Essay \"Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee\" - Grade 100% PDF

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Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee...

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Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee portrays the horrible injustice that occurred to the Native American’s in the late 19th century. Probably the most underrated massacre and atrocity of the past few centuries. Since the moment European settlers set foot on the New Land they have caused devastation toward the Native American tribes. Even though matters are more civilized now, there is still great tension and much to do in order to make up for past conflicts. Approximately nine million American Indigenous peoples have died from violence, disease, and misplacement on American soil. This film depicts the tragedy that caused a once plentiful and free people to be kept hostage in their own homeland. The film starts off with bloodshed on both sides at the Battle of Little Big Horn Valley. The Sioux win the battle over General Custer, although there were many lives lost. We are shown that the leaders of the Sioux did not want to fight but did whatever it took to fight for their land. General Custer and Henry Dawes demand that the Sioux head for the reservations since they can no longer live in the Dakota area due to the seizure of the Black Hills. Some of the natives go with Red Cloud to the reservations while many go north with Sitting Bull. The Sioux are driven out by American soldiers and are given temporary solace by the Canadians. The film now shifts focus to Charles Eastman, a mix white-Sioux boy who is sent east to become Americanized. He at first is resilient towards assimilation but is pushed by his father to aspire to become like the white man, since they are the future. He is mentored by Senator Henry Dawes and becomes his unnamed partner in creating a plan for the American Indian reservations and land acquirements. Dawes believes the only way to save the Native Americans is by assimilation. Charles meets a girl, named Elaine Goodale, at the Friends of the Indians Scholarship assembly. He tells her of how he chose his American name, Charles. In school he had refused to give himself an American name, however his teacher wouldn’t respond to him

unless he had an American name. In class his teacher purposefully said a Native American chief’s name wrong in order to nudge him. He needed so badly to correct his teacher and honor the chief, that he gave into her and named himself Charles. This small part which many just would see as irrelevant, is highly significant. It symbolizes the assimilation, the Americans forced their way of life onto the Native Americans. They forced them to learn a different language, pray to another god, change their way of life, and leave their homes to ensure survival. Elaine decides to teach at a reservation in order to improve indigenous life. She and Charles write to each other, as she tells him of the atrocities the natives are facing at the reservations with disease and discrimination. As this is happening, Sitting Bull is having many conflicts in the Canadian territory. His people are getting ill, going hungry, and many people want to leave for the reservation. What sets things into motion is two Sioux men steal two horses from another tribe which was forbidden to them by the Canadians. Sitting Bull then whips them to ensure the Canadians he wasn’t part of their theft and to make an example out of them. This was a huge turning point in the film, since the stress of taking care of his people had caused Sitting Bull to take out his frustration on his own men. There was so much pressure on him to keep his traditions, way of living, and spirituality alive. After this happens many leave for the reservation, including his son. He eventually gives in and heads for the reservation to ensure his peoples survival. He receives a home by a creek where he keeps to himself. Everyone on the reservation goes to church, which Sitting Bull sees as a betrayal. He sees how their freedom has been taken away. He immediately causes a rift with the reservation’s head council. The head counsel insists he attend church, eat the rations like everyone else, and assimilate. Sitting Bull refuses to assimilate and catch cattle the way they do on the reservation.

Charles eventually heads west after finishing medical school to help the Sioux. He sees how disease has stricken so many and taken many lives. He sees the sorrow and lack of morale he had once seen in his people. He wishes he had jumped off the train when he was being taken east to be further educated. He is devastated by the mistreatment of his people. Charles’ perspective of the American-Indian affairs changes from his mentorship days with the Senator, he now sees the mistreatment and injustice that is occurring. Senator Dawes come to the reservation to propose a policy that enables native to purchase acres of land at a low price in order to sell later on. Sitting Bull makes a stern speech on why his people should not sign this new agreement. Red Cloud agrees with him and says he regrets ever signing the previous treaties, he states he thought he was doing the right thing for his people but was proposed with empty promises. The tribe refuses to sign any document and leave the meeting. The Ghost Dance movement was spread by the prophet Wokova, amongst most tribes across the Plains, speaking of future relief of suppression from the white man. This movement causes strife with the Americans as they saw it as a threat, but really it was just people who were in desperation seeking solace and something to belong to. The strife causes the brutal massacre of Wounded Knee, where Charles and Elaine are just witnesses which Charles foresaw was going to be their only purpose. Sitting Bull is taken out of his home by force and shot in the head. Two hundred natives were massacred by the 7th Calvary at Wonded Knee Creek. We see that Charles heads back east and runs into the Senator, where we are told he is now married to Elaine. The Senator is now working on another proposal for the Native Americans. I believe that Dawes plans weren’t fully ill-willed they just simply weren’t right. The film ends leaving the viewer in great despair, since this was not a happy ending.

This film tells the classic American story, the white man discriminating against someone they don’t know. It truly is a tragedy since America was their home, and they were massacred on their own land and uprooted from their homes. So many of them were killed for absolutely no reason, just cause they were in the way. A line that really spoke to me in the movie was when Charles said there is no word for owning land in any Native American tongue. It really resonated with me because they understood the preciousness of the land and of nature. When the Native Americans would hunt animals for food they would use every last bit of their bodies because they knew it was sacred and didn’t want it to go to waste. I truly feel sorry for Native Americans, today they have the highest high school drop out rate. They feel as if they don’t have a place in this country, while this is truly their country. Most people think Native Americans are well off and live in casinos and are given money monthly. However most Native American reservations are desolate, they lack basic necessities, and they are losing their culture. It’s a miracle they have kept their traditions alive to be honest. This whole issue is racist and the Native American’s are undervalued and misrepresented. This film really peaked my interest in American-Natives relations. I found it very interesting when I googled Native Americans this came up, “Contemporary Native Americans have a unique relationship with the United States because they may be members of nations, tribes, or bands with sovereignty and treaty rights. Native Americans have founded independent newspapers and online media, recently including First Nations Experience, the first Native American television channel, established Native American studies programs, tribal schools and museums and language programs; and have increasingly been published as authors.” I feel like this is such little progress, depicted as huge milestones. Especially when you consider the fact that these people have been here longer than “Americans” have. Native Americans are heavily

discriminated against, hundreds of schools still have their mascots as Indians, they are heavily stereotyped in the film industry, and even a team on the NFL, the Redskins, refuses to change their name. It is blatantly disrespectful and racist. Not to compare races, however if there was team named after an African American derogatory term, people would not stand for that and it would be changed immediately. It shows the hierarchy in race issues even between races, with Native American issues being least prioritized. In a comedian’s recent documentary, she goes to a Campo Reservation and a professor talks about the harmful effects of stereotypes and mascots on Native American youth. They feel it is racist and their opinions and they themselves as human beings aren’t valued. They are seen as casino owners who are alcoholics and not as people who contribute to this country. That stayed with me, and it is time for Native Americans to be recognized and be given more respect to since this is really their country....