Development of the WestAmerican Indians and the Railroad
Here are three really interesting NYT articles on contemporary issues in Native American Society. Add a sentence or two reflecting on to what extent the social problems that plague Native American societies today can be traced back to the 19th century conquest.1)Native American Gangs2)Suicide Rates in the Indian Community3)"A Tribe's Door. A Hub of Beer and Heartache." and "A Battle With the Brewers"
After seeing the movie, I noticed that in the assassination of Sitting Bull, the policeman who shot him was Native American. Upon further research, I found that the name of the Native American who killed him was Red Tomahawk, and he was under command of Lieutenant Bull Head, another Native American. A testimony of Red Tomahawk about the assassination of Sitting Bull can be found here
ReplyDeletehttp://www.welchdakotapapers.com/2012/04/red-tomahawk/
In the testimony, Tomahawk treats Sitting Bull's death as unfortunate. He says that Sitting Bull was his friend, yet he had orders to kill Sitting Bull so he did. In my opinion, Tomahawk was simply a man of his times. When starvation and disease were rampant, he gave into the whites as the best way to survive. Even after the assassination of Sitting Bull, he fought for the welfare of his people and the preservation of his culture. However, he also recognized that a change in lifestyle was important. He also maintained his own culture by becoming a warrior, which was manifested as a soldier.
In my opinion, the most powerful scene in the film was the one in which Charles argued with Senator Dawes and called him an opponent. Senator Dawes eventually told Charles that he was “no more Sioux than I am [he was]” Charles was left dumbfounded and speechless--an appropriate reaction.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee’s greatest strengths as a whole: its prying perspective on the question of whether assimilation was right or wrong. Ultimately, it left the impression that this forced assimilation was evil--especially in the final scene after Charles found his childhood feather.
With that, however, it could be argued that the movie was unfair. In a film with the mission of shedding a light on ignored oppression, it was very ironic that the pros for assimilated lifestyle were so downplayed. Charles left the Sioux tribe when he was very young--why didn’t we see any of his experiences in Dartmouth? In Medical School? Church? These amenities were only spoken of, but never actually shown--which defeated the supposed purpose of the film: to illustrate an ignored historical question.
Conclusively, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee was an excellent perspective. I just wish it did the same thing but more fairly. Even if there was a scene or two of Charles praying to Jesus, it would have led the movie-watcher to the same conclusion on the question at hand. It would have only been a more insightful conclusion that forced assimilation was bad; both sides would have been credited.
One of the most apparent and perhaps significant motifs throughout the film is the black and white feather Charles wore when a white militia first destroyed his reservation lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteTo the Native American, a feather is a piece of the Bald Eagle, a bird Native Americans believe "have a connection with the heavens" (Indians.org) The feather represents trust, honor wisdom, and most importantly freedom.
The first pivotal moment that the feather appears is when Charles is riding on the train, leaving to receive an education elsewhere. Strangely enough, the feather does not remind Charles of the violence in military raid of his reservation, but rather of the peace, simplicity, and freedom of the Sioux lifestyle. Charles' longing for his old life almost makes him commit suicide.
This thought is something Charles revisits after witnessing the massacre of the Sioux at Wounded Knee and stumbling upon his feather again. The feather reminds him of the initial deaths he witnessed in the first raid and heightens the anger he feels about the horrific and unjust treatment of the Native Americans. A question that has long been pressed down by Charles resurfaces: Why is he a part of a society that kills his kin?
This question is what leads to the conflict between Charles' Native American side. The question meets its resolution when Charles is kneeling by a river deciding whether or not he should throw his feather out. While he is angry about the deaths of Native Americans, he has greatly benefited from his assimilation into white society. He has married a woman he loves and found a mentor. He has money and status. What Charles does not have is a connection to his deep past and an ability to sort out his morals. Because the feather is symbolic of freedom, Charles must decide whether or not he will break the "chains" of white society and go to the reservations.
Ultimately, Charles chooses not to throw away his feather, but also does not choose to abandon white society. His choice shows that he has accepted both of his cultures and will use that to create as much of a bridge between the two cultures as possible. Thus, the directors decision to show this scene shows their view the violence between Native Americans can be overcome with a desire for change and understanding between two distinct traditions that CAN coexist peacefully, despite the horrific failures of the past.
-Tina Jiang
This movie definitely deserves 5 stars because of its emotional plot, amazing camera shots, and background music. However, I do have one criticism for the film, which is the time frame. The movie felt a lot shorter than it should have since there a couple of jumps forward in time. For instance, in one scene we see Charles as a little kid, riding the train that brings him to his new life. But in the scene right after, little Charles is already a grown man. And I'm sure many viewers were surprised to find out that Elaine was Charles's wife near the end of the movie. I only found out when she was referred to as his wife by the senator because in the preious scenes it seemed like their relationship only began. But other than that, I give the movie two thumbs-up.
ReplyDelete-Christopher Wang
I find it very interesting the way how the relationship between Dawes and Charles changed over time. As a Sioux who had graduated from Dartmouth medical school, Charles was held up as an example supporting Dawes’s call for assimilation: “Tell me, and I will listen. Show me, and I will understand. Take me in, and I will learn.”
ReplyDeleteCharles played an important role in helping Dawes pass his bill. However, Charles started to have nightmares of himself as a young child being ran over by a train. This connects to the Gilder Lehrman essay, “American Indians and the Railroad,” which explains how the transcontinental railroads had doleful effects for the Native Americans. The railroads directly encouraged whites to settle west—taking over native homelands. This led to the slaughter of bison, which forced Indians to turn to reservations and depend on federal support. However, as evident in the New York Times article, “Indian Reservation Reeling in Wave of Youth Suicides and Attempts,” Indians had limited opportunities on reservations, so suicide was the second-leading cause of death for Indian youths.
As the movie progresses, Charles began to question the virtues of Dawes’s plan. According to Dawes, if they do not put the land into the hands of individual Indians, in less than five years, all that land will be taken by white homesteaders and the Indians will be left with nothing. However, Charles was against coercing Indians into owning land because he said that there is no word for to “own the earth” in any native language.
