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by Ernie C. Salgado, Jr., Soboba Tribal Member

December 29, 2013 marks the 123rd anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre and time should not diminish its memory as it was only one of numerous acts of genocide committed against our people. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas and the New Year let us take a moment to remember the Wounded Knee Massacre that occurred on December 29, 1890.

On that horrible day it is estimated that 275 Lakota Sioux men, women and children as well as 25 U.S. soldiers died.

The mass grave site at the Wounded Knee Massacre site today (above) and in 1890 (below), Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota.

Why? Fear! Fear of the "Ghost Dance" was the excuse as if one was needed: Because the powers that be at that period in time feared the "Ghost Dance" that was practiced by the Indian people. After all what more could the "Indians" want?

ABOVE VIDEO: The Tragedy of Wounded Knee (The Ghost Dance).

The Government was going to take care of them as long as the river ran and the grass grew. I know it's beyond comical, but some of our people still believe that the Government will provide for all their needs and after over 200 years they are still waiting. We call them BIA Indians another story for another time.

Although the Wounded Knee Massacre has been immortalized into American history it has been given nothing more than lip service by the Nations leaders.

I think Secretary of State; Hillary Clinton expressed the feeling of not only this administration but all the Presidents and Congressional leaders as well since 1890 and before the Wounded Knee Massacre in her response to the Massacre at the U.S. embassy in Benghazi. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies on the September 11, 2012 attack on U.S. diplomatic sites in Benghazi, Libya during a hearing held by the House Foreign Affairs committee on Capitol Hill in Washington January 23, 2013.

"What difference, at this point, does it make?"

What most people don't know is that U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens was an enrolled tribal member of the Chinook Indian Tribe in the State of Washington. Still another American Indian was murdered along with three other brave Americans Information Officer Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, both former Navy SEALs. But like Secretary Clinton said, "What difference, at this point, does it make"?

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WOUNDED KNEE Multimedia Gallery & Study Resources:

ABOVE VIDEO: Native Americans (Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee)

ABOVE VIDEO: Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee

ABOVE VIDEO: Wounded Knee - The Darkest Hour

ABOVE VIDEO: Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (Massacre at Wounded Knee)

ABOVE VIDEO: 40th Anniversary of Wounded Knee Takeover

ABOVE VIDEO: Interview to Russell Means (56 minutes)

Wounded Knee Massacre Survivors, 1891, "What's left of Big Foots's band, photo John C. H. Grabill.

The Wounded Knee Massacre occurred on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the U.S. state of South Dakota. It was the last battle of the American Indian Wars... 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's opening fire indiscriminately from all sides, killing men, women, and children, as well as some of their own fellow soldiers.... By the time it was over, at least 150 men, women, and children of the Lakota 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....

woundedkneemuseum.org: This narrative museum provides a deeper understanding of the December 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre.

Ernie C. Salgado Jr.
Ahmium Education, Inc., Executive Director
Tribal: Luiseño, Soboba Tribe
Founder/CEO: californiaindianeducation.org
CONTACT

On-line Multimedia Presentation: GARY BALLARD

Return to Ernie's Articles page.