Turning Hawk and American Horse on the Wounded Knee Massacre (1890/1891)

Question

Turning Hawk: …These people were coming toward Pine Ridge agency, and when they were almost on the agency they were met by the soldiers and surrounded and finally taken to the Wounded Knee creek, and there at a given time their guns were demanded. When they had delivered them up, the men were separated from their families, from their tipis, and taken to a certain spot. When the guns were thus taken and the men thus separated, there was a crazy man, a young man of very bad influence and in fact a nobody, among that bunch of Indians fired his gun, and of course the firing of a gun must have been the breaking of a military rule of some sort, because immediately the soldiers returned fire and indiscriminate killing followed.

…All the men who were in a bunch were killed right there, and those who escaped that first fire got into the ravine, and as they went along up the ravine for a long distance they were pursued on both sides by the soldiers and shot down, as the dead bodies showed afterwards. The women were standing off at a different place from where the men were stationed, and when the firing began, those of the men who escaped the first onslaught went in one direction up the ravine, and then the women, who were bunched together at another place, went entirely in a different direction through an open field, and the women fared the same fate as the men who went up the deep ravine.

American Horse: The men were separated, as has already been said, from the women, and they were surrounded by the soldiers. Then came next the village of the Indians and that was entirely surrounded by the soldiers also. When the firing began, of course the people who were standing immediately around the young man who fired the first shot were killed right together, and then they turned their guns, Hotchkiss guns, etc., upon the women who were in the lodges standing there under a flag of truce, and of course as soon as they were fired upon they fled, the men fleeing in one direction and the women running in two different directions. So that there were three general directions in which they took flight.
13
Explain how the U.S. government's policies of assimilation affected the lives of Native Americans during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Provide specific examples of these policies and their consequences.

BoldItalicUnderlineStrikethroughSubscriptSuperscriptInsert ImageInsert LinkInsert TableAlign LeftMore Text
Align CenterAlign RightAlign JustifyIncrease IndentDecrease IndentParagraph Format

MathSpecial CharactersUndoRedo

Answer 1

The U.S. government's policies of assimilation had profound and often devastating effects on the lives of Native Americans during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These policies aimed to integrate Native Americans into Euro-American culture, promoting the idea that Indigenous practices and ways of life were inferior. Below are specific examples of these policies and their consequences:

1. Dawes Act (1887)

Policy Explanation: The Dawes Act aimed to break up tribal lands and promote individual land ownership among Native Americans. It allotted parcels of land to individuals and sold the surplus land to non-Native settlers.

Consequences:

• Loss of Land: This resulted in the loss of tribal land, as Native Americans were often unable to claim or effectively use the allotted lands. Approximately 90 million acres of tribal land were lost.
• Cultural Disintegration: Traditional communal living and cultural practices were undermined, leading to a loss of identity among Indigenous peoples.

2. Indian Boarding Schools

Policy Explanation: The U.S. government established boarding schools that aimed to "civilize" Native American children by removing them from their families and communities and immersing them in Euro-American culture.

Consequences:

• Cultural Erasure: Children were forbidden to speak their languages or practice their cultures, leading to a loss of cultural knowledge and heritage.
• Trauma and Abuse: Many children experienced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at these institutions, resulting in long-term psychological damage.

3. The Indian Reorganization Act (1934)

Policy Explanation: Although it attempted to reverse some policies of assimilation by restoring some degree of self-governance and financial responsibility, the impacts of earlier assimilation efforts were still felt strongly.

Consequences:

• Limited Sovereignty: While some tribal governments were re-established, the federal government retained significant control over tribal affairs, undermining the sovereignty that tribes were supposed to regain.
• Continued Economic Challenges: Many tribes continued to struggle with poverty and lack of resources as a result of previous policies that had stripped them of land and autonomy.

4. Economic Policies and Land Allotment

Policy Explanation: The U.S. government often viewed Native Americans as wards of the state, providing limited support and enforcing economic policies that disregarded traditional practices.

Consequences:

• Poverty: The forced transition to a cash economy, without adequate support or resources, led to widespread poverty among Native American communities.
• Dependency: Many tribes became dependent on the government for sustenance, disrupting traditional self-sufficiency and ways of living.

Summary

Overall, the U.S. government’s assimilation policies fundamentally changed the lives of Native Americans by stripping them of their lands, languages, cultures, and identities. The trauma inflicted by these policies has had enduring effects, contributing to socio-economic challenges and cultural disconnection that many Indigenous communities continue to face today. The events at Wounded Knee serve as a stark reminder of the violent consequences of government policies toward Native Americans during this period.