Later on, Charles confronted Dawes: “Must they adapt, sir, to the point of their own extermination?” He told Dawes that “…if every individual were taken personally under your care…the outcome might be what you seek.” Charles continue by saying that he does not see “…how placing each Indian man on a desolate, 160-acre parcel of land is going to lead his children to medical school.” Then, Charles declared himself as an opponent of Dawes. This is a very powerful scene and showed how the relationship between Charles and Dawes went downhill. Dawes expected Charles to be grateful for everything that he had done for Charles; however, it is clear that Dawes did not understand the complexities of the native culture and was being too idealistic when he thought that giving each Indian a 160-acre parcel of land would lead to successful assimilation to white society.
The film powerfully conveys the Sioux tribe's desperation to survive and how their tribe was torn apart as they lost respect for some of their leaders and levels of tension rose. The Native Americans were starving and sick, and many of them were growing discontent with the fact that they were struggling to survive yet not doing anything about it. Some started to lose respect for Sitting Bull, as he seemed to passively let his people starve and die. When two parents asked Sitting Bull for permission to return home because of their sick daughter, he refused. After catching the family trying to leave, Sitting Bull shot their horse and left while the mother burst into tears. Tension built up even more when the Crow accused the Sioux of hunting on their grounds and stealing horses. Sitting Bull angrily yelled, "Who stole these ponies? Who'd see us die like slaves on the reservation?" As two young men admitted to their guilt, Sitting Bull realized that in order to prevent his entire tribe from being driven from the land, he must punish the two thieves. He told the white officer, "You must know that I did not know. We cannot be sent back" while he hung the two men by their wrists and whipped them without mercy. The onlookers either turned away or looked on angrily. Although Sitting Bull felt compelled to punish two men for the survival of the whole tribe, soon after the whipping, many Native Americans left, scowling at him with looks of anger and hatred. Later, we see that Sitting Bull has lost much respect from some members of his tribe as a group of boys call him a coward for "hiding under his blanket" during the Battle of Little Bighorn. We also see signs reading "Every man a chief," indicating that there is no more one respectable leader to follow and that everyone makes their own decisions.
ReplyDeleteBefore watching this film, I had believed that the Native Americans always fought and died together against the whites' oppression. However, I learned that there was tension that divided the Sioux and that although Sitting Bull is still seen as an emblem of Native American resistance, he was also ridiculed by members of his own tribe.
One of the most powerful themes in the movie was the struggle of Charles Eastman, a former Sioux Indian become Christian convert and doctor, living in two separate worlds. As a child, he was taken by his father to go to school and become a Christian. Initially, Charles refused to take on a Christian name in his classroom and did not want to go to school, before his father told him he must because “This Earth belongs to the white man”. Charles goes on to medical school, becomes a doctor, and is used by Senator Dawes as a poster boy for an “assimilated” Indian. He also helps Dawes outline plans for Sioux reservations, and later goes to them to help out as a doctor. There, he gets a firsthand experience of the suffering and hardships the Indians have on the reservations, and becomes opposed to the problem he helped create. He voices his complaints to Dawes, and says that he knows what’s best for the Indians since he is one of them, to which Dawes replies “You’re no more a Sioux Indian than I am”. This view is also expressed to him by some members of the tribe themselves. While watching a Ghost Dance take place, Charles talks to a friend who is participating, saying that as a Christian convert, he should be taking part in the Ghost Dance. To this, the Indian replies “Then tell me what to believe, white medicine man”. He is seen as an outcast among some of the tribe for essentially becoming a member of white society. The movie ends with him refusing to assign Christian names to the remaining Indians on the reservation, as having to give up his Indian roots and choose a Christian name as a child still haunts him, and this feeling is further pushed when he finds the feather he earned as a child in a book of Christian names. It ends with him taking a trip to the Sioux’s old lands. Overall, the movie was very inspirational, and historically accurate, portraying the struggle between the Indians and the whites in the forms of battles, massacres, government plans for reservations, and self-reflection on the part of Charles Eastman.
ReplyDelete-Michael Angelov
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a powerful, captivating film portraying the Native Americans' struggle against the invasion of Western civilization into their land. Particularly interesting is Charles' assimilation into Western society and how he reacts to the hardship of the native people. The director chose not to portray his transition from young, rebellious Charles into adult Charles, a Dartmouth alumni and medical school student. This gives me the impression his transition was relatively smooth, considering he said, "Tell me and I will listen. Show me and I will understand. Take me in and I will learn," advocating assimilation to Western society. He also supported Dawes in their fight for benefits for the Native Americans. However, after witnessing the epidemics and the tension in the reservations, he begins to reconsider assimilation. When two men approach him for medicine, he invites them inside for a medical examination, but they leave instead, perhaps shunning Western medical practices. Toward the end of the film, he rediscovers his feather, an important symbol of bravery in the Native American culture. After much consideration, he decides not to throw the feather into the river and keeps it as a reminder of his native roots. The powerful final scene captures the effect of the struggle between assimilation and preservation of the native cultures.
ReplyDeleteThis film is pertinent to the contemporary issue of high suicide rates in Indian reservations. People often attempt suicide due to a lack of a sense of security in the reservations. Young people in the reservations commit suicide at triple the rate of the nationwide suicide rate, an alarming statistic. If such issues persist, it will become virtually impossible to preserve Native American culture in the future. It is time people address such crucial problems.
-Shelley Chen
The film does a great job at portraying the two opposing perspectives on the topic of Native American assimilation. It brings forth questions such as whether assimilation was the only way to "civilize" the Natives and whether such method is justified. A particular memorable scene was the part where Sitting Bull negotiates with Col. Nelson A. Miles, claiming the U.S. has no right to take away any land from the Natives. He argues that the Natives had been living on the land since way before any white man had even set foot on the continent; thus they have every right to continue to live on the land. Col. Miles counteracts that argument by pointing out that Sitting Bull and his tribe had invaded numerous other tribes before and taken away their lands, thus Sitting Bull should not speaking of any "rights."
