Several years ago, I read a book by American writer Dee Brown called “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West”.  This book was first published in 1970.  It was a truly enlightening book and a more accurate history of “how the west was won” or more accurately was stolen from the indigenous people who had occupied this land for hundreds if not thousands of years prior to Europeans arriving on this continent.  It was also an indictment on our white-washed education system.  The things I have learned as an adult that were never taught in school is terrifying and it is only getting worse but I digress.  Ever since reading this book, I have felt drawn to visit Wounded Knee.  I can’t explain why but the pull was real.  I completed that mission this year by visiting the site.  There is a sign marking the site and across the road is the graveyard where those that lost their lives were buried in a mass grave.  A local man pointed out the hill where the guns were located for me and the grave of the lone survivor was later buried.  Let me make this point clear, this was a massacre not a battle despite what our “history” books may say.
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The sign at the site reads as follows:
December 29, 1890, Chief Big Foot with his Miniconjou and Hunkpapa Sioux Band of 106 warriors, 250 women and children were encamped on this Flat, surrounded by US 7th Cavalry (470 soldiers) commanded by Col. Forsythe.  The “Messiah Craze” possessed many Indians who left the vicinity of the Agencies to “Ghost Dance” during the summer and fall of 1890.  “Unrest” on the Pine Ridge Reservation was partly due to the reduction of beef rations by Congress and to the “Ghost Dancing” of Chiefs Sitting Bull, Big Foot, Kicking Bear and Short Bull.  The Sioux were told by Kicking Bear and Short Bull that by wearing “Ghost Shirts” the ghost dancing warriors would become immune to the white man’s bullets and could openly defy the soldiers and white settlers and bring back the old days of big buffalo herds.
On November 15, 1890, Indian Agent Royer (Lakota Wokokpa) at Pine Ridge called for troops and by December 1, 1890, several thousand US Regulars were assembled in this area of Dakota Territory
On December 15, 1890, Chief Sitting Bull was killed by Lt. Bullhead of the Standing Rock Indian Police.  Forty of Sitting Bull’s braves escaped from Grand River and joined Chief Big Foot’s band on Deep Creek to camp and “Ghost Dance” on the south fork of the Cheyenne River.  Chief Big Foot was under scrutiny of Lt. Col. Sumner and his troops, and on December 23, 1890, they were ordered to arrest Big Foot as a hostile.  However, the Big Foot band had already silently slipped away from the Cheyenne county into the Badlands heading for Pine Ridge.
On December 28, 1890, without struggle Chief Big Foot surrendered to US 7th Cavalry (Maj. Whitesides) at the site marked by a sign five miles north of here.  The Band was then escorted to Wounded Knee, camping that night under guard.
Reinforcements of the US 7th Cavalry (including one company of Indian scouts) arrived at Wounded Knee from Pine Ridge Agency the morning of December 29,1890.  Col Forsythe took command of a force of 470 men.  A battery of four Hotchkiss guns was placed ib the hill 400 feet west of here overlooking the Indian encampment.  Big Foot’s Band was encircled at 9:00 am by a line of foot soldiers and cavalry.  Chief Big Foot, sick with pneumonia, lay in a warmed tent provided by Col. Forsythe in the center of the camp.  A white flag flew there, placed by Indians.  Directly in the rear of the Indian camp was a dry draw, running east and west.
The Indians were ordered to surrender their arms before proceeding to Pine Ridge.  Capt. Wallace with an Army began searching the teepees for hidden weapons.  During this excitement, Yellow Bird, a medicine man, walked among the braves blowing on an eaglebone whistle, inciting the warriors to action, declaring that the “Ghost Shirts” worn by the warriors would protect them from the soldier’s bullets.  A shot was fired and all hell broke loose.  The troops fired a deadly volley into the Council warriors, killing nearly half of them.  A bloody hand-to-hand struggle followed, all the more desperate since the Indians were armed mostly with clubs, knives and revolvers.  The Hotchkiss guns fired 2-pound explosive shells on the group indiscriminately killing warriors, women, children and their own disarming soldiers.  Soldiers were killed by crossfire of their comrades in this desperate engagement.
Surviving Indians stampeded in wild disorder for the shelter of the draw 200 feet to the south, escaping west and east in the draw and north down Wounded Knee Creek.  Pursuit by the 7th Cavalry resulted in the killing of more men, women and children, causing the battle to be referred to as the “Wounded Knee Massacre.”  One hour later, 146 Indian men, women and children lay dead in Wounded Knee Creek valley.  The bodies of many were scattered along a distance of two miles from the scene of the encounter.  Twenty soldiers were killed on the field and sixteen later died of wounds.  Wounded soldiers and Indians alike were taken to Pine Ridge Agency.  A blizzard came up four days later, an Army detail gathered up the Indian dead and buried them in a common grave at the top of the hill northwest of here.  A monument marks the grave.  ​“Ghost Dancing” ended with this encounter.  The Wounded Knee Battlefield is the site of the last armed conflict between the Sioux Indians and the United States Army.

The place I sit writing this was once land belonging to these tribes that the US Government stole from them.  Did you know that the US Government broke every treaty and agreement it signed with the Indian Tribes since its inception?  This is a true fact and one we should be collectively ashamed of even today.

I would recommend reading this extremely well written book that has stood the test of time.  It has never gone out of print and that says a lot.  I can’t speak to the subsequent movie based on the book, but reading is better for you anyways.
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As always I welcome any feedback or questions.

I want to welcome everyone taking the time to read my blog.  As a wildlife photographer, most of the time I will be discussing the animals I'm photographing and the techniques I may be using in the field.  Sometimes it may be about the interesting places I'm visiting.  It remains to be seen.  I hope you enjoy and welcome any feedback.

Here is a picture of Devils Tower, the first national monument, at sunrise.  The blog will be up and running soon.  Until then, enjoy the beauty of Wyoming.