So there is no attempt to understand the cultural mind-set of the Native Americans, which makes the scene with Sitting Bull and General Miles just sound ridiculous. Not to mention Miles spouts lines that sounded better suited for Rush Limbaugh on last week's radio show than for an army officer in the mid-to-late 1800s. In the scene he accuses the Lakota of fabricating their attachment to the Black Hills. That Indians “were killing one another and lusting for territory” before the Whites showed up. This is about the same as if a Nazi officer excused everything they did to the Jews because some Jews mistreated other Jews sometime in the past.
What Giat has Miles referring to regarding warring tribes is true – as far as it goes. But there are many first hand accounts – by Whites – early on in their contact with various tribes that time and again witnessed these “battles”. In most cases there were no fatalities. Think of it as what gang wars used to be like back in '50s New York. Lots of cuts, bruises, and occasionally cracked skulls. But for the most part “territorial” wars were not deadly.
It wasn't until the French, English, Spanish, and Americans began using Native Americans as proxies in their conquest of the Western Hemisphere and began arming them to the teeth that this started to change. The Europeans, past masters of “divide and conquer,” were essentially adults in a schoolyard where they were passing out rifles and an endless supply of ammo.
Also, Miles' claim about the Black Hills, the focus of gold lust for the Whites, is also barely true. It is true that as the traditional rivals of the Sioux – the Mandan and Arikara – had controlled the Black Hills (the Paha Sapa – Lakota for “the heart of everthing”) prior to the Lakota moving into the territory. Let's also mention (Giat/General Miles) that the Lakota were enabled to do this because the Mandan and Arikara were virtually wiped out from smallpox. Hmm... I wonder who introduced that to them? Also never mentioned is that the Cheyenne, Pawnee, and even Kiowa tribes – at one time or another – controlled the Black Hills. It wasn't as if the Lakota didn't know of the Black Hills. They didn't just stumble over them one day, say, “Hey! We likeee! Let's move in quick an claim 'squatter rights'!”
Article comments
1 - TV and Film Guy
Congratulations! This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States.
2 - methuselah
Excellent review! Thank you.
3 - Blair
As the Lakota began migrating from the Great Lakes area to the Black Hills around 1775, they pushed other tribes aside. They massacred around 400 Mandan and Arikara men, women and children at one site near the Missouri. At another site, they left 75 scalped and mutilated bodies.
Casualties in the incessant warfare between Native American tribes were higher as a percentage of population than 20th century warfare between European nations. At times, it was genocidal. The tribes continued to war against one another even after they were forced onto reservations. In the Indian Terrority, the Cherokkee, Choctwas and Chikashas ganged up on the Creeks. Comanche and Kiowas almost exterminated the Tawankaras.
4 - Ray II
Good thoughts, but I must disagree with you on recommending the HBO project to the youngster. I would say...go out to the library...or go to the book store and get Dee Brown's book. Read it and discuss it! What a novel idea! Then and only then should you go and watch the HBO presentation. Dee Brown was rolling around in his grave this weekend, that's for sure!
5 - P. Marlowe
Thanks for the comments... Ray II some of the youth start out with the book... Others have to have that emotional impact and THEN they want to learn more... I'll use any method to awaken them to history and the wider world but I agree in the sense that READING is most often the best way...
P.Marlowe
mitakuye oyas'in
6 - Bob
I dislike comments made by Blair as a reaction to movies such as Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. I am assuming he is not American Indian and feels defensive regarding the story presented in the movie. Most Americans are so ingorant of the obvious history right under their feet and when a major production (even with its bland stylistic issues and misrepresentation of some facts or personalities) hits people in the face with its message these comments come out. The Lakota stole it from whoever and waged wars over land, game, pride, whatever. The whites weren't any worse than that and blah, blah, blah.
The enormity of what happened between the north and south poles on North and South America was the real slaughter and massacre. Untold millions of people were slaughtered and the survivors were told to move on, speak English or Spanish, and become white Christian farmers. In America Indians were written into the Constitution. The USA and Indian tribes entered into treaties out of that Constitution. Breaking those treaties with just Indians was no big deal. The Black Hills were (still are) a sacred altar for many tribes, a hunting ground, and a wintering ground. But gold made it valuable to America and provided another brilliant, yet sad for Indians, chapter in American history and another HBO series, Deadwood.
The reaction to that history was to cover it up and make it the conquering of the west and nation building. Indeed, a proud history for the USA and non-Indian Americans. Mt. Rushmore went up to become the Shrine of Democracy to negate the true history of what happened to those Black Hills. As with most of the history written about the USA, it is by the conquerors and is hypocrital. Mt. Rushmore to many is the Shrine of Hypocrisy and an utter eyesore on creation. So Blair and his citation of two nondescript "massacres" is pitiful. To all the Blairs from this Indian from South Dakota, learn from your history, acknowledge it, and don't repeat it.
7 - P. Marlowe
Blair... I would ask you to present documentation or references to this claim - esp., the percentages. Having worked in Native American culture for 25 yrs, and in issues of Native American legal claims, etc., as well I've never heard such things.
Of course the Lakota and Mandan did fight. Damn near every tribe fought. But your claims about percentages of death I found wildly askew.
It was well documented that "war" between tribes PRIOR TO the mass invasion of Whites saw virtually NO fatalities. Many early Whites who were witness to such battles commented on this.
Site your sources Blair. I'll be happy to site mine.
P. Marlowe
8 - Mel Lawrence
A good review...
May i suggest that people see another HBO Documentary called "Paha Sapa, The Struggle for the Black Hills", It was nominated for an emmy and presented a purely Indian POV about the sacred hills.
It was made in 1994 and there is surely much that has happened since then, yet the Lakota still refuse the money for PAHA SAPA...
9 - bliffle
Good review, Marlowe.
I read a great number of books about the Native vs. European-american conflicts in the 60's and Dee Browns book was a fitting capper for those researches.
I share your misgivings about the shortcomings of the HBO movie, which I just saw last night for the first time. Nevertheless, I will recommend it to friends and family because the ignorance and prejudice against 'indians' is so heavy and oppressive that one must start somewhere, with even this weak tool as an aid, to have hope of lifting that burden. Let us hope that a more complete and engrossing series of films will now be made.
For comparison, I also watched "Revisiting Brideshead", a one hour recap of the original 13 hour series on the Brits ITV back about 1981, and it recalled to me how absolutely engrossing "Brideshead Revisited" was, and what could be done with the long form TV series.
10 - P.Marlowe
Thanks Blif... I noted Bury My Heart was up for a good number of Emmys.
My frustration, as I said, was that they spent an entire season on Rome... So, what, they can't spend 8 hours on this?
Happy New Year!
P.Marlowe
11 - bliffle
This will not be the last time we will see "Bury My heart..." in movie or TV series format, any more than "Ben Hur" or "Caligula", etc., exhausted our interest in Rome.