Wounded Knee, Broken Heart

The Genocide of the Sioux People
(Idle No More series)

"Having wronged them for centuries we had better, in order to protect our civilization, follow it up by one more wrong and wipe these untamed and untamable creatures from the face of the earth."

~ L. Frank Baum, speaking of the Wounded Knee Massacre.

When Americans today think of the Wounded Knee Massacre most think of us can't remember what led up to the sudden, yet planned, killing of around 300 Sioux men, women, and children. Schools in the United States often don't even call it by what it is and instead call it "the battle of Wounded Knee". This permits the education system the opportunity to once again whitewash history by painting the victims as combatants instead of the innocent souls they were. Through this distortion of history the masses in America are allowed to forget the blood that was once spilled in the pursuit of the "American dream". 

It is only upon realizing that genocide has plagued Native Americans from the first European settlers that arrived till modern day that we find contradictions in what we were taught about history. We realize that not only are the history books written by the conqueror but the memory of their victims is erased in through its editing. Thus we arrive at the conclusion that what was erased, stolen, must be made whole once more. 

(Miniconjou Sioux chief Big Foot Dead In The Snow)

"The whites, by law of conquest, by justice of civilization, are masters of the American continent, and the best safety of the frontier settlements will be secured by the total annihilation of the few remaining Indians. Why not annihilation? Their glory has fled, their spirit is broken, their manhood effaced; better that they die than live the miserable wretches that they are."

~ L. Frank Baum.

The Sioux people had been cast the role of fierce warriors on the supposedly uncivilized American plains. Their way of life, their native language, and their ability to defend themselves all threatened the progress of American settlers as "Manifest Destiny" played itself out across the rugged frontier. History, in a way, had already predicted what would happen to the Sioux as the last of the Cherokee were marched to their deaths just 50 years prior. With fewer tribes to oppress and nowhere left to deport them too, the Sioux were trapped between America's hate and their own extermination. 

War, as it so often did with Native peoples, spelt the end of the Sioux's freedom on the Great Plains. In 1862 the Santee Sioux, driven by starvation, attempted to seek food from local white traders who promptly responded "If they're hungry, let them eat grass." This callousness and the desperate need of food drove Santee men to attack white settlers who had laid claim to the Sioux's lands. These small attacks were the sparks that would feed the flames of America's rage. 

By the time the Dakota War of 1862 was over the Sioux peoples were a people without a homeland. American politicians, Abraham Lincoln included, had used the opportunity to drive the Sioux onto reservations (ironically Abe was attempting to wipe out plantations in the American South) where they "encouraged" Sioux to take up farming. This form of confinement allowed for the Sioux to be kept under military guard while white settlers flooded the Sioux lands. It also allowed for disease and hunger to spread rapidly throughout the Sioux as they fought to stay alive. 

While the Santee were forced to Crow Creek Reservation along the Missouri river the Lakota Sioux moved further west in an attempt to maintain their struggle against the United States military. Others fled to Canada where they still to this day live on reservations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Yet no matter where they fled to or were forced to, none would escape the genocidal efforts of the governments that surrounded them.

Red Cloud's War and The Great Sioux War would bring even more pain and suffering to the Sioux peoples as they wiggled beneath the crushing weight of an expanding white world. The bleeding of their youth sapped the Sioux of their strength. What had once been a great nation of people was now reduced to a defiant remnant of what it once was. By the time 1890 rolled around the Sioux were left open to massacres and deportations.

Wounded Knee was the most devastating massacre the Sioux would face at the hands of an oppressive and violent government. But it wasn't the first nor would it be the last.

History, as currently written, tells us that the Sioux violently opposed the United States at Wounded Knee. It says that the Sioux were driven by the violent rhetoric of a "ghost dance" to the point of attacking American soldiers. It ignores the fact that the United States military was conducting a campaign of disarmament against the Lakota Sioux. It ignores the fact that the majority of the victims of Wounded Knee were women, children, and elderly. It ignores the fact that American soldiers were witnessed going amongst the dead and shooting their victims corpses. It ignores the intent of the 7th Cavalry as they drove their horses in like bulldozers in an attempt to stampede running victims so as not to leave any Sioux alive.

