Day Sixty-Four

6/4

The Book: Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown

ISBN: 0-8050-6669-1

Suggested By: Sissy Vaughn

Where: Home

When: 7:15-P

Music: None

Company: Alone

Pages: 293 - 348 (55)

The Lead In: Really begun to pick up on the slant of this book. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that Native Americans were jobbed by the US. Hell, jobbed is too weak of word. It was a holocaust. But the author has begun using the Native American names for the generals (Three Stars, Long Hair, Bear Coat). That’s crazy revisionist. And, to be honest, its irritating.

The 411 on the 55: Ah, well yesterday I discussed a little bit of Custer and one of his face-offs with some Natives. Today, we see the Little Big Horn incident which was his undoing. Of course, the death of him and his soldiers was predated by the slaughter of an indian village just days before, so its not as if his hands were clean.

Amazingly enough, as Custer’s men were picked off by Crazy Horse’s braves, Custer managed to stay alive till the last man. Some of the recorded statements of the attackers was that the soldiers were brave and fought to the end. They were begrudging in their respect, but they respected the courage they saw. Granted, they still killed even those that attempted to surrender, including Custer.

Line of the Day: “‘Who can tell me what I must do in my own country?’ Toohoolhoolzote retorted.” (what a name!) pg 321

The Fact on the Fiction: Words of Chief Joseph “"Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Too-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are—perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.” Wikipedia