For much of the period of the United States’ westward expansion, land claims by white settlers met with stiff resistance from indigenous peoples. Resistance intensified in the second half of the 19th century, as the US federal government repeatedly violated treaties it had signed (from 1851 onwards) with various indigenous tribal leaders, most prominently the Sioux Indians, a subgroup of which the Lakota were. One of these was the Treaty of Fort Laramie, signed in 1868, which defined a 60 million acre territory in South Dakota in which agencies were created to represent the federal government among each tribe. If the Lakota avoided the attacks, they would be provided with food, education and funding. However, the interest in fully exploiting the natural resources (gold, etc.) discovered in the area would lead to a series of conflicts, the interest of which was the shrinking of the area that had been granted: from 60 million to 21.7 million hectares until in 1877, while by a law of 1887 it would be further reduced to 12.7 million acres.
Federal agents in the area encouraged the Lakota to raise livestock and cultivate—that is, to adopt a lifestyle that was not conducive to the region’s semi-arid environment and to which they were unfamiliar, being a nomadic people based on hunting game. In addition, being forced to rely on government-issued rations for survival would coincide with the reduction of the annual budget in 1889 and the harsh winter and drought of 1889-90, driving the tribe to the brink of starvation. At the same time, the Lakota were required to adopt Western clothing, learn English, and abandon traditional religion, following the principles of Christianity. The government program essentially envisioned a forced assimilation of them, destroying their culture and identity.
In these circumstances, the indigenous religious movement “Ghost Dance”, which had first appeared around 1870 among the Northern Paiute in Nevada, would reappear in 1889 under the leadership of a prophet, according to whom God had revealed to him that if the Indians followed specific instructions, in 1891 God would return the earth to its natural state—that is, before the arrival of European settlers—by burying the white settlers and resurrecting the Indian ancestors. Among the impoverished Lakota, this prophecy gained great popularity.
In August 1890, American official Daniel Royer was convinced that the followers of the “Ghost Dance” were fighters who threatened to destroy the effort to “civilize” the Lakota, and requested the assistance of the army. Indeed, in November the US army arrived in the region. However, the indigenous people refused any escalation of the repressive measures. The situation would become more complicated when there were the first dead, including one of their leading figures, Sitting Bull, who was killed on December 15, 1890.
The Lakota chief, Bigfoot, hoped to find a peaceful solution so that no more blood would be shed, but the army did not trust his intentions. The 7th Regiment of Cavalry was sent to intercept him at his camp, and to seize all the arms of his tribe. One detachment of the Regiment that arrived in the area was led by Major Samuel M. Whitside, while the remainder, led by Colonel James W. Forsyth, surrounded the camp
On December 28, 1890, Colonel Forsyth announced the terms. But the surrender of only a few arms, as a sign of peaceful dispositions, did not satisfy him, and he ordered a full search of the camp. Soon the increasingly difficult situation spiraled out of control, with the Cavalry opening fire. Some women and children tried to escape to save themselves but without success.
On January 3, 1891, the US Army would bury the dead in a mass grave. Today it is estimated that their total number varies between 250 and 300, with half of them being women and children.
The massacre near Wounded Knee Creek on December 29 marked the last major armed conflict between the United States and the Plains Indians.
Column editor: Myrto Katsigera, Vassilis Minakakis, Antigoni-Despina Poimenidou, Athanasios Syroplakis