By the time the smoke cleared there were around 300 Sioux dead on the Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation. These members of the Miniconjou and Hunkpapa bands were defenseless. They had no ability to move in the thick winter snow. Yet on that day they had been ordered to move their sick and elderly down to Omaha, Nebraska so that they could be boarded on trains and deported once again. By the time the smoke cleared these Sioux victims were so numerous that American soldiers dug mass graves in which to hide their sins.

The repression of the Sioux would continue throughout the 20th century. Both the United States and Canadian governments would repeatedly break promises and harass Sioux even when the Sioux people cooperated. In the 1960's the Wounded Knee "incident" would highlight the disparity between Native peoples and the rest of American society. Such events would showcase for the world the immense poverty and lack of social services provided to Native peoples in America. Yet for most, it too would be whitewashed just as the original Wounded Knee Massacre had been in their education.

"Kill the Indian, Save the Man."

"Kill the Indian, Save the Man."

Currently genocidal efforts remain underway as states like South Dakota continue to oppress Sioux people through the unlawful sale of land rights and even removal of Sioux children from their families. These actions include the violation of holy sites such as The Black Hills and intentional destruction and diversion of water sources that sustain Indian reservations. Yet despite countless complaints and appeals to federal courts, Sioux are routinely left at the mercy of the states that detest Native peoples and the reservations they were granted.

The removal of children from Native households shows that South Dakota is once again enacting the genocidal policy of "Kill the Indian, save the man". This policy was used as white politicians and missionaries tried to "reeducate" and "assimilate" Native Americans at an early age. It's hallmarks include, but are not limited to; the removal of Native American children, placement of children in white family homes, placement of children in state sponsored boarding schools, and forced conversions to Christianity. This policy forced Native Americans to take on "Christian" names and adapt to Western dress codes. It essentially killed the culture of the Native peoples while forcing upon them the trademarks of "civilized society".

South Dakota has been using this policy to forcibly remove an average of 700 Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota children from their homes every year. Once removed the state attempts to keep children from seeing their families for at least 60 days. This isolation allows for the state to rush Native American children through the system and seek placement in non-Native homes (87% of Native children in foster care in 2011 were placed in non-Native foster homes).

Once removed from the home, South Dakota can regulate what the child is exposed to. This means that the state can decide if the Native child is permitted to learn about their culture or experience it firsthand. Once removed, Native children are segregated from their own heritage.

The genocide against the Sioux people is far from over.

As long as we continue to whitewash the history of Native peoples we continue to allow ourselves to be culpable in the crimes committed against them. By remaining ignorant of the facts that led us to this day, this state of continued repression of Native culture, we permit states like South Dakota the opportunity to act without impunity. As long as the world remains silent about the genocide of the Sioux the Sioux people will continue to suffer from it.

Learn the struggle the Sioux still face...

Learn the history of their ancestors...

Then scream without relent, raise your voice and show your support for Native rights.

"Kill the Indian, Save the Man."

“Never has America lost a war ... But name, if you can, the last peace the United States won. Victory yes, but this country has never made a successful peace because peace requires exchanging ideas, concepts, thoughts, and recognizing the fact that two distinct systems of life can exist together without conflict. Consider how quickly America seems to be facing its allies of one war as new enemies.” 

