Northern Valley Beacon, Interested Party, and Terry Woster recognize yesterday's 120th anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre, wherein we conquerors (a word said not with pride) killed 300 more of the conquered. For the 23rd year, Native American riders commemorated the ill-fated flight of Sitanka and his people by retracing the route on horseback from Standing Rock to Wounded Knee.
The official South Dakota State News, which has been publishing regular pleasant notes on Governor Rounds's declared "Year of Unity," let the anniversary pass without mention. Instead, Pierre warned us that we might find holiday travel in our four-wheel-drive cup-holding DVD_playing SUVs difficult in the coming winter storm. Certainly worth mentioning, but still nothing like the storm of bullets that made travel difficult for the men, women, and children at Wounded Knee in 1890.
To his credit, incoming Governor Dennis Daugaard has elevated tribal affairs to a cabinet-level position. Let us hope (as Kevin Woster does) that this early action signals something more than lip service to the South Dakota's profound cultural and economic divide.
Wounded Knee put a bloody exclamation point on the violence, greed, and deceit upon which we built the American empire. Remembering it fits poorly with the holiday cheer and celebrations of this time of year. But remember Wounded Knee we must.
You know, your last two sentences remind me that the church calendar places two especially somber commemorations in the week after Christmas; Stephen the first martyr on 12/26 and The Holy Innocents (a massacre) on 12/28... seems like here in South Dakota the Episcopal Diocese, which has a membership and convention that is 50% Native American, could commemorate Wounded Knee on the historical date. I did blog on the even last year http://northernplainsanglicans.blogspot.com/2009/12/december-291890.html
Giago: Build Indigenous Holocaust Museum at Wounded Knee
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/article_3f1fde75-0ce3-56f1-9272-3c5e94e24a9a.html