Sherman Alexie: A Hero's Identity?

In the Moyers interview of Sherman Alexie numerous things stood out to me, that I have never known about or never looked at in a certain way. The biggest of which is the signing of a paper ordering the death of 38 Indians by Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln is widely known as one of the best presidents in the history of the U.S. and that he never did anything wrong. This impossible however for a human being, but his signature on the paper was contradicting what he was supporting to gain more rights for everyone. This was covered up from most Americans however because of the maybe damaging a hero's identity. The Natives never did not know about this, as Alexie says in the interview that they always knew about executions and were usually afraid of them.
The Native Americans have had a troubling past in their country. One way Alexie shows this struggle is in the poem he wrote Year of the Indian where he conveys many Indians of being alcoholics and depressed because of their past. The Indians have most likely resorted to alcohol as a way to drink away the troubles and to forget the past, such as the execution of 38 Sioux Indians in Mankato, Minnesota on December 16 1862.