On
December 29th, 1890, when my grandmother was a young woman of twenty, at a
place near Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Indian Agency in South Dakota, in
what has been called the last battle of The Indiana Wars ,about five hundred
soldiers, members of the 7th U. S. Cavalry, because they could, massacred ninety
men and two hundred women and wounded fifty other people, members of the Miniconjou
and Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux tribes.
Actually,
there was one more battle. The day after the carnage at Wounded Knee, a group
of Native Americans from the Brule Lakota Sioux Tribe from the Rosebud Indiana
Agency in South Dakota engaged with troops from 7th Cavalry who were aided by
troops from the 9th Cavalry, The Buffalo Soldiers.
The
battle erupted as some of the Lakota were trying to enforce some of the terms
of the treaty, which they were forced to sign, with the United States
Government. They, along with the Cheyenne Tribes were starving, having had
their rations cut and because of outright theft by the suppliers. They were desperate.
And
that was it; the Indian problem was over and out of the hair of those who claim
“ownership” of what is now called “The United States of America.”
I
guess it would surprise many of you to know that the U. S. government still
treats Native Americans like they were the intruders, intruders in the land
that rightfully belongs to them. If you would like evidence, take a vacation
sometime and drive to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
I
hope you will be shocked and ashamed with what you see.
The
United States is comprised of over 3100 counties. The counties that make up The
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation are the poorest of all those. They share, and
sometimes trade positions, that title with the two other reservations in South
Dakota, The Rosebud and Lower Brule.
Some
members of my family tree lived in the coal mining regions of the Appalachia region. I traveled
through that part of our country a couple times and was shocked at the level of
poverty that existed in my country. Though conditions have improved somewhat,
thanks to the efforts of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Clinton, people still
live in a poverty ingrained in the culture of the people. They have been taken
advantage of and abused by big corporations for generations and most have come
to accept their place in the world.
I
had heard that the people living on Indian reservations had it rough. I had
lived near both Pima and Paiute Indian reservations over the years but never realize
that severe poverty existed that close to me.
As
part of a longer vacation, my wife and I planned to visit The Pine ridge Indian
Reservation. As we were traveling there, we entered the Badlands. A large part
of the badlands are on the reservation. It was an unusual experience to say the
least.. Our car’s compass did not work, our GPS system did not work and we
could not get connected to our ONSTAR system operator. I stopped the car to
look around at the massive rock formations and the trails that ran through
them. As I was standing there, the air itself spooked me. It was like it was
singing and had color to it, like the colors in a science fiction movie.
We
finally arrived at our destination, after getting directions from nearly every
person we could find. We stayed at The Lakota Prairie Ranch Resort. If you
think resort means some fancy place with a casino and all, forget it. It was a
bare-bones place to stay and had a great restaurant attached. The people there
were a great source of information and directions around the Pine ridge area.
They discussed the history and culture of the Lakota with us. Just as an aside,
the Lakota do not have a casino on the reservation.
What
we found out while we were there was that 1 in 4 infants are born fetal alcohol
syndrome and that Alcoholism rate is about 80%. Until 2013, when the members of
the Lakota Nation voted to repeal the ban, Alcohol was not sold on the
reservation but nearby merchants build alcohol stores just outside the boarders
and it was easy to smuggle it onto the reservation.
We
found out that many of the houses we saw had no floor and that most did not
have beds. If a family was lucky enough to have a mattress, as many as five
people may be cuddled up on that one mattress trying to keep warm. Many homes
have no running water or sewage. Heating oil is expensive and many cannot
afford to have it delivered to their homes. Some have no electricity or
telephone service.
I
learned that the unemployment rate was between 80% and 90%, and that the U. S.
Government uses its power to keep it that way.
In
the early part of the new century, The Lakota began growing industrial hemp to
be used in brick making. The level of THC in the industrial hemp is so low and
of so poor quality that one could never make a “joint” from it. They could,
however, make bricks. This project would provide industry and jobs to the
Lakota nation. The government stopped them, with force, in direct violation of
the 1868 treaty the Lakota made with the United States. This helped to keep the
per capita income of the residents of Pine Ridge at about $4000 a year.
In
another wonderful show of faith, the U. S. government confiscated a large chunk
of the Badlands, belonging to the Lakota, to use as a bombing range during
WWII. In the first two decades of the 2000s, they are still clearing unexploded
ordinance so that the land can be returned.
With
abject poverty comes an issue like Diabetes, which is about eight times the
norm on Pine Ridge.
Other
distressful issues on Pine Ridge include:
More
than twice the national rate of suicide and you can double that for teens
Infant
mortality rate on Pine Ridge is three times the national rate
Twice
the national rate of heart disease
The
second lowest life expectancy in the western hemisphere
Cervical
cancer more than five times the national rate
If,
as some people say, the United States is turning into a third world country,
just go to The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to see what you will become.
Most
of you cannot even imagine living in those conditions, yet we turn our heads
and pretend not to see as the government continues to massacre the Lakota.
I
visited the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre and stood on the hill where the
Hotchkiss cannons (Gatling guns) were fired. Right behind me stood the mass
grave that the men, women, and children that were chewed up by the Hotchkiss guns
were unceremoniously buried.
I
have read several books, articles, and papers and looked at many maps concerning
the events of 12/12/1890 and as I stood on that hill, looking across the field
where so many would needlessly die, it all came to life. In my minds eye, I
could se everything. I hope never to see an event in reality that is so
horrible and so heartbreaking.
The
Wounded Knee Massacre did not end that day in 1890, it continues today as “We
The People” allow our leaders to continue to persecute the very people to whom
this land rightfully belongs. Columbus did not discover America; it was never
lost. It was inhabited by many nations with trade routs going from New England to
South America. It had a thriving economy and one that practiced conservation of
resources centuries before the term was invented. But that’s another story.
For
now to learn more about the Lakota and to help their situation, visit one, or
more, of the sights below.
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