Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee By Dee Brown
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown is a fully documented account of the systematic destruction of the Native American during the second half of the 19th century. Brown reveals the intelligence and courage of the great American Indian chiefs at the same time exposing the arrant deceitfulness that was used to conquer them. About 125 years after the events in this book transpired, and some 30 years after the book was published, I am able to see parallels in the modern world i.e. the war in Iraq.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a heartbreaking tale of how the 'United States' destroyed the native civilization of North America. Brown tells this story from the Native Americans' point of view. Brown makes sure to include details of how the American government used a series of 'treaties' to swindle the native out of their land. While Brown is giving the details of the numerous 'treaties,' I remember the movie Lakota Woman when the agents came to have 'peace talks' with the Native Americans and Mary Crow Dog, one of the leaders, made mention of the numerous 'treaties that had supposedly been established but never implemented. Time and time again, these 'treaties' are broken. Land is continually stolen from the Native Americans and when they try to stand up for their rights as outlined in the 'treaties,' the U.S. army was there to 'regain' control of the savage natives until they succumbed.
In high school I was spoon-fed the theory of 'Manifest Destiny,' after careful consideration I believe that we need to call it what it really is, genocide. Brown meticulously documents the conflicts and issues that eventually resulted in the forced settlement of Native Americans on reservations between 1860 and 1890.
Brown says to the reader, that we never have any concept of the value of gold -- we live with the land and are one with it. Native Americans were wrong for attacking settlements but was it right for the settlers to come in and...
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