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, upon further research, I found out that while Miles did believe the U.S. should have authority over the Indians, he was quite critical of the commanding officer at the Wounded Knee massacre. He wrote to his wife, describing Wounded Knee as "The most abominable criminal military blunder and a horrible massacre of women and children." After his retirement from the army, he also fought for compensation payments to the survivors of the massacre.
The film highlights the controversial aspect of Native Americans' cultural assimilation, pointing out that while the U.S. did intend to civilize and educate the Natives, its policies also resulted in the loss of traditions, values, and most importantly, cultural identities. The film's protagonist, Hakadah (Ohiyesa), was forced to take on the name "Charles Eastman" during his assimilation, thus losing his status as a Sioux. As shown in the film, this conversion haunts Charles throughout his life, for he regrets and feels guilty for not putting up resistance and becoming part of the White's society.
In conclusion, the film successfully uses Charles Eastman's story to illustrate the tension between the Indians and the Whites during a period of conquest, and I recommend it for all who would like to learn more about this period in history from resources other than textbooks.
I found the most powerful scene in the film to be the last battle between the militia and Sitting Bull's forces before the Sioux were exiled to Canada. This scene summed up the futility of the native war efforts. The Sioux were hopelessly out matched against the U.S. army and the battle portrayed it well. During the battle scene, it flashed from militia and artillery firing to Sioux falling dead over and over with "fire" being the only lines being spoken. This seemingly mechanized killing portrayed the hopelessness of the Sioux people against the U.S. army and showed how Indian killing was almost like a sport because it was so easy to defeat them in battle. The filmmakers did a fantastic job at portraying the simplicity and futility of this grim battle by showing the repetitious killing of the Sioux as they charged the troops. This battle marked the end of Sitting Bull's military resistance and his situation went downhill from then on. The desolation of the Sioux people during the battle was apparent again during the massacre at Wounded Knee as federal troops fired upon helpless Sioux running for their lives. These merciless killings of the Sioux people were probably common among other tribes as well. While the general tried to justify the removal and the killing of natives by claiming that they fought and slaughtered each other well before foreigners came, the deceit and hypocrisy that the U.S. government was far worse than the way the tribes dealt with each other.
ReplyDeleteOne of the characters that stood out to me in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee was Senator Dawes. The way he tried to help the Indians was so business like. Hawes was like a salesman. We will not only pay you 50 cents an acre but a dollar an acre; This is a once in a life time deal. This was basically what Hawes was saying to the Indians. Hawes placed so much emphasis on money, yet that wasn't what the Indians cared about at all. He never understood them and it seemed he focused more on pleasing the congressmen then helping the Indians. His refusal to try to understand how the Indians felt makes me question just how devoted he was in genuinely helping the Indians over getting the white men their land.
ReplyDeleteA scene that stood out to me was when Sitting Bull and his tribe went to Canada. I think this scene showed how strong the fear in some Indians were of the White man. Sitting Bull was so afraid of going back and submitting to the American whites that he whipped his own tribesmen, humiliating them and creating tension in the tribe.
Lastly, I don't find it surprising that suicide rates are higher on Indian lands. Obviously, the Indians must feel conflicted on their identity just like Charles was. They don't know who they are. Are they an Indian or are they part of the white society? Additionally past events don't help in this matter. Sitting Bull, someone who refused to change, was put down by an Indian, Red Tomahawk, who did change. This further worsens the decision of picking sides.
A short scene that really stood out for me was the one after Dr. Eastman arrived at the clinic at the agency for the first time. Within minutes of his initial arrival three Indians arrived feigning illness in order to get some "medicine (cod liver oil)" which contained trace amounts of Alcohol. Their desperation to drink was the result of their inability to live with the lost of their former lands, and tribal life and their resistance to adapt to the plan of U.S. government to farming and assimilating. Trapped between these two options, they turn to alcohol. It becomes such a dependency to them that even a little alcohol is helpful to them. This addiction to drinking is part of the larger trend among Indians to essentially remain in this depressive state. Fast forward more than a century we see that this trend is still present among many western tribes, even as they are no longer being forced to adopt "white ways". The NYtimes article talks about a Sioux town struggle with high school suicides, with drug use and addiction rampant. The suicides have been attributed to several factors, but an overall contributing factor was the prevailing sense of hopelessness among the indians, yound and old. The film highlighted the spiritual connection to the land that many Indians had, previously i thought that it was mainly economic factors that many Indians were resentful against American land grabs.
ReplyDeleteThe film was powerful in expressing detest in the way Americans interacted with Native Americans. I agree that the U.S. government should've handled the situation much better, however the film did a great job in showing the conflict that was involved. For example the Dawes Act was sound when proposed to Congress and Charles Eastman, but was a disaster once proposed to the natives. The problem was that Senator Dawes kept pleading with the Native Americans to look 50 years in the future where they'll be self sufficient, while measles and whooping cough were killing the natives faster than American oppression could.
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting character in the film was Sitting Bull. The film glorifies him as this figure who led the Sioux to resist the White Man in General Custard's Last Stand and with the Dawes Act. However, he ended up performing in Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Not only did he collaborate with the White Man, but he also participated in a show that made fun of Native Americans and even changed the ending of Custard's Last Stand such that Custard heroically rides in and kills Native Americans invading his cabin. I felt like he betrayed his own people and his own beliefs in doing this. I found it interesting how the filmmaker chose not to emphasize this segment of his life but instead have him die as a hero after resisting arrest by American troops.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is an engaging and well-constructed film. With its cinematography, it does a brilliant job of evoking the destitution and anger the Sioux felt. One particular, striking scene is when a newly assimilated man says to Sitting Bull that the reservation is great and that they are even allowed to hunt for their own food. He then proceeds to ride into a small, enclosed pen. The buffalo is released and he rides around attempting to kill it with bystanders (including Sitting Bull) looking on with expressions devoid of hope. To me, the small pen stood to symbolize the constraints the U.S. forced the Sioux into, the Sioux man in Western clothing the whites, and the buffalo the Sioux. They’ve become trapped by the government, running around until they are ultimately shot down. Today, Native American communities suffer from multiple issues, including high suicide rates and alcoholism. It can all be traced back to when the U.S. government relentlessly pushed natives off their lands, pressured them into reservations, and ruthlessly massacred natives. In the film, when Charles had recently arrived at the reservation, two Sioux men are seen asking him for the brown bottle, saying that they were ill as the excuse. Charles notes that the brown bottle is codfish liver oil, and offers medicine instead. However, the two men refuse and walk away. Later in the film, it is revealed that the reason behind requesting the codfish liver oil is that it contained alcohol. This links to the present problem Native Americans have with alcoholism. In conclusion, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a film that does the representation of what occurred in history justice and tells a great story in the process.