~ Vine Deloria Jr., Custer Died For Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto

Source Documents
(Note: not all sources listed)

Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-giago/the-editor-who-called-for_b_316734.html

Nebraska History.org
http://nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/books/others/rejallen.htm

Peoples World.org
http://peoplesworld.org/south-dakota-commits-shocking-genocide-against-native-americans/
 
Other sources:
http://www.enotes.com/wounded-knee-reference/wounded-knee

The Factory System And Burma

History Stuck In Replay Mode
(part of The Darkness Visible series)

(Rohingya In Aung Mingalar Ghetto)

From the very beginning of the implementation of the factory system in what would become known as the United States the intention was well established. Both the British and American forces used the system of slanted trade and dishonest treaties to grab land and decrease the native populations' numbers. Through the spread of disease, both intentional and indirect, the white settlers were able to increase the dependency of their "allied" Native American tribes and decrease the strength of their native foes. Economics, disease, and forced famine all became tools used to complement the system set in place by the English and perfected by the Americans.

In Burma a less prevalent system of forced dependency and rampant lies has been established when dealing with the native Rohingya peoples of the Arakan state. For well over 40 years now the government of Myanmar has been employing drastically slanted economic standards upon the Rohingya within its borders. To achieve this the Burmese have denied citizenship to the Rohingya to limit what economic opportunities the Rohingya have available to them. Burma has also used punitive taxes to keep the Rohingya permanently impoverished. And to add to what already appeared as an unfair playing field, Myanmar's government allows for the state to utilize Rohingya people as slave labor.

This method of applying an economic slant when dealing with the Rohingya follows the same patterns laid out by the Americans when conquering the old Indian Territory of Indiana. The only major difference in this situation is the fact that Burma does not recognize the Rohingya as an independent nation as did the Americans when dealing with native tribes. But with that distinction made, it is still hard to miss the abuses of basic economic principles by both the American government in the late 18th century - early 19th and the same abuses carried out by Burma.

Today in Burma actual trade of goods and food items is banned by the Arakan authorities when dealing with Rakhine and Rohingya groups. The only access to food, water, and basic living supplies (such as medicine and house hold items) is dictated by the local authorities at the advisement of the Burmese government. The intention behind this policy is to both assure that starvation and disease increase amongst the Rohingya and that economic liberties of the Rohingya are stifled.

As for the Native Americans, the same economic policies were carried out by baiting the tribes into first establishing trade and then skewing the rates at which trade was carried out. To further increase dependency the American government encouraged citizens to avoid trade with the natives and instead focusing trade at the forts (factories) and trade post. This meant that if Native American tribes wanted to trade they would have to come to the American government to do so. And by doing so the natives were trapped in unfair and often unjust trade agreements.

When the area in which the tribes of the old Indian Territory were decreased by simply redrawing the maps the Native Americans within the territory found themselves not only locked into trade deals they could not understand, but also competing with settlers to whom the deals did not apply. This meant that competition for food supplies and land became more desperate than ever before. Access to food was intentionally decreased as American officials "purchased" hunting grounds and redistributed them to white settlers. In essence, the food they needed was handed over to people who hated them.

For the Rohingya of the Arakan the access to food is often achieved through the good will of the few human rights groups (exp: Partners Relief and Development) willing to operate under Myanmar's miserable conditions. Food that is just sent into the country by outside sources on the other hand it more often than not unfairly distributed by the government. Most of this food is given to the Rakhine communities while some is sent to camps ahead of human rights groups to give the illusion of some effort being made by the Burmese.

In both cases the forced famine is the worst killer the two governments could produce. It is meant to win the war over the long haul while the enemy at the time starves slowly. For the Native Americans in Indiana this led to the rise of great leaders like Tecumseh and Blue Jacket (Weyapiersenwah). These brave warriors led their people in a seemingly apocalyptic battle to save what little they had left. For the Rohingya there have not been these such figures thus far. Instead the Rohingya have been expected to accept extinction while the world watches them march off to the grave.

In the aspect of battles the Native Americans in Indiana had Tippecanoe and Fallen Timbers. The Rohingya of Burma on the other hand have forty years of struggle pot marked with cases of ethnic cleansing and genocidal efforts to wipe them out. In June of 2012 the latest inferno of ethnic violence broke out as the Rakhine were whipped into a fury by Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) propaganda. There has been little opportunity for the Rohingya to fight back. For the most part the Rohingya can only take to the sea as a form of fighting back... in other words... fight or flight.

