Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
by Dee Brown

In going through my grandfather's high school English essays (1932-33), I found one about his love of books. In describing the types of books he liked as a boy, he said that he did not like books about Indian fighting. He said that he "always was in sympathy with the Indians and was a great admirer of them and their habits". He thought the possession of Indian blood might have something to do with this.

I don't remember us ever discussing this matter, but my feelings have been similar to his. The people who inhabited this continent when Europeans came were a diverse group. They had societal and personal faults. Some of them had horrible religious practices, but others had religious beliefs that put them close to the kingdom of God. Many welcomed the knowledge of Christ brought by sincere missionaries.

Between 1860 and 1890 the United States Government conducted a war of extermination against the Plains Indians. The massacre at Wounded Knee effectively ended Indian resistance in the West and secured it for the white man (the story of the Seminole in Florida is an interesting sideline). This book documents a long train of broken promises and wanton selfishness. Its content is disturbing and disheartening.

The sword cut both ways. I understand that. However, regardless of any Indian atrocities committed against Americans, the American policy of dispossessing and destroying the Indians is black stain on our national heritage. For me, this is not a matter of historical revisionism or political correctness. It is a recognition of important facts. If the strong can pick on the weak with impunity, then no one is safe. The reservation system continues to affect people today, and that is something we can change, but in a broader sense, we cannot undo the past. We must learn from it for the future. (Henry Holt and Co., 1970)