ReplyDelete-Janice Zhu
I really liked the movie’s focus on Charles as an example of how Native American’s can assimilate to the white man’s culture. This assimilation, however, comes at a cost. In the beginning, Charles had a very hard time accepting his transition from a free spirited Indian to a focused scholar. A very dramatic scene was when his braids were cut off, which symbolized his removal from Native American culture. Also, he defiantly shut the book of Christian Names when his white teacher asked him to pick a new name for himself to replace his Indian-born name. Moreover, Charles’ train ride to Illinois for a higher education was a traumatic experience. This event haunts him into his adulthood. Later on in the movie, he even says that he should have jumped off the train while he had the chance to go back to his homeland with the Sioux.
ReplyDeleteDespite Charles’ full immersion into the white man’s culture, he still feels a connection with his native tribe. He collaborates with Senator Dawes to propose land resolution legislation to the Native Americans, however they repeatedly turn down Dawes Act. Charles, concerned for the welfare of his tribe, approaches Dawes, which leads to an argument; and Charles declares himself an opponent to Dawes’ efforts. Dawes then exclaims hurtfully, “You’re no more a Sioux Indian than I am.” This is clearly the worst thing Charles could hear at this point, and likely results in his worry that it could be true that he has no more Indian blood. Charles feels guilt for leaving his tribe behind.
-Louis Susser
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a powerful film that factually portrays the Indian experience in the late 19th century. The issues of Indian resistance and the assimilation arose from the film.
ReplyDeleteFrom the battle of Little Big Horn to the Battle of Cedar Creek, we can see how the possibility of Indian victory diminishes, and that native war efforts were weak against the US military. Custer's "last stand" at Little Big Horn became the most iconic battle of the post-Civil War Era, where Sitting Bull became widely known for his leadership. Yet, his easy defeat against Colonel Miles at Cedar Creek Valley marked a turning point in Indian resistance.
The discussion among President Grant, General Sherman, and Senator Dawes conveyed the contrasting views that white politicians had in dealing with the Indian conflict. Dawes urged the president for more humane treatment, for a "course to civilization", instead of Sherman's belligerent position that in order to gain land that is "rightfully" theirs meant killing Indians. Charles became an example of an Indian who successfully assimilated into white society. The scene where he describes to Elaine how he came to be known as "Charles" takes us back into his past of assimilating into the western culture. The Native Americans had suffered under white manipulation for centuries. Though the Sioux Indians found aid in Canada, lack of food sources and harsh climate had forced them to retreat back into the US to live in the Sioux reservations. To Sitting Bull, this meant giving up their identity and their dignity, as well as their sacred land; survival, however, was more important, so they had little choice but to assimilate. Though Charles sympathizes the hardships of the Sioux Indians, he does not fully know their plights well enough since he has little connection to his native roots/traditions, which may have been why Senator Dawes told him "You're no more Sioux Indian than I am." Also, after soldiers were brought into the reserve, when Charles said to Elaine that if they were to stay they were to become witnesses, it foreshadowed the blood-shed and violence that was soon to come at Wounded Knee Creek.
Overall, the film was truly captivating. I naively thought that the conditions for Indians later on in the present would improve by a long-shot, but after reading the article on suicide rates in the Indian community, I realized how little of a difference there is in their lifestyle. Poverty is a major issue, along with limited opportunities, historical trauma and contemporary discrimination.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee was a captivating film that gave viewers an accurate depiction of the turns and turmoils of the proud American Indian race and their resistance to assimilation. One factor that greatly contributed to the tone of scenes was the choice of music. When Charles Eastman is assigned to rename all of the native Indians with Christian names so as to facilitate the process of land distribution, strong tribal drumming begins as the scene pans out to show the many boxes of files of people he has to rename, history he has to wash out. Throughout the film, there are glimpses of Charles' resistance to assimilation, well into his adult life. When Dawes was trying to stress the importance of Indians owning their own piece of Earth, Charles comments, "You know there's no word for that... in any native language. To own the Earth." To which Dawes dismissively tells Charles to invent one; a clear disrespect for Charles' connection to his heritage. A suppressed notion of regret and longing for his culture is an unspoken driving wedge that keeps Charles between worlds. In the darkness, surrounded by pages of Indian's profiles, reminders of his disowned heritage, Charles mutters that he should have jumped off the train that took him away from his father. "That's how I would've found my way home-- by the Red River." In one of the final scenes, we see Charles at the river, clutching his feather, a token of his bravery at Little Big Horn so many years ago, with a cross wrapped around it. Thus is his culture.
ReplyDeleteThe Native Indian's resistance has long since moved past battles and blood. However, they resist in quieter ways. The land that they signed over was sold throughout the decades and generated over $600 million, all of which belong to the Native Indians. Yet, they refuse to touch it, as they uphold their belief that the Black Hills are sacred.
-Kristen Chang Pd. 5
As a whole, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" is a great film that really puts the audience in the time and place when these unfortunate events occurred. Senator Henry Laurens Dawes in particular seems to go from the good guy to the bad guy as the film progresses. In the beginning of the film, the first time we see Dawes is when he is appealing to President Grant and General Sherman. He is advocating for more humane treatment of the American Indians, and the audience, with our modern ideologies, is on his side. Charles Eastman is also aligned with him, and both the audience and Eastman think he is trying to help the American Indians. However, every time he comes back with a new treaty for the American Indians, they reject him. As the film progresses, he slowly becomes more frustrated with the American Indians, because he, being the naive idiot that the film makes him out to be, believes he is helping the American Indians. What he doesn't realize is that he's actually doing the American Indians more harm than good. However, we as an audience and Eastman see this happening. Eastman begins to turn against him after witnessing the living conditions of the American Indians of the Sioux reservation. Senator Dawes notices this and strikes back by saying "You're no more Sioux Indian than I am". At this point, we as an audience are completely against Senator Dawes and what he wants for the American Indians. I feel as though Dawes's intentions were noble and progressive for the time, but what happened as a result was terrible and to this day the government has not returned the Sioux's sacred land known as the Black Hills. Dawes may have been trying to help the American Indians, but he ended up causing more harm than good.