(Native American Women in Canoe in Indiana)

When Illinois became a state the Native peoples of Indiana had nowhere left to run. The Indiana Indian Territory was their grave or prison given the disposition of the American government toward their tribe. Many would flee westward or be marched there forcibly. Others would take to the great white north.

Rohingya who flee to Thailand face an ironic twist in the fact that they are forced back out to sea.

The system used to drive the natives of coveted territory is often the same regardless of the era in which it is used.The government that uses these tactics does so knowing that the outcome will be the devastation of the community which stands in the way. With the Native Americans the trade off was the destruction of the natives for more land than America knew what to do with. With the Rohingya the trade off is an ethnically pure state with land and resources to exploit for the over development of Burma's coast. It also means that the Buddhist Rakhine no longer would have to tolerate the Muslim Rohingya.

The comparison between the Native American tribes in Indiana and the Rohingya of Burma ends with the fact that the Native Americans of Indiana are all but gone today. The Rohingya still exist in numbers that still resemble their original populations. The Rohingya are dieing in numbers that they have not seen in almost a generation. The Rohingya that are not accepting starvation are taking to the sea to escape. Either way they are almost guaranteed death.

As of now however, the Rohingya still live. No matter how miserable life may be, they are still alive. This will only remain so however if the outside world intervenes and puts and end to the heartless massacre of the Rohingya by the Burmese Arakan state and the government. It must be made clear that we as a world community will not tolerate this crime against humanity.

The Blackened Flag Of Our Fathers

Screams From Willow Valley
(part of The Darkness Visible series)

(Shoshone Camp Prior to Massacre at Bear River)

The Shoshone people had lived along the Bear River for as long as they could recall. The land was considered a traditional hunting grounds for the Northwestern Shoshone peoples. It was here that they had hunted for elk and buffalo in the open grasslands and fished for trout along the length of the river itself. It was here that young Shoshone boys had learned to become men amongst their people. It was here that young Shoshone girls had learned from their mothers and grandmothers how to be women in their own right. This was their home. 

As the United States pressed westward the Shoshone people found themselves trapped by the white settlers that quickly became attracted to the Shoshone tribal land. With the California and Oregon trails established the Shoshone tribe became locked between wagon trains filled with new faces. Their land was now under siege. Religion, politics, and racism were all being harnessed in this endless flow of aggressive settlers.

From the moment the Mormons established Salt Lake City the Shoshone realized that their days of freedom were officially limited. The leaders of the Shoshone had watched as other tribes had begun to push westward ahead of the white tidal wave. They had seen the suffering of tribes that had resisted the push. And they could already feel the pain that preceded the wagons. 

Starvation was often used by the United States to weaken tribes ahead of the migration of white settlers. For the Shoshone the United States cavalry had much the same objective. Soldiers openly shot and killed large herds of buffalo and elk to cull the numbers so as to reduce the food supply of the Native peoples. Grains left unguarded were ordered torched as the US cavalry patrolled the official wagon trails. And if settlers were caught stealing food and confronted the US military routinely sided with the white trespassers. 

As the Mormons settled their claimed territory the Shoshone found themselves in direct competition for the shrinking food supplies. Brigham Young had officially came out with a policy of "feed them instead of fighting them" when dealing with the Shoshone. However in reality the Mormons were far from willing to give up any food or to give back food they stole. Instead the Mormons readily turned their backs on the Shoshone as hunger continued to spread throughout the tribe. 

"The Indians have been in great numbers, in a starving and destitute condition. No provisions having been made for them, either as to clothing or provisions by my predecessors...The Indians condition was such-with the prospect that they would rob mail stations to sustain life." Utah Territorial Superintendent of Indian Affairs, James Duane Doty. Spring of 1862.

