Black Elk Speaks, The Butchering At Wounded Knee Massacre
Nate Murray
Wounded Knee Massacre – Black Elk Speaks, The Butchering At Wounded Knee
History and background
How it started: In years previous to the massacre the US government had been seizing large portions of the Native American tribe, the Sioux’s lands. Bison herds had reached near extinction and the treaty promises to the Native Americans protecting reservation lands were not being met. It was during this time that news spread among the reservations of a Native American prophet by the name of Wovoka. Wovoka believed that Jesus Christ had risen as a Native American and prophesied that the dead Native Americans would soon join the living in a world in which the Indians could live in the old way surrounded by plentiful Bison. A tidal …show more content…
Black Elk is joined by his comrades and they ride towards the battle. When Black Elk arrives he see’s cavalry men pointing guns at a group of women and children. He says to his friends “Take courage. These are our relatives. We will try to get them back” and then he sings the song
"A thunder being nation I am, I have said. A thunder being nation I am, I have said. You shall live. You shall live.
You shall live. You shall live.” The “Thunder Being Nation” refers to the Oglala Lakota people. And the chant “you shall live” is inspired from the false hope of the Ghost Dance and the sacred shirts.
The next part of the story is where Black Elk heroically saves the women and children. What gives Black Elk the courage to do this is his “sacred shirt”. Black Elk reports that heard bullets all around him, but not a single one hit him or any of his comrades as he “had no gun, and when we were charging, I just held the sacred bow out in front of me with my right hand. The bullets did not hit us at all". The opposition then runs …show more content…
On the right is one of the special “ghost dance” shirts as Black Elk speaks of… “It was one I had made to be worn by no one but myself. It had a spotted eagle outstretched on the back of it, and the daybreak start was on the left shoulder because when facing south this shoulder is towards the east. Across the breast, from the left shoulder to the right hip, was the flaming rainbow, and there was another rainbow around the neck, like a necklace, with a star at the bottom. At each shoulder, elbow, and wrist was an eagle feather; and over the whole shirt were red streaks of lightning... You will see that this was from my great vision and you will know how it protected me that
Wounded Knee Massacre – Black Elk Speaks, The Butchering At Wounded Knee
History and background
How it started: In years previous to the massacre the US government had been seizing large portions of the Native American tribe, the Sioux’s lands. Bison herds had reached near extinction and the treaty promises to the Native Americans protecting reservation lands were not being met. It was during this time that news spread among the reservations of a Native American prophet by the name of Wovoka. Wovoka believed that Jesus Christ had risen as a Native American and prophesied that the dead Native Americans would soon join the living in a world in which the Indians could live in the old way surrounded by plentiful Bison. A tidal …show more content…
Black Elk is joined by his comrades and they ride towards the battle. When Black Elk arrives he see’s cavalry men pointing guns at a group of women and children. He says to his friends “Take courage. These are our relatives. We will try to get them back” and then he sings the song
"A thunder being nation I am, I have said. A thunder being nation I am, I have said. You shall live. You shall live.
You shall live. You shall live.” The “Thunder Being Nation” refers to the Oglala Lakota people. And the chant “you shall live” is inspired from the false hope of the Ghost Dance and the sacred shirts.
The next part of the story is where Black Elk heroically saves the women and children. What gives Black Elk the courage to do this is his “sacred shirt”. Black Elk reports that heard bullets all around him, but not a single one hit him or any of his comrades as he “had no gun, and when we were charging, I just held the sacred bow out in front of me with my right hand. The bullets did not hit us at all". The opposition then runs …show more content…
On the right is one of the special “ghost dance” shirts as Black Elk speaks of… “It was one I had made to be worn by no one but myself. It had a spotted eagle outstretched on the back of it, and the daybreak start was on the left shoulder because when facing south this shoulder is towards the east. Across the breast, from the left shoulder to the right hip, was the flaming rainbow, and there was another rainbow around the neck, like a necklace, with a star at the bottom. At each shoulder, elbow, and wrist was an eagle feather; and over the whole shirt were red streaks of lightning... You will see that this was from my great vision and you will know how it protected me that