ReplyDeleteBury My Heart at Wounded Knee was an intriguing film the focused specifically on the way the Sioux Indians transitioned from their normal way of life to life on a reservation. After watching the movie, I was curious to learn more about Elaine and her background since she wasn't as heavily focused on in the movie compared to other characters such as Charles and Sitting Bull.
ReplyDeleteI decided to do further research on Elaine and her life. She was born in 1863 in Mount Washington, Massachusetts. From a young age, Elaine started writing poetry, and at the age of fifteen, published her first collection of poems with her younger sister, Dora. In 1883, Elaine became a teacher as the Hampton Institute, a black college in Virginia that was dedicated to the educate freedmen. In 1885, she visited the Sioux Reservation after teaching a group of 100 Native American students from the West and wanted to learn more about her students' world. Elaine soon became interested in the cause of Indian reform. She received a government appointment in 1886 to teach Indians at the White River Camp, where she set up a day school. Elaine strongly believed in educating children at day schools rather than sending them to boarding schools. She was appointed Superintendent of Indian Education for the two Dakotas for the bureau of Indian Affairs in 1890. After the Wounded Knee Massacre, Elaine cared for the wounded alongside Charles. They fell in love and married in 1891 in New York. They had six children together. Unfortunately, the two separated in 1921 after allegations that the Charles had both an affair and an illegitimate child, though they never divorced nor publicly addressed the separation. After the separation, Elaine continued to write and publish more novels, as well as a memoir titled "Sister to the Sioux" about her experiences as a school teacher of the Sioux.
The movie definitely spurred my curiosity about Elaine and her background. She was a talented and intelligent woman who devoted her life to education and Indian reform, as well as writing and publishing her own novels.
I think the last scene of the movie was really symbolic- Charles' father's necklace and the feather represented Charles Christian and Indian parts. I think he wanted to throw away both of these things because he was confused and didn't know who he was- an Indian or a Christian? His identity struggle is seen throughout the entire movie. In the beginning he seemed to be fully Western and fully assimilated into Western society. But as the film progresses and he arrives at the reservation, he starts to question assimilation and whose side he is on- Dawes or the Sioux. When Senator Dawes proclaims "you are no more Indian than I am" and when a member of the Ghost Dance Movement called him "white medicine man", he seemed shocked and crushed by their words because of the truth in them. But in the end, he decided to keep both possessions because he decided to embrace both sides of himself and he eventually fights for better rights for the Indian people.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I found really interesting about this movie is the portrayal of Dawes and Elaine. Dawes was not necessarily the "villain" because he did not intend to do any harm to the Indians. He really just wanted the Indians to assimilate because he thought it would help them. He thought he was doing something really great for the Indians and it was a better alternative than the government forcibly taking their land. He thought the ends justified the means. And also Charles' wife, Elaine, she tried to help Indians and was very compassionate and understanding towards them. The scene I particularly liked was when Elaine helped Sitting Bull get a blanket when he refused to get one for himself. I think this cleared up the very popular misunderstanding that all Indians were victims while all whites were villains.
-Christina Liu Period 10
I was very surprised by the fact that Charles chose to go by his Christian name when speaking with his wife. The earliest conversation they were shown having in the movie was Charles recounting how he was seemingly tricked into choosing a Christian name by his white teacher, and he was clearly emotional and angry about that event. Yet, throughout the movie Elaine refers to him only as “Charles,” and never “Ohiyesa”, his given name. Even though the end credits say they eventually chose to name their son Ohiyesa, I couldn’t get over the fact that the person closest to Dr. Eastman only called him by the name that I thought he hated, and he never requested otherwise. I had always thought that Native American used their Christian names as “placeholders,” only for legal purposes such as getting land as demonstrated in the end of the movie. As noted in the “Development of the West” article, US expansion into the West involved implementing new practices such as census-taking in 1890, that required one name for each person. Instead, as the movie shows, some Native Americans like Charles eventually give in to the usage of a white name completely, both in their political and personal lives.
ReplyDeleteI think that Charles’ quiet acceptance of using a white name demonstrates a greater trend in Native American history. Many of the problems on reservations and in their communities today, such as gang violence and high suicide rates, are very isolated and internal.The crime does not affect people outside the Pine Ridge Reservation, so it rarely makes headlines or gets the attention that it should. This is similar to the way that taking on a Christian name made Charles himself very emotional, but he kept the struggle inside, so no one was really aware of how it made him feel, and no one called him Ohiyesa.