The United States was well aware of the starvation that was spreading across the Shoshone tribe. From Utah and Idaho all the way down to southern California, the Shoshone people were unable to compete with the United States for resources. This had resulted into the legendary "Indian raiding parties" that Hollywood romanticized in countless films. Yet every attack by Shoshone tribal members can directly be linked to the basic need for food. 

President Lincoln was far from honest when dealing with the Shoshone as the United States split and civil war broke out. Instead of waiting for the war with the Confederates to work itself out, Lincoln used the war to cloud his war with the "Western Tribes". The fog of war was thus used to justify genocide. 

Ordering the Union cavalry to secure routes to California and keep trade and mail up and running, Lincoln specifically ordered the push into Shoshone lands. With this order to push the Shoshone onto smaller and smaller tracts of land the stage was set for outright slaughter. 

In the tradition of dealing with tribes in the old Indian Territory back east the United States first allowed disease and starvation to weaken their target. When disease was not readily available the United States introduced it intentionally by selling tainted clothing and blankets to their targeted community. And if this opportunity was not available the introduction of cheap or free alcohol was then used to afflict the men of the tribe. 

The Shoshone people were not spared even the worse intentions of the United States.

The son of a local Shoshone chief near Summit Creek was found fishing when he was accused of stealing a horse. Instead of bringing in an interpreter to figure out what the young man was saying the locals formed a lynch mob. The "court" registered their victim as Pugweenee... the Shoshoni word for "fish".

This incident led to retaliation. Justified retaliation in the fact that the Shoshone had no access to legal reprisals since white courts did not believe that an "Indian's" testimony was equal to that of a white man's. Thus the Christian idea of an "eye for an eye" was put to the test. 

And thus the Shoshone world was made blind with just a couple dead white men. 

"It is said that Col. Connor is determined to exterminate the Indians who have been killing the Emigrants on the route to the Gold Mines in Washington Territory. Small detachments have been leaving for the North for several days. If the present expedition copies the doings of the other that preceded it, it will result in catching some friendly Indians, murdering them, and letting the guilty scamps remain undisturbed in their mountain haunts." Official Journal of the Church of the Latter Day Saints, as recorded by George A. Smith. 

The Shoshone tribal leaders watched as several other incidents played out both prior and after the hanging of a chief's son. They could see the storm clouds gathering as they called their people to the edge of the Bear River. With the approach of the coming storm the chiefs ordered defensive measures be taken. Yet it was obvious to many that the fight was already slanted against them. 

Deseret News "...with ordinary good luck, the volunteers will 'wipe them out.' We wish this community rid of all such parties, and if Col. Connor be successful in reaching that bastard class of humans who play with the lives of the peaceable and law abiding citizens in this way, we shall be pleased to acknowledge our obligations."

Col. Conner began moving his forces onto the battlefield on January 22nd of 1863. With the first volunteers of 80 men and heavy artillery pieces in tow the United States was committed to ethnic cleansing. Conner himself left on January 25th with 220 US cavalry at his side. In all the United States dedicated 16,000 bullets and 200 artillery shells to the killing of an enemy force of less than 300 able bodied adults (410 Shoshone in total). 

As Col. Conner's forces moved toward Bear River the United States attempted to hide its fighting force by having the infantry move by day and the cavalry moving by night. This allowed the United States to stagger its approach and thus keep any Shoshone scout from being able to accurately gauge the total fighting force Conner put forth. It also allowed the United States to make it appear as though the US would strike sooner than it had planned, thus keeping the Shoshone encamped and unable to find food. 

What occurred on the morning of January 29th of 1863 has been officially recorded as a "battle". This classification is given since the Shoshone had not simply laid down and died like the United States would have liked them to do. Instead of starving to death or allowing disease to claim their numbers the Shoshone had stood up and fought back. And it is this fact that hinders the United States from teaching this part of its history as what it was... ethnic cleansing. Genocide. 

