Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

Continuing our History posts today we remember
The Massacre at Wounded Knee

Chief Bigfoot, unarmed and among the first to die,
lies dead in the snow

This horrific last "battle" between whites and Native Americans happened this day in 1890 and remains a blight on American history.

"The Wounded Knee Massacre happened on December 29, 1890 near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, USA. On the day before, a detachment of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by Major Samuel M. Whitside intercepted Spotted Elk's (Big Foot) band of Miniconjou Lakota and 38 Hunkpapa Lakota near Porcupine Butte and escorted them 5 miles westward to Wounded Knee Creek where they made camp.

The rest of the 7th Cavalry Regiment arrived led by Colonel James Forsyth and surrounded the encampment supported by four Hotchkiss guns.

On the morning of December 29, the troops went into the camp to disarm the Lakota. One version of events claims that during the process of disarming the Lakota, a deaf tribesman named Black Coyote was reluctant to give up his rifle claiming he had paid a lot for it. A scuffle over Black Coyote's rifle escalated and a shot was fired which resulted in the 7th Cavalry opening firing indiscriminately from all sides, killing men, women, and children, as well as some of their own fellow troopers. Those few Lakota warriors who still had weapons began shooting back at the attacking troopers, who quickly suppressed the Lakota fire. The surviving Lakota fled, but U.S. cavalrymen pursued and killed many who were unarmed.

By the time it was over, at least 150 men, women, and children of the Lakota Sioux had been killed and 51 wounded (4 men, 47 women and children, some of whom died later); some estimates placed the number of dead at 300.

The site has been designated a National Historic Landmark."

The inscription at the Memorial reads:

"This monument is erected by surviving relatives and other Ogalala and Cheyenne River Sioux Indians in memory of the Chief Big Foot massacre December 29, 1890... Big Foot was a great chief of the Sioux Indians. He often said, "I will stand in peace till my last day comes." He did many good and brave deeds for the white man and the red man. Many innocent women and children who knew no wrong died here."

The Ghost Dance, a spiritual Native American rite, is one of the controversies behind the massacre:

"It was during this time of suffering and degradation that news spread among the reservations of a Paiute prophet named Wovoka, founder of the Ghost Dance religion. He had a vision that the Christian Messiah, Jesus Christ, had returned to earth in the form of a Native American.

The Messiah would raise all the Native American believers above the earth. During this time the white man would disappear from Native lands, the buffalo herds and all the other animals would return in abundance and the ghosts of their ancestors would return to earth - hence the word "Ghost" in "Ghost Dance". They would then return to earth to live in peace. This would all be brought about by performance of the "Ghost Dance".

The massacre at Wounded Knee is compounded by this Ghost Dance. To compare it would be if armed assassins burst into the Vatican and killed the The Pope during the Christmas Mass. It's THAT bad.

A Calvary officer surveys the dead Lakota...
three days after the massacre

In 1975, another incident at the Pine Ridge Reservation was recorded. Native American Leonard Peltier was accused of shooting to death 2 FBI agents. His supporters have argued and fought for his release from jail for over THIRTY years. Is there no justice at all for the Lakota People?

We remember and honor the Lakota Tribe today and always.