I remember chatting about “rights” with my youth group. They put together a list of the rights they thought were the most important. The next question was who they should be applied to. To explore it I asked if they should apply to dogs, or maybe to aliens from another planet.
It didn’t really occur to them that some of the rights might not apply to women or blacks – that this had been part of recent history.
On a trip to the USA in 1996 there were black churches being burned, and the real threat that I would be shot for going to a “black” church.
So on with my road trip of 4 years ago. 2nd June 2016. This day would take me from Rapid City to Limon (never heard of it? neither had I, I was just tired and decided to stop there).
The first stop on this day was another massive memorial – Mount Rushmore. One of the best things about this place is the book store. The staff are great and are good at finding books that will be interesting for you.
As I drove on to my next stop I came across a small village called Scenic (South Dakota). Now this is an interesting place. The whole village was sold to a church group, but they have not demolished the old buildings. The old buildings on the street have real character.
I then drove on to the main place that I wanted to see. Wounded Knee. In 1890 there was a religion spreading in the Indian Nations. At the core were the ideas that people should love, not fight, work, and look forward to the return of Jesus so that they could live in paradise with their friends and family. It was a sort of adaptation of the Christian message, mixed with some native beliefs. Part of the beliefs involved a ghost dance (not too different to some modern charismatic churches). The religion worried many people.
On 28th December a group of Lakota led by Big Foot were taken by a cavalry unit (peacefully) to a place called Wounded Knee. There were 120 men and 230 women and children. The 7th Cavalry, led by several officers that had been defeated at the Little Bighorn, set up artillery on a hill, and surrounded the Lakota.
Remember that great 2nd amendment – the right to bear arms. The one passed in 1791. Well, 100 years later this did not apply to the Lakota. You see rights only apply to people. So the troops moved in on the 29th December and disarmed the Lakota. Except for one man (who was deaf). He refused to hand over his new Winchester that he had bought and in the struggle the gun went off.
In response the cavalry opened fire. There is no agreed number of dead, partly because the dead were left where they fell, and partly because many of the wounded scattered and died later. But several reports agree that around 300 men, women and children had been slaughtered,
A group of wounded (4 men and 47 women and children) were taken to a nearby barracks. They were placed on the floor of the church . The banner over the pulpit said “PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TO MEN”.
General Miles estimated that 300 men women and children were killed and some had been chased several miles before being cut down.
American Horse, a Lakota that supported the soldiers said:
The men were separated, as has already been said, from the women, and they were surrounded by the soldiers. Then came next the village of the Indians and that was entirely surrounded by the soldiers also. When the firing began, of course the people who were standing immediately around the young man who fired the first shot were killed right together, and then they turned their guns, Hotchkill guns, etc., upon the women who were in the lodges standing there under a flag of truce, and of course as soon as they were fired upon they fled, the men fleeing in one direction and the women running in two different directions. So that there were three general directions in which they took flight.
There was a woman with an infant in her arms who was killed as she almost touched the flag of truce … A mother was shot down with her infant; the child not knowing that its mother was dead was still nursing … The women as they were fleeing with their babies were killed together, shot right through … and after most all of them had been killed a cry was made that all those who were not killed or wounded should come forth and they would be safe. Little boys … came out of their places of refuge, and as soon as they came in sight a number of soldiers surrounded them and butchered them there.
American Horse
20 of the soldiers were given the highest military award for their actions.
The local priest said the soldiers were only defending themselves and only fired when they had no choice.
At some point the facts make excuses look stupid.
When you visit the site there is a sign. In the churchyard on the hill where the artillery stood there is a small monument, on this occasion with a few colourful rags.
Remember the memorial at the Little Bighorn? Remember how impressive it looked? It was a memorial to a bunch of soldiers killed in an attack that was intended to kill men, women and children- and it was extensive and well maintained. At Wounded Knee there is virtually nothing. And this is not 100 years ago, it is still that way today.
And just to annoy you a little bit. Do you remember that jolly song “We’re off to see the Wizard”? The Wizard of Oz – isn’t it great. Well, the author of the wizard of Oz was a newspaper editor at the time and wrote:
The Pioneer has before declared that our only safety depends upon the total extermination of the Indians. Having wronged them for centuries, we had better, in order to protect our civilization, follow it up by one more wrong and wipe these untamed and untamable creatures from the face of the earth. In this lies future safety for our settlers and the soldiers who are under incompetent commands. Otherwise, we may expect future years to be as full of trouble with the redskins as those have been in the past
L Frank Baum
Yes, I know there is a call “Black lives matter”, but the imbalance in society extends to other people as well.
There is an independent candidate for president in the upcoming elections. For a long time his tagline has been #ALLTHEPEOPLE. I think I like that better. So if any American friends want to make a change then have a look at Mark Charles. And if you are not American have a look at what he has to say. Some stuff to think about.
Anyway, back to my road trip. As I drove on I came across an odd little arty town called Alliance. One of the attractions there is Carhenge, a reproduction of Stonehenge in cars painted grey.
I then decided to drive on as far as I could that day – and made it to a place called Limon. Not a place I would have thought about stopping in, but it had a nice motel and plenty of services. It had the look of a place that lots of trucks stop.