Out by Wounded Knee, you’ll find this historic marker of the Lakota. He was the epitome of the tragic hero, in a time when his tribe had peaked in culture. We know it was peaking, because all there was after his surrender was a fall.
Both reading the history and experiencing the enviroment compleely enrches the knowledge, the kind that can be put into action if inspired to do so.
Sitting Bull, Geronimo, Tecumseh, Cochies, to namr a few all fought in the last ggreat Indian wars.
Unlike Europeans first contact with natives of north, and south America, before 1850, the conflict in the United States, was thoroughly documented in historic accounts, journalism and photographs. When the Spanairds arrived in Mexico, and until the 1800s, it was only human written accounts, and the Europenas burned all the Aztec and native texts. This simple documentation became more accurate with film, and the prodfession of journalism, along with the more entertaing versoins of historical fact.The fact that Sitting Bull, himself, went out on tour with wild Bill Cody is phenomenal. Both Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were killed by their own people. Both of the men knew that that would happen. Just before Sitting Bull had an encounter with a bird who told him so. But how much spiritual intuition do you need to understand people? It sounds like the jealousy in the tribes was worse than that in the art world in our times. In a culture completely built on warriors that go out to hunt and raid, to all of a sudden, be fed by the government and settle in one place is, no matter who you are, a complete humiliation.
No one knows for certain where either Sitting Bull or Crazy Horse are buried. Crazy Horse was buried, by his parents, atound some boulders, perhaps, in the Beaver Creek area, and Sitting Bull’s burial is extremely complicated, so much so, it can’t be untangled. That’some strong medecine. Both men were killed by members of their tribe who were police working with the government. Crazy Horse was stabbed in the lower back by a bayonet during his arrest, and Sitting Bull was shot in his arrest.
Tecumseh died in battle, after trying to nify the various tribes in a vast area. Geronimo was in Fort Sill, Oklahoma when he died 2-17-1909 when he died from pneumonia, in 1874 Cochise died after signing a peace treaty, possibly by stomach caner. He was buried in a crevice with his weapons and belongings in the Dragoon Mountains, after his Warriors, painted his body, yellow, black and vermilion.
The leader of the Aztecs, evntually was kidnapped by the Spaniards inside the city, that started a war. The King of the Aztecs was propped on a wall, to speak to the people from a defensive postion, but, his own people hurled stones at him, and he fell to his death. Eventually the Spanish priests would burn all the traces of Aztec history – the codec, as well as, infect, the entire land with small pox, killing up to 90% of the population.
When i was speaking before about the beginnings of modern documentation and communication, you can see how important that would be, because, even an event like smallpox would be broadcast to everybody and they could take precautions, etc. Can you imagine if Montezuma was brought back to Europe and was paid to go on tour would they have performed there ritualistic slaughter of human beings for the crowds? There would have been an audience with the modern medium machine, black, or the Internet, and it’s done, changed the world.
The Aztecs had great cities, built of stone with no beasts of burden, but human labor. The North American tribes were so much different. There were many in the north, and, there is a great record n\of their honesty, courage, selflessness and honor. So much so, that with the Lakota acts of bravery without death, like counting coup, opr, one time, Sitting Bull in a great battle with the soldiers, wbet out into rifle range, sat down, and smoked a pipe. He chastised other big shots in the tribe, until a few came out and joined him, quicjky scurrying away while Sitting Bull walked back.
Look at the legend of Pocahontas. It’s thought that her and the father actually cooked up that scheme where she would come and save John Smith That story is far richer and more mysterious than the legend. Pocahontas ended up living in London and being enormously popular, aswell as completely British in custom and style. Unfortunately, she caught smallpox and died there in London, far, in may ways, from her home. She married Joh Rolfe, had a child and left for England. The actor Ed Norton is a direct descendent. Pocahontas is his great grandmother 12 generations away and it’s a direct line.
The central, and South American Indians had gold which certainly helped their demise, but the Spaniards would waste a lot of time from Florida to California in the south of the United States. looking for it. Curiously, there was plenty of gold in America, but the big producers were up north, and in California as well as Canada. You could find gold in the southwest, but you’d have to dig mines, and American Indians didn’t really seem too interested in that. Many Indians, in the Americas had no use for it, even as jewelrey.
As far as memorials are concerned, if you want, a big one, remember the Crazy Horse being built in the Black Hills gramite, but, this memorial plaque, put up by the Lakota Lakota, so close to Wounded Knee, and not too far from where Crazy Horse, was impressive.