Wounded Knee Massacre

The Wounded Knee Massacre was a violent conflict between the United States Army and the Lakota people. It occurred on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. This location was part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The event was part of a larger military operation known as the Pine Ridge Campaign. It is remembered as a tragic moment in the history of the Great Plains.

To understand why this happened, we must look at the conditions on the reservations. For years, the U.S. government had been seizing Lakota lands. This happened despite treaty promises meant to protect their territory from settlers and gold miners. Additionally, the massive bison herds were hunted to near-extinction. Since the bison were a staple of life for Plains Indians, their loss caused great instability. Many Lakota people faced starvation and had to rely on government rations.

During this difficult time, a new religious movement called the Ghost Dance spread. It was founded by a Paiute prophet named Wovoka. Wovoka had a vision that the Christian Messiah had returned to Earth as a Native American. The Ghost Dance was not a traditional Christian faith. It incorporated elements of Lakota faith and rituals like the Sun Dance. Followers believed that performing a slow, solemn dance to a single drumbeat would restore their way of life. They hoped the buffalo would return and their ancestors would walk the Earth again.

However, the Ghost Dance caused great anxiety among white settlers and officials. Some settlers called the movement the "Messiah War." They feared the dance was a sign of a dangerous Sioux resurgence. Missionaries also wanted to repress the movement to "modernize" the indigenous population. This tension led the U.S. government to take action. They decided to take several Lakota chiefs into custody to stop the movement.

On December 15, 1890, an attempt to arrest the famous leader Sitting Bull turned deadly. Indian police arrived at his home at the Standing Rock Agency. When Sitting Bull refused to comply, force was used. During the struggle, a Lakota man named Catch-the-Bear shot a lieutenant. In response, Sitting Bull was shot and died. Following his death, about 200 members of his Hunkpapa band fled to join Chief Spotted Elk. Spotted Elk, also known as Big Foot, led his Miniconjou Lakota toward the Pine Ridge Reservation.

The massacre began during a botched attempt to disarm Spotted Elk's camp. On the morning of December 29, a detachment of the 7th Cavalry Regiment approached the Lakota. They were led by Major Samuel M. Whitside. The rest of the regiment, led by Colonel James W. Forsyth, surrounded the camp. The soldiers were supported by a battery of four Hotchkiss mountain guns. These were rapid-fire weapons used to attack the camp.

During the disarming process, a conflict broke out involving a deaf tribesman named Black Coyote. He was reluctant to give up his rifle because he had paid a high price for it. When his rifle went off, the situation escalated quickly. Some Lakota men threw aside blankets and fired at the soldiers. The military responded with indiscriminate firing. The soldiers used the Hotchkiss guns to fire upon the Lakota.

The loss of life was devastating. Between 250 and 300 Lakota people were killed. This group included 4 men and 47 women and children, some of whom died later from wounds. The U.S. soldiers also suffered losses, with 25 soldiers killed and 39 wounded. Nineteen soldiers received the Medal of Honor specifically for their actions at Wounded Knee.

Today, the Wounded Knee Battlefield is a National Historic Landmark. In 1990, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution expressing "deep regret" for the massacre. There is also ongoing debate regarding the military awards given at the site. In 2001, the National Congress of American Indians called for the federal government to rescind those medals. The event remains a central part of how the history of the Lakota and the United States is understood.