-Charlotte Johnston
I think Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is an amazing film and I'm really glad we got the opportunity to watch the entire movie. I feel like throughout my years at school, I've never gotten much exposure to the Native Americans’ experience, and even when we learned about them, it was always about their lifestyle before the white settlers arrived and never after. I think this is part of the idea of history always centering around the victories and accomplishments of the white settlers, rather than the darker, not-talked-about aspects. I thought it was really interesting to see a film where you can see the transformation of a Native American becoming assimilated into white society. I actually thought it was a good directing technique when the film did the time jump from Charles’ train ride to Illinois to him being a grown, Christian male assimilated into white society. To me, this emphasized what a drastic change Charles went through and it was stunning what an immense transformation it was. It seemed like it would be extremely difficult to assimilate someone like him, when it was clear in the beginning of the movie that he was very defensive of and rooted into his culture. However, the fact that he changed so much anyway shows that most Native Americans eventually did either assimilate or end up dying. There was a sort of air of sadness when we’re first introduced to adult Charles, as even though he seems so content with his new lifestyle, the audience still clearly remembers the young Charles shown on the screen just mere moments before. I think the loss of identity is a big theme throughout the movie, as Charles eventually realizes later that though he may call himself Native American, he no longer identifies with the people. This is made clear when a fellow Native American angrily calls him “white medicine man.” This marked his downward spiral as he came to wish he had jumped off the train when he had the chance. In the end, he’s left an outsider with no identity, as he finds that he doesn’t fit into white society and he doesn’t fit into Native American society either.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t help but be slightly disgusted towards the end of the movie, because the way the Native Americans were treated and the conditions they lived in were horrendous. One of the scenes that really stood out to me was the flashback of the wounded Native Americans. I couldn’t help but be shocked at how the troops refused to listen to them when they were saying that one man was deaf and couldn’t understand. It was also just unbelievable that the soldiers and managers refused to believe that the Native Americans were desperate enough to turn to dancing and their previous culture, despite having witnessed the conditions they lived in. We saw dejection when people died at the hands of disease and of other humans, humiliation when people went to get their rations, and the slow degradation of a once thriving culture. The movie depicted all of the atrocities dealt towards the Native Americans, and how they struggled against all odds to maintain their way of life.
ReplyDeleteThis movie adds color to the outlines of a story we already knew. When originally reading about how suicide rates on reservations are 10 times that of the nation, one doesn't really understand why the rates would be so high. But the movie depicts a struggle to maintain one's identity, something held close to one's soul. So it's no wonder that suicide rates are that high, especially when there is almost no aide being sent to help the youth dealing with the aftermath of the trauma of having one's identity being stifled.
This movie thoroughly depicts a struggle between two cultures, where neither side is completely against the other. It adds complexity to something that originally seemed really clean cut, and allowed for the native culture to retain a sense of dignity throughout its fall.
-Nassima Boukhalfa pd 5
Throughout the movie, what caught my attention most was the character Charles Eastman, and how he exemplifies the effects of forced assimilation. When he is selected by his white teacher to go to the “white world” to be educated and work, everyone tells him what a great opportunity it is and that he should go. He is resistant to the idea, clearly telling his teacher that he doesn’t want to leave his home, but he ends up going anyway. As he rides the train away, he is clearly upset, almost crying. He holds his feather in his hands, which represents his old life, and packs it away in his bag. When we later see Charles as an adult, he at first seems to be fully adjusted and ok with his new life. However, throughout the film he has flashbacks to the train ride that haunt him. The train loudly speeds by in black and white, and then he wakes up, disturbed. It represents what tore him away from everything that he knew and identified with. It was so hard for him to leave his home that he nearly jumped, and even later says, “I should’ve jumped.” The movie is really powerful in how it shows the detrimental effects of forced assimilation, even when it is viewed as “successful.” It is true that as a result of his assimilation Charles has gained money, status and higher education, but he has also lost his connection to his past. Senator Dawes says to him, “you’re no more a Sioux Indian than I am” and another Native American says to him, “tell me what to believe in, white medicine man.” Charles is no longer accepted by the Sioux, but he doesn’t identify with the world he has been forced into. This really shows how hard assimilation was, especially because it makes it personal by focusing in on one character that we care about. At the end of the movie, Charles sits by the water, debating whether or not he should throw away the feather that he kept with him on the train. He decides to keep it, but he also decides not to leave white society.
ReplyDelete-Emily Hirtle
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee contains a constant and unwavering allegory of the condition of the Sioux through the life of Sitting Bull. When the Indians fight Custer at Little Bighorn, it as much a victory for the whole Sioux as it is for Sitting Bull, and it carries the same consequences. When the Sioux are forced onto smaller and smaller reservations, or into Canada, Sitting Bull remains the last hold out for Sioux independence, and his surrender is the end of that fight. Even in death, Sitting Bull was emblematic of the unnecessary violence committed against Indians, his death a corollary to the massacre at Wounded Knee.
ReplyDeleteSitting Bull is the perfect representative of the Sioux in this picture. He, like the people he is responsible for, has his problems. However, he is not the battered, impoverished Sioux we see by 1890, but almost an idea of what a Sioux should be and want.
-Randy Higgins
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a brilliant film that shows the various problems with the "civilization" of Native Americans. One scene that stood out to me was the scene where Charles was explaining to Elaine the story of how he adopted his Christian names. When he tells her how he chose the name Charles you could resentment in his voice. He was very angry that the teacher basically tricked him into taking the name Charles. By taking away his original Sioux, name a part of his culture and heritage was taken as well. Another scene that stood out to me was the scene where Chief Sitting Bull finally comes to the agency, In this scene his son calls out to him and says, "They even allow us to hunt here, see," then the son rides his horse into a wooden pen and a bull is released into the pen as well. He chases the bull around for a few seconds and then shoots him. Although the son is screaming happily, Chief Sitting Bull has a look of sadness. He knows that what his son is doing is not hunting. This is another way their culture and heritage is taken from them. You can see the effects today in the Native American Reservations. Alcoholism and suicide is very present which is indicative of the depression plaguing the Indians. The reason for this is because of the systematic extermination of their culture in the 1800s.
ReplyDelete-Alanis Allen
I thought that the casting choices were interesting and gratifying. The actors cast in the film were actually Native American. This is surprising given the unfortunate tendency of misrepresentation of Native Americans in the media (one example is Warner Bros' refusal to cast an actual Native American actress for a Native American role in their upcoming live action version of Peter Pan). An interesting contrast is in the movie we were shown scenes from earlier in the semester, Black Robe (1991), where an Algonquin Indian girl was played by a half Asian, half White actress.
ReplyDeleteWhat was especially poignant and significant in the film were the many deaths that were shown in the film. In the beginning scene, a young child was shot right away, and the military showed no remorse in killing the Sioux, who had no hope of winning (they were killed immediately because of the obvious arms advantage that the military had). Women and their children were shot and their bodies were left to freeze in the snow. The cruelty of the US government at the time is effectively portrayed by the actors in the film.
