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How history influences literature
Native American experience in children's literature
How history influences literature
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In The Dull Knifes of Pine Ridge by Joe Starita, Starita focuses on five generations of the Dull Knife family which goes from the 1870s until the present. He starts by asking the reader to visualize the history of the Dull Knife family and how they had to adapt and were able to survive after the Northern Cheyenne were forcefully removed from the northern plains to Oklahoma Indian Territory and 3 back to the northern plains again. The story started with Guy Dull Knife Sr. living in a convalescent home in Colorado and would start to trace his ancestry back to the original Chief Dull Knife. George Dull Knife, his son, was born in 1875, most likely came north to the Pine Ridge reservation many years after and found his identity with the Lakota rather than the Northern Cheyenne. George …show more content…
Even though, the U.S. had been treating them unfairly, Dull Knife says in the story, "we are sickly and dying here, if we die in battle our names will be remembered and cherished by all our people.”, which in short explains why the Dull Knifes, despite not being too fond of the U.S. government, volunteer to fight for the U.S. Army in every war of the 20th century. They wanted to leave a legacy and become immoral in a sense. By having an impact on U.S. history through warfare they would always be remember for years to come. Furthermore, they became homesick and heartsick and leave Oklahoma on September 9, 1878. The chiefs lead, sixty warriors to protect the women, children, elderly men, and young boys. There were also dog soldiers in the rear, which ensured that they would be well protected. In total during this journey were three hundred Cheyenne people. This was a daring and courageous spring towards freedom. Through a six hundred mile journey of battle there were four major battles with seven companies of infantry that had to be
“Tracing a single Native American family from the 1780’s through the 1920’s posed a number of challenges,” for Claudio Saunt, author of Black, White, and Indian: Race and the Unmaking of an American Family. (pg. 217) A family tree is comprised of genealogical data that has many branches that take form by twisting, turning, and attempting to accurately represent descendants from the oldest to the youngest. “The Grayson family of the Creek Nation traces its origins to the late 1700’s, when Robert Grierson, a Scotsman, and Sinnugee, a Creek woman, settled down together in what is now north-central Alabama. Today, their descendants number in the thousands and have scores of surnames.” (pg. 3)
Not many know about Dragging Canoe and the battle he fought during the American Revolutionary War. The Native American’s role in the Revolutionary War was very important, but not well known. As a result, the Revolutionary War can come across as one-sided. Dragging Canoe fought for the Native American’s existence in the colonies. First, he was strongly opposed to Henderson’s Purchase or also called the Transylvania Purchase. Secondly, Dragging Canoe’s raid at “Battle of the Bluffs” became an issue for the colonists. And lastly, there was negotiating done between the British and Colonists would somehow effect Dragging Canoe, his warriors, and the future for the Native Americans.
At the conclusion of the battle, the stories of the Indian savagery were used to demonize their culture and there were no survivors from the 7th cavalry to tell what really happened. The Strategic Setting In 1875, Custer had made a commitment to the Sioux (aka. Lakota) that he would no longer fight Native Americans. Custer's promise came as a U.S. Senate commission meeting was taking place with the Lakota in an effort to purchase the gold mining fields in the Black Hills (which Custer had discovered a year earlier). The Lakota rejected the Senate’s offer in favor of sticking with the 1868 treaty that promised protection of their lands.
Plants make up most of the Pine Barrens. For instance, pine trees such as the short needles, pitch pines, jack pines, long needles, yellow pines, and many others make up most of the pine forest in the Pinelands. Other trees include the pine oaks and the cedar trees. Due to the roots of these cedar trees, water in the Pine Barrens appears a brownish red color. This
The Sac and Sioux Indians did not always have an easy life, but more of a complicated one when it came to their interaction with the white cultures. The white cultures felt as if they owned all of the land and that the Native Americans were not welcome to their land. What the white would do was trick the Indians into agreeing to something that they believed was something else. What these Native Americans went through was Hell and they did not deserve to go through the complications and pain that the white settlers caused them. It seemed like the Natives could never settle because the Whites always had a plan up their sleeve. Both the Natives and Whites broke many treaties which is why there wasn’t peace between them for a very long time. Luckily today these Natives can finally live in peace without trying to be killed every second of the day for their land.
