America's Long Indian Wars: The Final Chapter

This Day in History: December 29, 1890 

How did it begin, this hate for the Indian nation? They were, after all, native to America well before the arrival of the "white man." It was many thousands of years before the arrival of Christopher Columbus ships that a different group of people inhabited America: the nomadic ancestors of modern Native Americans. This, in fact, occurred more than 12,000 years ago when a land bridge connected Asia to what is now called Alaska.

So, why so much hatred? Did the so-called savages have no regard for human life? Was the "white man" solely a man of peace? While not all intentions may have been of a peaceful nature, did the savagery not hold true also for the whites? Were the buffalo not slaughtered simply to satisfy the greed of trappers and fur traders, whereas for the Indian, the buffalo was a necessary source for survival? Did Indian beliefs encompass rituals of devil worship and demons or were their beliefs something of a totally different spiritual nature connected to the land and totally misunderstood?

To the disbelief of many, not all American Indians were savages. A proud people humbled by their surroundings fought and died trying to preserve their unique heritage, language, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs. One of the saddest episodes in our history had already occurred (1838) when the Cherokee Nation stripped of their land was herded like cattle and forced to march a thousand miles through the wilderness under horrible conditions. The route they traversed, as well as the journey itself, became known as "The Trail of Tears" or, as a direct translation from Cherokee, "The Trail Where They Cried" (Nunna daul Tsuny.").

Historical Documents: Trail of Tears

By 1890, the armed resistance was over with the last of the Sioux being forced into reservation life at gunpoint. Life for the Indian nation as they new it was over. The only avenue left - spiritual guidance, not a conjuring up of spells and calling upon demonic souls but instead a spiritual awakening among the tribes of North America. Thus, entered the "Ghost Dance."  

Native Americans Online

The Native Americans believe we all have spirits, but while ghosts are generally considered evil spirits, the Ghost Dance Movement embodied hope with visions of the future without whites.

Within the Ghost Dance spiritual movement, thousands of Native Americans only longed to have their land restored and be rid of the white man. Unfortunately, the movement resulted in violence as many innocent Native Americans were slaughtered needlessly. On this day, December 29, 1890, in the final chapter of America's long Indian wars, the U.S. Cavalry kills 146 Sioux (men, women and children) at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. Read MORE. . . 

A Proud People

  Unhealed Wounds

Were their desires

indeed so bad

for the government

to take all they had?

Were their beliefs

indeed so wrong

for them to be stripped

of everything they owned?

How did it begin

this hatred so grave

of a life pure and simple

strong and brave? 

Within these questions

lies few answers

as hated continues

spreading like cancers

While no longer limited

to a single race

the fires still burn

at a rapid pace

Unhealed wounds

seethe beneath the skin

 suppressing real feelings

peace will never win

 ©12/29/2012
Sharla Lee Shults