M1 Academic Journal Blog

     In the last two weeks, I've read many stories in Nabokov's Native American Testimony. I have tried to find some heroes in the history which the Native Indians had fought against the invaders. And I've found a good example.

     Since the discovery of the land in North America by Whites, European countries have been very unfriendly to local indigenous tribes in North America because of colonial policies. They have been trying to conquer these tribes and plundering their resources. Even after the independence of the United States, the war between Americans and local indigenous people never really stopped. Only until the death of the last chief, the Indians’ struggle against Whites gradually subsided.

     Sitting Bull was born in March 1831. He was a brave warrior who led the tribe in a series of conquests against the Crow Indians. While still a child, he had acquired great popularity. When he was 14, he became the shaman of his tribe.

     In 1876, Sitting Bull led an allied army of his tribe and the Cheyenne tribe, numbering more than 3,500, to ambush a cavalry brigade of the federal government. And in a battle called little bighorn, he killed his brigadier. Later, he fled to Canada with the rest of the people and got to know a local army officer.

     The United States government continuously exerted diplomatic pressure on Canada through the British government, and finally, Sitting Bull was forced to return home. But by the time he came back, the Indians had yielded. And there were few revolts — even many Indians, organized by White people they hated against their people. On July 20, 1881, Sitting Bull finally returned to the United States. And in Montana, he surrendered to American troops and was granted amnesty by a court. Initially viewed as a threat by Americans, he turned out to be a gathering for celebrities of the time, with white people freely coming and going.

     In 1889, some policies of the United States government finally aroused the dissatisfaction of many Indians, so sitting bull became the spiritual leader of all Indians again. At that time, a Nevada Indian claimed that he had received the instruction of the savior, that God would grant freedom to all Indians. So many Indians went to see this man, and under his guidance, launched a ghost dance ritual.

     At that time, many American Indian tribes were immersed in the Ghost Dance ritual, which they hoped would drive out the White invaders. Sitting Bull himself did not believe in such a thing, but the United States was still worried about his prestige and continued to lead the Indians against their rule. So the U.S. government sent a team of secret police to arrest him.

     James McLaughlin, an Indian Agent had ordered the arrest of Sitting Bull had written an account of Sitting Bull's death.

     "This was the status of the Messiah craze here on November 16th, when I made a trip to Sitting Bull's camp, which is forty miles south-west of Agency, to try and get Sitting Bull to see the evils that a continuation of the Ghost dance would lead to, and the misery that it would bring to his people" (McLaughlin, 1891).

     A soldier who had once belonged to the Indians had at last defected to the white police and was caught in prison on their land. As the chief walked out of his hut, he shouted to the people nearby, "You can't just watch them take me away." Riots broke out, and the legendary fighter died in them. Two days later, his body was hastily buried without ceremony.

     He defeated American general Custer at Little Bighorn in 1876. He fought against invaders to his homeland, once leading the small Sioux army against the Union army for another five years. However, they were unable to defeat the other side's advanced weapons and finally surrendered in 1881 with a small number of followers. They were detained for nearly two years on Indian reservation land, close to where they were imprisoned.

     Sitting Bull was a strong Indian with long black braids. His statues were sent to several cities for various parades, and his resistance was defeated. But the rest of the Indians would not forget him. Remember how he bled the last drop of blood to fight the white invaders.

     I believe heroes are never forgotten by the descendants, no matter they are alive or dead. They should have their pride and be remembered by future generations.

Reference:

"An Account Of Sitting Bull's Death - Pbs." Pbs.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Jun. 2019 https://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/eight/sbarrest.htm.