Journal Entry of the Native Americans
1875: A recount of the events that the Native Americans were faced within 1875
It is nearing midnight, and my family is preparing to retire to bed. Today has been a peaceful night, save for the wind that causes the fire to make a cracking sound. Through a wide crack on the wall of our hut, I can see the moon outside shining brightly. The prevailing atmosphere does little to contain the mounting tension in our village following revelations from our tribal leaders that very soon the white man shall invade our land.
We are members of the Sioux Indians, and specifically, we are part of the Oglala tribe. We occupy the Western prairies and the Northern Great Plains, near Canada (Johansen, 2006). It is not the first time that I have had of villages being invaded by the white man. He intends to take our ancestral land, effectively forcing us to live under reservation under his terms. Initially, the coming of white settlers into our lands did not pose any danger.
However, in 1849, the talk was a life that the railroad needed to be constructed to facilitate the transportation of gold that had been discovered in California. I also remember my mother narrating to me once how in 1854, an impetus and ignorant army lieutenant “set out from Fort Laramie to investigate the matter of a stray cow and provoked a fight that caused the deaths of his entire command”- The Grattan Massacre” (Dobak, 2005).
Thus far, our way of life involved practicing Sundance and buffalo hunting. We had initially moved from the North East heading towards the Southwest because of the mounting hostility between our tribe and the vicious Ojibwa, who were lucky to have guns as weapons, thanks to the Europeans (American Indians, n.d). There was a rumor circulating last year (1874) that gold had been discovered in the Black Hills. Col. George Custer is believed to have been behind this rumor, and soon enough, we witnessed an increase in the number of white settlers. Following the occupation of our land, we had no choice but to move. I vividly recall that on the day that we were meant to move, it was extremely cold.
1876: Invasion of the lands occupied by the Native Americans by the white man
My Oyate (people) have refused to move away from our village, and this makes Colonel George Custer be a very displeased person. I have heard rumors circulating in the village that the white man is on his way here to remove us from our village, and forcefully take us to reservations. Every other day, the warriors are preparing for the impending war with the white man. At night, the warriors smoke the peyote as they pray.
My mother is confident about the wisdom of our leaders and believes that one day we shall be free from the invasions of the white man. My father calls my mother from outside the hut, informing her of his intention to go for a hunting spree. We are expected to wait for his return from the hunting trip (Ager, 2008). My mother insists on the need to always uphold the Sioux tribe culture, as we enjoy the buffalo meat that father has brought home from his hunting trip.
While still camping on the Powder River, the white man attacked us. Our warriors fought back bravery, and the war results in the death of Colonel George Custer. Days have now turned into a week ever since we defeated the white man but our people are being killed by the U.S government. As a result, our Oyate (people) have had to once again move towards Southwest Dakota, where we hope to assimilate into the reservations. At our new area of settlement, the land is scarce and it is now very hard to hunt for buffaloes. We are now in 1876, and we have integrated with the additional tribe, but we do not get along well. On the reservation, the white man is king, and our tribal leaders are powerless.
1881: Settling in the new reserves in South Dakota
We still practice the Ghost Dance that has become quite popular ever since the victory we had over the white man. The Mighty Bull, a great leader of our Sioux tribe, joins us from his exile in Canada, where he had moved following the 1876 war with the white man. He tells us that we need to hold dear to the land that we now have and not fall to the temptation of selling it to the white man.
1887: Assimilation with the other tribes
I am 24 years old today and can attest to knowing better about the ways of the white man. I am obliged to ensure that the children in the reservation know about our culture, lest it becomes forgotten. This year, we have also witnessed the passing of the Allotment Act. However, our tribal leaders were not in agreement about the act. Accruing to the Allotment Act, the land is owned individually by the tribal members. Since we cannot be able to live off the land soon enough, we could lose what we have to the white man.
1890: Inter-tribe wars
I have now been teaching for three years. Today, I heard the news about the killings of two of our tribal leaders; The Mighty Bull and the Wise one, our Sioux chief. Specifically, the Mighty Bull had died following battle injuries sustained while fighting with a group of his people. I am quite saddened by this news. Nonetheless, our Sioux leaders shall continue to be remembered by future generations.
1934: A reflection of the changing lives of the Native Americans and what the future holds for its rich culture
I am now an old man of 71 years and our ancestors are still mourned by our people. Nearly 300,000 Native Americans lost their lives in battles between 1800 and 1900 (American Indians, n.d). The Reorganization Act has also been established and according to this Act, all of us in the reservations are now expected to assimilate the way of life of the white people, including forming a government that has been duly elected.
Conclusion
I am fearful of the fate that could befall our Oyate (people). All that we can do now is to pray and hope that the successive generations shall continue to take the price of our unique cultural heritage.
Reference List
Ager, S. (2008). Omniglot. writing systems & languages of the world. Web.
American Indians (n.d). American Indians. Web.
Dobak, W. A. (2005). The Blue Creek and the First Sioux War 1854-1856. Kansas History, 28 (1), 74-74.
Johansen, B. E. (2006). The native peoples of North America. New York: Rutgers University Press.