Remembering Wounded Knee# Native American Experiences.docx...

Remembering Wounded Knee: Native American Experiences"
Using Takaki Chpts. 4 and 9, the handout on Wounded Knee, and the viewing clips, you will
examine this legacy. What is the significance of Wounded Knee for the United States and Native
Americans? Historically what was the impact of US policies on Native Americans and give some
examples (particularly in regard to racialization in Takaki chapters)? And finally, how does this
history connect to present day issues that affect Native Americans, especially on the reservations
(include video clips? Add any final comments or analysis that you have as well.
Wounded Knee is a symbolic relationship between United States and Native Americans.
Wounded Knee is the a located in South Dakota is highly know due to the battle between United
States military and Lakota Sioux Indians that took place in 1890. The battle led to death of men,
women and children. The massacre that occurred at Wounded Knee was the last major Indian’s
battle of the 19 th century.
Ghost Dance
By 1889, many Sioux Indians had gathered at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation to
participate in the Ghost Dance. The Ghost Dance was part of a religious revival movement that began
among the Paiutes and was practiced by many Plains Indians in the 1870s and 1880s. A prophet named
Wovoka (or Jack Wilson) shared his spiritual vision and message of hope and cultural renewal for Native
Americans who had suffered through decades of broken treaties, lost lands, forced relocation, physical
deprivations, and death. Wovoka preached a positive message of peace, although some Native
Americans interpreted the vision as a call for active resistance in an effort to reclaim their lost lands. The
Lakota Sioux even adopted special garments that they believed provided special protection against white
bullets.
Fearing large numbers of armed Indians gathered in one place, the U.S. military brought in extra troops
to Wounded Knee and tried unsuccessfully to ban the Ghost Dance ceremony. The U.S. troops viewed
the Indian ceremony as preparation for armed conflict and described participants as 'wild and crazy.'
The Wounded Knee Massacre is historically significant not only for the intensity of violence which