Looking down from the high ground Col. Conner was able to take his time sighting in the Shoshone positions. He knew that his soldiers could fire from greater distances than the Shoshone could. And even though his artillery had been delayed, Conner wanted blood far too badly to wait. After all, he knew that his forces out gunned the Shoshone. He knew that his forces were more maneuverable than the Shoshone. And most of all, Conner knew that the Shoshone had women and children to worry about while his forces were all young men. 

Just after 6 am in the morning, while the sun was just peaking down over the mountains, Conner ordered his troops to open fire. Soon gun smoke wafted over the snowy filled hilltop. The −20 °F air and deep snow would soon be filled with blood and the stench of death. 

Foolishly closing the gap between his lines and the Shoshone encampment, Conner's volunteers suffered the majority of their losses as the Shoshone desperately defended their camp. Yet Conner refused to wait till he could direct artillery onto the rear of the camp. Instead Conner quickly regrouped his forces and made the final push into the Shoshone camp. 

What appeared to be an overkill of ammunition on the part of the United States quickly showed just how cruel Conner had been in his planning. It was clear by the middle of the short battle that the Shoshone were unable to muster the same firepower as the United States. Soldiers reported watching Shoshone men and women attempting to cast iron into musket balls as the cavalry swept the flanks. Conner had planned to out shoot the Shoshone and thus be the last ones firing as the Native Americans resorted to tomahawks and bows and arrows to defend themselves. 

From the moment the last shot was fired in the defense of the Shoshone camp the battle was over. The massacre had begun. 

Order amongst the lines of United States soldiers rapidly descended into vitriolic hatred for the Shoshone. Cavalry used their horses to run down fleeing Shoshone women and children. Infantry were reported to have engaged in rape right on the battle field as the Shoshone women attempted to fend off their attackers. Yet even with the initial displays of barbarism the surviving Shoshone would never have been prepared for what occurred throughout the rest of the day. 

Conner himself was seen standing at the edge of the battlefield while he watched his soldiers savage the survivors. United States infantry were seen grabbing children by their legs while a comrade used their rifle or any hard object to "beat their brains out". Dismounted cavalry soldiers swept the battlefield with pistols drawn as they shot survivors at point blank range. Other soldiers readily tore down the Shoshone dwellings setting fire to the materials and killing anyone found hiding within. 

By the end of the day Conner's forces appeared to leave the battlefield only once they had tired themselves out. The few Shoshone who survived had either fled in the start of the battle or hid in the willows along the river while pretending to be dead. In all the end the death toll was staggering given the shooting portion of the battle had been so incredibly short.

Of the estimated 410 Shoshone at the encampment and estimated 246 were killed on the day of the massacre. Of the survivors (note this means they survived the day of the massacre) 164 were wounded or taken prisoner by Conner and his soldiers. Of the "braves" that Conner estimated were present (300) it also appears that only half of those were even at the "battle". 

Conner on the other hand lost only 21 soldiers during the short period of time that the Shoshone were able to fire back. Of these 21 there are no numbers given to account for friendly fire or soldiers killed after the gunfire became pronouncedly one sided. Even more importantly it is unclear whether or not the numbers given can even be trusted since a tradition of exaggerating battles existed amongst US soldiers at the time. 

No matter how we look at this day in United States history however the fact remains that Col. Patrick Conner embarked upon a campaign to "exterminate" the Shoshone at Bear River. His actions, and those ordered by the United States government, were clearly intended to ethnically cleanse Willow Valley (Seuhubeogoi). The campaign of genocide embarked upon by this particular commander sadly is not unique when talking about the history of the Shoshone or other Native Americans. The Massacre of Bear River was just another tragedy in the even going genocide of the Native American peoples. 

