jjares reviewed Wounded Knee Massacre: A History from Beginning to End (Native American History) on + 3278 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Thank you to Hourly History for writing a succinct, clear, and balanced explanation of the Wounded Knee Massacre. From the beginning, Europeans did not try to reside beside the indigenous peoples. They shoved them aside and eventually placed them on reservations. The reservation lands were exchanged for even less-desirable lands. The Europeans killed off the bison so that the Indians had no choice but to move to the reservations.
Generally, Indians were not farmers (but hunter-gatherers) and did not understand the tools and instructions given to them. The soils were poor and their crops failed. The government reduced the Indians' rations because they expected the Indians to grow their own food. When that didn't happen, life for the Indians became more desperate.
The Ghost Movement was the beginning of the end for the Lakota Indians. They became interested in a mystical movement that promised a return to their previous lives. Because of the Indians' desperate daily situation, this movement offered hope. Amazingly, no European looked into the truth of the Ghost Dance movement. In fact, when they found out that the Indians believed in 'Ghost Shirts' (wearing one would make the wearer immune to the Army's bullets), they started looking for the Indians to take up arms.
This led to the massacre of Wounded Knee. The author makes a point of telling how the travesty was reported at the time of the murders and how the story changed over the years. This story is well worth the reader's time.
Generally, Indians were not farmers (but hunter-gatherers) and did not understand the tools and instructions given to them. The soils were poor and their crops failed. The government reduced the Indians' rations because they expected the Indians to grow their own food. When that didn't happen, life for the Indians became more desperate.
The Ghost Movement was the beginning of the end for the Lakota Indians. They became interested in a mystical movement that promised a return to their previous lives. Because of the Indians' desperate daily situation, this movement offered hope. Amazingly, no European looked into the truth of the Ghost Dance movement. In fact, when they found out that the Indians believed in 'Ghost Shirts' (wearing one would make the wearer immune to the Army's bullets), they started looking for the Indians to take up arms.
This led to the massacre of Wounded Knee. The author makes a point of telling how the travesty was reported at the time of the murders and how the story changed over the years. This story is well worth the reader's time.