One of the groups that were most powerful in this march was the Cherokees; in 1838, they were able to oppose in this policy, however, Andrew Jackson sent in an army to make them march and force to resettle to Arkansas and Oklahoma. During the march, a large numbers of Indians have died due to starvation, brutal weather of the Great Plains, and especially diseases. As a result of this policy, many Native Americans did not support Andrew Jackson in his presidency and caused a trouble with politics for not getting enough supports from the southern and western
Some of them are John Burrett, the Supreme Court, Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, Quakers, Edward Everett, the Cherokees, and John Ross. A soldier who witnessed the trail was John Burrett. He will never forget the horrors he had seen in the march.To describe how bad the march and how he saw so many people was he said, “Murder is murder and somebody must answer, somebody must explain the streams of blood that flowed in the Indian country in... 1838. Somebody must explain the four-thousand silent graves that mark the trail of Cherokees to exile. I wish I could forget it all, but the picture of six-hundred and forty-five wagons lumbering over the frozen ground with their Cargo of suffering humanity still lingers in my memory.” He says that he wishes he had not seen what he saw on this trip and he wishes it did not happen. When the Cherokees appealed to the U.S. to protect their land, the Court, led by Chief Justice John Marshall, ruled that the states were not allowed to make laws that govern the Cherokees, only the federal government can.This meant that Georgia laws don’t involve the Cherokees. Many religious groups like the Quakers didn’t want to force Native Americans against their will to move from their homelands. Edward Everett, the Massachusetts congressmen, also opposed the removal of Native Americans by force to far away land. He said that over there they would encounter “the perils
The massacre at Wounded Knee was the last action in a long and bloody war that pitted Native American Indians against U.S Military forces. For roughly 300 years the two sides had been in constant conflict across America in a battle for land, resources, and ultimately; freedom. This final massacre solidified the American hold on the west and closed the final chapter on a way of life that can never be brought back. Lakota Indians, having learned of the death of Sitting Bull started to move towards Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in hopes of finding protection from Red Cloud. However, the harsh South Dakota winter weather had different plans, causing Chief Big Foot to become extremely ill. The Lakota came across cavalry forces and showed white flags in order to show they were no threat and in need of assistance. The army had orders to move the Indians to a camp on Wounded Knee Creek in order to provide shelter, food, and aid. 1 It is evident that a misunderstanding combined with an already tense situation led to the confrontation and ultimate demise of many elderly men, women, and children at the hands of the United States Calvary. Was this an intentional act or just an unfortunate turn of events for the Lakota and Unites States Army.
Sioux as told through John G. Neihardt, an Indian boy then a warrior, and Holy Man
Corbett, B. (1999). Last call in Pine Ridge For the Lakota’s in White Clay, Nebraska, death is on the house. Retrieved February 6, 2005, from http://ishgooda.org/oglala/whitcla1.htm
During the summer of 1874, the U. S. Army launched a campaign to remove the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indian tribes from the Southern Plains and enforce their relocation to reservations in Indian Territory. The actions of 1874 were unlike any prior attempts by the Army to pacify this area of the western frontier. The Red River War led to the end of an entire way of life for the Southern Plains tribes and brought about a new chapter in Texas history.
...ew western home.” More than 13,000 Cherokees were forcefully moved by the American military. They traveled over 800 miles by steamboat, train cars, and mostly by walking. During this trip known as the Trail of Tears, the Cherokees suffered from starvation, exposure, disease, and hardship. “No report was made of the number of Cherokee who died as the result of the removal. It was as if the Government did not wish to preserve any information.” However, it is estimated that at least 4,000 may have died and some believe that as many as 8,000 died.
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is located in the southwest corner of South Dakota bordering Nebraska. Pine Ridge is home to the Oglala Sioux Native Indians, and is the second largest reservation in the United States. Pine Ridge was established in 1889, but not by the residents that would become the members of the community; instead, this community was established by our government and today it suffers from one of our nation's biggest social issues, alcoholism. This community shows evidence of the negative aspects of alcohol and alcoholism, and how they affect their community. (Schwartz, 2006)
The Cheyenne tribe has been through many wars, and lost many of their people, but they fought back, and survived. Cheyenne tribes were first from the great lakes area in Minnesota, and the Missouri River. The Cheyenne did many rituals to celebrate their accomplishments. The Cheyenne now has their own schools, but are still campaigning with the U.S. government to pay them for the Sand Creek Massacre. The Cheyenne tribes are very ceremonious, powerful, and united, and they were and are till this very
The Rough Riders were a volunteer cavalry filled with a diverse set of men. It was thanks to the 10th that we were able to win the battle of Las Guasimas and lead into the battle for San Juan Hill. It was at San Juan where the 10th did the most fighting and lost many men. They charged up the hill knowing they may not survive. “Nothing could stop the rush of our men. The two lines became merged into one a line of cheering, yelling heroes whom bullets could not stop.” (Glass). It was here that they proved to the U.S that they more than deserved their name, “Buffalo Soldier”, as they charged with no fear and in the end help Roosevelt again secure another U.S victory. Stories of the 10th bravery were spread as it helped inspire young black men to realize their potential and begin to stand up for their