Today the Shoshone people still face racial discrimination and ethnic persecution. With each passing Congress the policy of the United States continues to push a slow bleed of the Shoshone people and their heritage. The whitewashing of the history books is just another step in erasing the memory of the Shoshone from the American consciousness. When talking about the Shoshone nation we often overlook that these are the people who gave the United States that common face we see on the gold dollar... Sacajawea.

More importantly, we also fail to learn from the tragic history our two nations share and how we can right the wrongs committed by our fathers. Until this occurs there will forever be a division between the the Shoshone people and the country that continues to try to erase them from their homeland.

Platitudes For The Dead

How Civility Fails Humanity 

(Massacre of Wounded Knee, 1890)

In the United States it is considered impolite to bring up the subject of genocide when discussing the expansion of the country from the 13 colonies to the 50 states. There are certain aspects of our history that we deem taboo when talking about or discussing in school. The mere mention of the Native American Genocide can end a conversation at a moments notice. In this aspect it is considered civil to overlook the suffering of an entire race of man. In this light it is impossible to recognize the deaths of millions of human beings that at the time the United States deemed "undesirables". 

Over the years the Native American has been cast as the "Noble Savage" that just happened to be here when the Europeans arrived. History books are ready and willing to discuss the brutal battles as along as the white man is portrayed as the underdog rising up to the challenge. We aren't meant to look at how disease, firearms, and religion were used to subjugate and ethnically cleanse entire states. That would be uncivil. 

This desire to whitewash history has plagued us for far too long. It has infected our society when it comes to dealing with anything unpleasant. Especially when the issue of genocide comes up. Genocide, after all, is the most uncivil issue history has to offer. 

For over 120 years the massacre that occurred at Wounded Knee has been described by historians as an epic battle. This tragic result of American genocidal policy has been portrayed as the last real battle against the uncivilized West. And it is in this caricature of history that we loose the reality of what actually happened at Wounded Knee. It is in this sterilized view, this polite and civil view, that we fail to issue blame to whom it is rightfully deserved and to recognize the dead and their plight. 

There was no battle at Wounded Knee. There was no struggle between militants. And the underdog in this fight had absolutely no chance to rise up and meet its opposition face to face. What happened at Wounded Knee was genocide. 

Civility dictates that we don't call it that however. Civility dictates that we remain polite and look at this tragedy "objectively". 

And that is where humanity fails. This is where the world fails to recognize just how far from reality we are when it comes to genocide. 

The same policies that led to Wounded Knee exist today in several countries across the globe. Burma has been engaged in this horrific crime against humanity for decades when dealing with the Rohingya people. Sudan has been embroiled in these same policies in Darfur for almost as long as I have been alive. And when looking at Syria one can draw the same parallels and show just how Assad's regime is embarking on the same path as the United States did when dealing with the Native Americans. 

In Indiana the Native Americans were effectively surrounded as the "Indian Territory" was engulfed by newly formed states... white only states. Starvation and the implementation of the factory system helped to diminish the numbers of Native Americans within the Indiana Territory. When native peoples refused to engage the white settlers the militia and United States military were called into to goad the Native Americans into conflict. Nearly every battle fought in Indiana against Native Americans was a direct result of United States policy of antagonizing the Native Americans and then attempting to annihilate the tribes that responded.

(The Only Things That Eat Well In The Sudan Are The Vultures)

For the Sudanese of Darfur this part of America's history has been playing out all around them. The government that the colonialist left them was flawed in regards to the peoples and the customs the new state embodied. When the Bashir decided to cease antagonizing the people of the Darfur region the slaughter began. Much like the Indiana Rangers, the Janjaweed carry out the genocidal ambitions of their ruler.

For those trapped in Darfur the reality of their situation is far from civil. Yet to talk about it back here in the United States is either at times impolite discussion or chic depending on who you are talking too. Ironically, no matter who you are talking with, the comparison of Darfur to the genocide of the Native Americans here in Indiana is always considered uncivil. 

