
4. We can learn from Wounded Knee the importance of resolving a conflict of this nature without violence. Especially when the opposing side is not armed or ready to go to battle
1.) I do think the dance was peaceful. It was a religous dance that was done by the Indians getting together. People are saying now thatthe dance resembles Christianity.
2.) The whites were getting greedy & the rumor started that the Indians were to get moved to Oklahoma which was considered bad living.
3.)I'm sure the Indians weren't happy with their loss at wounded knee,which now the Indians are performing the ghost dance in memory.
4.)We can learn a lot about this & things from the past. We just need to respect others beliefs.
1)I can definately see where the Natives are coming from with the ghost dance. However, i disagree that they will be able to return from the dead after everyone else dies.
2) This all basically happened because the whites were intimidating to the indians, and they used the dance to "cleanse".
3)I think that the indians were obviously sad and angered. They were sad because they lost so many people. They were angered because they it is almost like the whites took advantage of them.
4)As a college student, i learned that it was probably not necessary because so many lives were taken.
1) To me the "Ghost Dance" was a way define change was coming...it wasa way to say better days were to come about. From a religious point of view they saw it as the recreation of the earth and the ways of man...they believed eveything would be destroyed and recreated again! They were in a sense hostile toward the white man because of all the deaths that had occurred, how there lands had been destroyed, and how there ways of living had to change. I don't believe they posed much of a treat at all...they were just clearly misunderstood and different from what white man would consider "normal"!
2)It was clear that the reason for the whole massacure was lack of communication and people abusing their authority!! So in that case everyone was at fault for the masscure!
3) To me most of them have a sad tone to them when talking about the massacure..people were killed behind the whole thing and this could have been avoided!
4)Overall I think we can learn to be more sensitive people when it comes to other people and other cultures!!
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