I did say that I would have a few words about my vacation trip to South Dakota and especially about the American Indian history there and their continuing story.
Besides the Mt. Rushmore memorial to four U.S. presidents, there is an ongoing project called the CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL which is an attempt to tell the Indian side of history. Both memorials are mountain sculptures.
There is no question that the Indians in these states, the Dakota, Lakota and others, got a raw deal. The Lakota lived off the buffalo (bison) and traveled wherever the buffalo roamed which was far and wide since there were millions of buffalo. Enter the Americans / Europeans and bam! No more buffalo.
The U.S. Government gave them a good part of South Dakota as their nation - land (get it – we gave them their land) but then gold was discovered in their sacred Black Hills so a gold rush ensued and to hell with their land rights; the cavalry under Custer had to protect the white prospectors so they shot the Indians (remember the Wounded Knee Massacre?).
My point here is to say that I don’t see how things could have turned out any different than they did (for the Indians) no matter what we (the Americans / Europeans) did.
In all fairness, the land was theirs even though they shared the land and fought over the land with their fellow Indian tribes. They did not recognize land ownership as such and felt the land belonged to all who used it BUT they were there first and “lived” there so according to my logic it was theirs.
But you can say that about all the lands making up the American continent; there were native populations in existence for centuries before the Europeans landed and took over – they had the guns.
The Lakota Indian life of living in tee-pees and following the buffalo (which provided 100% of their sustenance) was undoubtedly an idyllic life for the Indians for many ages BUT became unsustainable with the arrival of immigrant settlers.
What usually happens is that the native population after trying to keep the invaders out for as long as they could eventually “adapts” to the new way of life and is assimilated into this new culture. All Americans are immigrants except for the Native Americans, who brought with them their own cultural roots (Poles, Germans, Italians, Irish…) and many kept those ethnic ties alive while being assimilated into the great melting pot that is America – but not the Indians.
We visited an Indian museum financed by Kevin Costner (Dancing with Wolves movie) who is a staunch advocate for the Indians here. An Indian guide explained to us the old days of the Lakota and how their lands were taken from them; the man had an obvious “chip” on his shoulder even though quite young.
Traveling through the beauty that is South Dakota, we discussed why the Indians did not assimilate and even though they have millions of acres of (worthless) land and are considered a “nation” with their own laws, etc., they still remain poor, sick, drunk and without a viable future – why?
Besides the Mt. Rushmore memorial to four U.S. presidents, there is an ongoing project called the CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL which is an attempt to tell the Indian side of history. Both memorials are mountain sculptures.
There is no question that the Indians in these states, the Dakota, Lakota and others, got a raw deal. The Lakota lived off the buffalo (bison) and traveled wherever the buffalo roamed which was far and wide since there were millions of buffalo. Enter the Americans / Europeans and bam! No more buffalo.
The U.S. Government gave them a good part of South Dakota as their nation - land (get it – we gave them their land) but then gold was discovered in their sacred Black Hills so a gold rush ensued and to hell with their land rights; the cavalry under Custer had to protect the white prospectors so they shot the Indians (remember the Wounded Knee Massacre?).
My point here is to say that I don’t see how things could have turned out any different than they did (for the Indians) no matter what we (the Americans / Europeans) did.
In all fairness, the land was theirs even though they shared the land and fought over the land with their fellow Indian tribes. They did not recognize land ownership as such and felt the land belonged to all who used it BUT they were there first and “lived” there so according to my logic it was theirs.
But you can say that about all the lands making up the American continent; there were native populations in existence for centuries before the Europeans landed and took over – they had the guns.
The Lakota Indian life of living in tee-pees and following the buffalo (which provided 100% of their sustenance) was undoubtedly an idyllic life for the Indians for many ages BUT became unsustainable with the arrival of immigrant settlers.
What usually happens is that the native population after trying to keep the invaders out for as long as they could eventually “adapts” to the new way of life and is assimilated into this new culture. All Americans are immigrants except for the Native Americans, who brought with them their own cultural roots (Poles, Germans, Italians, Irish…) and many kept those ethnic ties alive while being assimilated into the great melting pot that is America – but not the Indians.
We visited an Indian museum financed by Kevin Costner (Dancing with Wolves movie) who is a staunch advocate for the Indians here. An Indian guide explained to us the old days of the Lakota and how their lands were taken from them; the man had an obvious “chip” on his shoulder even though quite young.
Traveling through the beauty that is South Dakota, we discussed why the Indians did not assimilate and even though they have millions of acres of (worthless) land and are considered a “nation” with their own laws, etc., they still remain poor, sick, drunk and without a viable future – why?
I don’t know why even though there are isolated instances of Indians that broke out and became successful, even famous. Some say their nomadic culture could not adapt to a stationary life. Some compare them to Mongolians who to this day follow the yak herd from pasture to pasture, something they have been doing for thousands of years.
OK, maybe in Mongolia but actually, when I looked at the vast prairies of South Dakota, I wondered why the Indians did not continue their ancient way of life. Yes, buffalo herds would have to be regulated as not to deplete the grasses but hey, it could have been done – so why hasn’t it even been tried or has it?
Today, the U.S. Government manages a very large herd of buffalo in South Dakota as a means of preserving the natural history of the land – why couldn’t the Lakota been doing this and selling buffalo meat like ranchers sell beef?
Well, one trip to South Dakota is not going to answer any questions but it sure got us thinking…
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