Over the past couple of weeks, our
class has given me the tools to acknowledge that almost immediately after the
Europeans discovered lands of the Native Americans, they began to abuse,
torture, and murder millions of Indians. The Europeans desired the land that the Native Americans lived on. Therefore, they forced many
Native Americans to live on reservations; however, when the colonists wished to
have the tract of land that was set aside for the Indians– which happened many times -- the Indians were
required to move once again. In addition to losing their land, countless of
Native Americans were forced to eradicate their religious beliefs as well: they were
pressured to live as Christians in missions. Many died of starvation or mistreatment
in these missions. A number of times the Europeans met resistance; there were
several instances where the Native Americans fought back the colonists and refused
to accept living on a reservation or in a mission.
I wonder: Did they truly believe
that the Native Americans were savages? How is it possible?
Researching about George Custer, on
the PBS website, has allowed me to have a better insight.
In the year 1873, Lieutenant- Colonel Custer participated in a number of
skirmishes with the Lakota in the Yellowstone area.[i]
Several years later, Custer was ordered to defeat the Lakota. Splitting his
forces from the rest of the army, Custer and his men chanced upon what it
appeared to be a large Indian village. Just then, thousands of Native American
warriors surrounded the American soldiers and slaughtered them all.[ii]
This battle is infamously known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Custer was
viewed as a courageous victim surrounded by murderous, vicious Native
Americans.
In the picture, below it is clear to me
that the Native Americans are viewed in a
terrible light.[iii]
Acknowledging these photos and the
description of Custer on the PBS website, leads me to believe that the
Americans truly thought that the Native Americans were savages. The
fact that Custer is illustrated as a hero (when he wanted to wipe out an entire
Indian village) and the Native Americans are depicted as villains (when they
were defending themselves) compels me to recognize that the Americans viewed
the Indians as barbaric and primitive for hundreds of years. The information that I found on the PBS website has allowed me to realize how much the Native Americans suffered under the Americans.
Work Cited:
[i] PBS, “George Armstrong Custer,” http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/custer.htm
(accessed September 29, 2013).
[ii]
Ibid.
[iii] Tony
Perrottet, “Little Bighorn Reborn,” Manataka
American Indian Council, http://www.manataka.org/page1134.html
(accessed September 29, 2013).
[iv]
Mark Chums, “Ride to Destiny,” Markchums.com, http://www.markchurms.com/little-big-horn-battle-military-prints.html
(accessed September 29, 2013).
