Day Sixty-One

6/1

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

ISBN: 0-8050-6669-1

Suggested By: Sissy Vaughn

Where: Home

When: 8:40-9:20P

Music: None

Company: The Family

Pages: 125-180 (55)

The Lead In: I know that in hindsight it is easy to call out the mistreatment of the Native American people, but what amazes me is that no one put a stop to it then. How could a society so recently freed from the stain of slavery participate in the massacre of so many innocents?

The 411 on the 55: The story today of the Cheyenne is interesting in that a white man attempts to stop the Army from attacking.

General Hancock was sent in to stop the Cheyenne from breaking the peace. He was new to the situation and was no lover of the Indians. He has the infamous quote “the only good Indian is a dead Indian.” A lower ranking officer, Wynkoop, warned him to be cautious but Hancock was not so inclined.

He called for a meeting with the chiefs and was angry to find that Roman Nose, one of the more famous Cheyenne warriors had not attended. One problem, Roman Nose was not a chief, so was unqualified for the meeting. Hancock craps his pants in anger and marches off to the Indian camp to meet Roman Nose. Wynkoop explains the situation and is ignored.

The march to the camp leads to the camp’s destruction and the beginning of a new war between the U.S. and the Cheyenne.

Line of the Day: “A Cheyenne named Wolf Belly made two mounted charges right through the defense ring of scouts. He was wearing his magic panther skin, and it gave him such strong medicine that not a single bullet touched him.” pg 165 (not sure what to say to this, other than: ladies and gentlemen, Cheyenne body armor!

The Fact on the Fiction: Ely Samuel Parker (1828 – August 31, 1895), (born Hasanoanda, later known as Donehogawa) was an American of the Seneca tribe who was an attorney and engineer, tribal diplomat, and an officer during the American Civil War, where he served as adjutant to General Ulysses S. Grant. He wrote the final draft of the Confederate surrender terms at Appomattox. Later in his career Parker rose to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General. Grant appointed him Commissioner of Indian Affairs, the first Native American to hold that post. Wikipedia