Another interesting scene was when Dr. Eastman was recalling the moment when he was forced to choose a Christian name. The flashback is similar to something out of a horror movie, with the school teacher portrayed in a demonic light, along with the lighting and dissonant music. This only serves to highlight the pressure Native Americans faced to “assimilate” (often the only way to live without fear of persecution or death), which required them to abandon their culture.
On an interesting note, Dr. Eastman and Elaine Goodman later separated (not officially) after the death of their daughter after allegations of Dr. Eastman’s infidelity. Elaine was responsible for getting Eastman’s work published. She was frequently overshadowed by her husband, although she was a skilled poet and writer by her own right.
-Shindy Koo
One important and memorable dialogue was after the Wounded Knee massacre when a white solider was telling Charles how sorry he was and that it was the Indians who fired first. Chief Red Cloud then told him “Do not have a bad heart about it, you whites use many weapons on us, we have feared your guns least.” This quote reflects the theme of the movie, as the whites decimated more Indians with diseases and starvation rather than by gunfire. It was also ironic how Chief Red Cloud told the soldier to not have a bad heart about it, suggesting that the whites should not let this massacre affect their conscience because they have been abusing and killing Indians for hundreds of years. For example, although the Dawes Act was passed with good intentions, the Indians lost over 90 million acres of treaty land and roughly 90,000 Indians were left “landless”. The whites have been taking advantage and betraying the Indians for centuries, and this massacre is small in comparison, to what seems like an endless cycle of abuse and betrayals by the whites.
ReplyDeleteThis film greatly enhanced my understanding of this era because it focused a lot on how the whites has changed the lifestyles of the Indians. For example the Indians were forced to adapt to Christianity and cut their hair, as well as being forced to farm rather than hunt animals like they did for hundreds of years. It also showed how poor and unsupplied the reservations were, supplies such as food and blankets were always being cut, and doctors like Charles, did not have the medicine required to treat patients. It was also infuriating to see false reports saying everything on the reservation was dandy and fine. The expansion of development in the west such as railroads led to the decimation of Indian lives and culture. For example, as we saw in the film, railroads and expansion bough measles and whooping cough which killed many Indians on the reservations.
- Jason Lau Period 4
The film Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee demonstrates the struggles of maintaining Indian identity while fighting assimilation into Western society. Such is the problem of Charles Easton in particular; although he is lauded as the whites’ prime example of assimilation success, Charles himself suffers from an identity crisis, that he is “the example of nothing,” as he witnesses the resilience of his own tribe.
ReplyDeleteTwo items symbolic to Charles are the black eagle feather from fighting at Little Big Horn and the cross necklace from his father. The feather is a medal of honor for fighting as a Sioux—as Ohiyesa—and it is a memento of his Sioux identity; Ohiyesa’s father took his own cross necklace and placed it around Ohiyesa’s neck, as if bestowing upon him the possibility, the hope, of assimilation. Both the feather and the cross were worn then, though that Ohiyesa was yet to become Charles. It is at the end of the film that we see the feather and the cross together once again, when Charles is wrapping up the two together. I momentarily thought that Charles was going to drop it into the river (from his hand movements) but instead he tightly grasps it, grasping both his Sioux and white identity. I think he earnestly wanted to believe that the two could live in peace, just as he likely wished to believe in his father that such a future could exist then. But we know that future came with a cost: culture for survival.
Another memorable scene was when the Sioux were doing a Ghost Dance, a member breaks away to question Charles; though Charles tells him “this is nonsense. You’re a Christian, you don’t believe in this,” the member replies, “Then tell me what to believe in, white medicine man,” to which the smile fades from Charles’s face, into an expression of apprehension. It seemed as though this Indian spoke the words hidden in Charles’s mind: if to whites he was an advocate for Sioux rights and to his own people he was white, then where does he belong? Born a Sioux but brought up as a westerner, it must have been heart-wrenching to have been told by Dawes, “You are no more a Sioux Indian than I am.” I don’t think Charles believed that their assimilation was the right way. We know that he continued to fight for Sioux rights, but if the (whites’ take at) assimilation was not the answer, what other ways might have worked out?
In response to the suicide rates in the Rosebud Sioux Reservation, I find that if these suicides were connected to their history—the Wounded Knee massacre, the decimation of their land and culture—it’d be shocking to know that such bitter sentiments persisted for so long.
The most memorable scene of the film to me was in the beginning when Charles Eastman was sent away in a train. When i saw this scene, I viewed it as a symbol of him leaving his home and being sent away to industrialization and the white man's world, literally and figuratively. The impact of this scene is reaffirmed when Charles reflects on that day, saying how he should have jumped in order to stay home with his people and away from the land hungry whites. In the Gilder Lehrman "American Indians and the Transcontinental Railroad," the writer also seems to recognize the big role that railroads played in the transformation of the West. It talks of how railroads was the sole factor that made it possible for troops to get from Georgia to Idaho in just sixteen days. I feel that the film also did a great job showing this in that you could see how many troops that could be assembled when fears of the Ghost Dance rose. Furthermore, in the NYT article "Suicide Rates in the Indian Community", you can see how the history of these people still have an effect on the people today. With a history full of oppression and hopelessness against the technologically advanced whites, the Indians were forced onto the reservations which still stands as among the poorest places in the country today. Facing discrimination today combined with their historical trauma, it is sadly not too surprising that the Indian youth today are having trouble just to live.
ReplyDeleteI feel that this film helped to make my understanding of the American history during this era very clear. The film does a great job of portraying the landscapes of the former homes of the Indians, their lifestyle, and the sense of community that was so highly prized during the time. After watching this film, I believe that I have also received a deeper understanding than before of the pains that the Indians must have felt when they were forced from their homes.