The most direct comparison to genocide carried out by direct orders of the United States government to a genocide carried out by a foreign government would be the Armenian Genocide. 

(Deportations During the Armenian Genocide, 1915)

The United States had a direct link to the Armenian Genocide in the fact that our ambassador the the Ottoman Empire recorded the genocide as it took place and reported back to the United States as it occurred. Now at the time we had no word for the genocide. That term would be invented only after the Holocaust. But we did know that the Armenians were being killed off in a campaign to exterminate them as a whole. And yet our government at the time viewed this horrific tragedy as though it was not of concern to them or the United States and its people.

The irony of the situation was however unclear at the time when talking about the American public as a whole. Even though Americans in general were well educated about the Trail of Tears that followed the Indian Removal Act of 1830 they were ill informed when dealing with the Young Turks. The failure to make this link then could have come from many things. However the more relevant reason for the given period in American history would have obviously been that it was impolite to make such distinctions. 

One can only imagine how the public would have reacted if the New York Times had run a story comparing the declarations given by the Young Turks to the legal decree issued by the United States in 1830. Sure a decent amount of time had passed between 1830 and 1915. And sure the people alive for one genocidal deportation might not have been alive to see the Armenians' plight. But that wouldn't have made the effort to link the two any more less civil then than it is considered to be today. 

The facts behind the Trail of Tears and the forced death marches of the Armenians are the same. The goal of each government was the same. Both were genocidal efforts to destroy and or deport an entire ethnic group. And both were supported by government leaders and carried out by military thugs. 

Perhaps it is the perceived impoliteness of the subject that has hindered us from recognizing the Armenian Genocide for so long.

(Rohingya Dead After Arakan Pogroms, Burma 2012)

In many genocides the dead are often justified by the fact that they decided to fight back. In Armenia the Turks to this day make that assertion that the Armenian Genocide was simply a product of war. To the Serbs the Bosnian Genocide was not actually a genocide against the Bosnians but rather a direct result of the Bosnians committing genocide against the Serbs. Yet in both cases those who try to justify the deaths of their victims we as a world community know who is lying. 

When looking back at battles such as "Custer's Last Stand"... aka Little Big Horn... Americans often view the fight in much the same way as Serbians look at Srebrenica. The perversion of history through a slanted view of it helps the the victor rationalize the deaths of their vanquished. It allows the conscience of a nation to come to terms with a war in which the ends somehow were meant to justify the means.

For the Rakhine people in Burma this perversion of history is well under way. Leaders that the West looks up to, such as Suu Kyi and Thein Sein, are allowed to twist the facts of what they are doing in the Arakan to make history lineup in their own shadows. It is only when outsiders call them out on their policies of ethnic cleansing that this perversion of history becomes "impolite". 

As for the Rohingya, the West along with the United States is already viewing them in much the same way as we view the Native Americans today. "Nobel Savages" somehow translates into "the world's most persecuted people" in this modern age. We don't allow ourselves to call someone the "vanguards of the old world" and yet we allow them to be killed off by the new world. After all, it would be uncivil for us to view the Rohingya in any other light. 

And it is this exact flaw in our society that hinders us from taking action. It is the paralyzing fear that if we address genocide as it occurs today we might have to face the sins of our own past. We don't allow ourselves to be honest when talking about genocide because guilt still lingers where it should have been wiped away. 

We will never be able to attack genocide in the way it deserves until we are able as a society to accept our own dabblings in it. We must first come to terms with the sins of our fathers and those who came before us. We must accept history for what it is. For if we can not we will never learn from what it has been trying so desperately to teach us.

No Thanks Thanksgiving

How An American Tradition Is Tainted By Genocide



Please note that this video and post are not meant to protest Thanksgiving but are rather meant to get you to think about the actual story of the Pilgrims. In our attempts to whitewash history we have often romanticized the genocide of the Wampanoag tribe and other Native Americans.

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