-Kevin Chan Period 10
When Charles Eastman set up in his “doctors office” he saw the devastation and desolation for himself. Within minutes of his arrival, a couple Indian men came up to his window and asked for cod liver oil — just for the few drops of alcohol in it. This scene showed how these once vibrant, cultural people had given up and resorted to drowning out their pain. Another example was the scene where the Indians were getting their rations. Each man had a tag, almost as if they were an animal on a farm, that got punched once they received their blanket. Sitting Bull took one look at this, and saw it for what it was: the white man trying to decimate his peoples’ culture. These scenes contradicted everything Senator Dawes said, and really shows the audience what these places were really like. Disease and depression were rampant, and no one was trying to do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteThis movie showed the other side of expansion and Manifest Destiny. To overlook this part of history would be detrimental; issues raised in that time still pervade into modern society. The cod liver oil incidents, are prevalent today. In Pine Ridge, a place with a population of about 45,000 people, had 20,000 alcohol related arrests in 2012, and the alcohol consumption level there is out of control. Along with alcoholism, suicide rates are at an insane high. In the Great Plains, the average suicide numbers are ten times the amount of the national average. These numbers should not be overlooked. They can be connected back to the times in “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”. These people have faced such racism, and now have so few opportunities, that many believe their lives are going nowhere. If people had been more aware, like we are now, of the pain and suffering of the Sioux Indians, would they have done anything to change it? If reservations like Pine Ridge and Standing Rock had thrived during Charles’ time, would things be different?
- Kara Follosco, Period 5
The film Bury My Heart at Wounded knee was a captivating and heart-wrenching film that brought me on the brink of tears on several occasions. The protagonist, Charles Easton, is an example of a Native American assimilated into the US society. He has attended Dartmouth, gone onto Medical school, and completed his medical degree. However, one memory keeps haunting him: when he leaves his father and is on a train heading East with his white female teacher. Flashbacks to this scene happen often throughout the film. During the climax of this movie, Charles explains to his wife, Elaine that when he was on that train, he considered jumping from it, and essentially committing suicide. He says "I wish I had" over and over. I think the directors and scriptwriters were extremely clever to include this part of Charles contemplating suicide because it is very much an issue on Native American reservations today. While watching this scene, I was immediately reminded of the New York Time article titled, "Indian Reservation Reeling in Wave of Youth Suicides and Attempts" that I had read a few nights ago. This article discusses how suicide, and attempts of it, are a huge problem among the youth at Native American reservations. In the Great Plains, the suicide rate of young Native Americans is ten times the national average. Much like Charles, modern-day young Native Americans living on reservations struggle with their identity and heritage, and how much they eventually assimilate into American culture. In this way, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee does an incredible job at using history to hint at issues that would become serious problems in modern day Native American culture.
ReplyDelete-Kayla Sinoimeri, Period 5
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee was a great film to watch as a class. Learning about the Dawes Act and the situations with the Native Americans visually certainly gave me more knowledge of the time. However, I do agree with the fact that the film didn't portray the event as truthfully as they should have. They skipped over some facts and added in fictional details to make the film entertaining.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the powerful scenes in this movie was the scene where Sitting Bull's son, Crow Foot, shows Sitting Bull that they still can hunt on the reservation. Crowfoot goes into an animal pen where a wild buffalo is released then he hunts the buffalo. Sitting Bull watches this disappointedly and walks away. This scene shows how some Indians followed and assimilated to the white ways in order to survive, even if that meant gaining disrespect from the tribe.
Overall, the film was very good. Its use of background music and historical images helped the viewers to get into the right mood. I learned a lot of the things I wouldn't learn from reading textbooks in this film.
-Richard Park, Period 4
This film greatly depicts the major conflict between the whites and the Indians over land and cultures. Charles Eastman basically represents this struggle between two such distinctive races. As a young boy, he was taken away from his home and sent to Illinois to study and become "civilized" meaning learning the ways of the white man. He had to make major adjustments to a completely different culture. He had to cut his hair short, take a Christian name, and go to church – things that he didn’t want. However, despite this, he has a successful childhood and upbringing and goes to the top colleges to study medicine.
ReplyDeleteEven with all these successes, Charles deep inside still yearns for his roots and is very sympathetic to the Native American cause. His recurring nightmares of his railroad trip to Illinois or the fact that he nearly jumped off the train to return home demonstrate how he still is nostalgic for his roots. His nostalgia also leads to an increased strain on his relationship with Senator Dawes as he becomes increasingly sympathetic to the Native American cause and an opponent to Dawes's plans. However, Dawes points out how silly Charles is trying to fight for "his people" when he tells Charles "You are no more a Sioux Indian than I am." This must have hurt Charles greatly as he was Sioux Indian but brought up as a westerner for most of his childhood. The assassination of Sitting Bull and the chaotic fight between the Indian Police and the Sioux Indians that shortly broke out afterwards prompted Charles's anger to see so many of his people dying. Even after when he is approached by Dawes for a renaming project, he breaks down as he remembers the time when he was given the "History of Christian Name" book to choose his Christian name. The hundreds of boxes of Native American names given to him clutters his room and he kicks all of them refusing to do it. As the movie progresses, Charles's internal struggles grows as he sees the natives' struggle for a decent life. Near the end of the movie, he is seen holding a cloth and in the cloth is the cross necklace his father had given him and the feather he had earned as a young Native American warrior. He wants to place this cloth in the river but instead chooses to keep it as he goes on his horse into the North Woods seemingly going back to where he originates from.
-Austin Siu Period 10
Charles’s father is easy to think of as a betrayer of his people. However, he could see what the American government was going to do to the Sioux. He took his son into Christian school and then let him be taken to Illinois because he wanted Charles to be on the right side of the line when the Americans would go back on their deal with Red Cloud. He could see this happening and chose to exorcise his son from a hopeless situation. The only relief for the encroachment of the reservation lands would be the Ghost Dance Movement based in myth and superstition. The bullets still killed the people at Wounded Knee. It was inevitable that the land would be resold because the government in Washington DC saw it as free money at a time when corruption was prevalent.
ReplyDeleteBoaz Silberman
Period 10
“Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”, in my opinion, accurately depicted the struggle of the Sioux Indians at the time to regain their own land– or simply find a land to call their own. Eventually, they are forced to strip their culture and live on a small reservation, in which they are no longer allowed to practice the traditions that they’ve been accustomed to, but instead assimilate into proper Christians. The one specific scene that stood out to me throughout the film, and one that accurately portrayed the sentiments indicated above, was when one of Sitting Bull’s sons is roaming the reservation they’ve been relocated to, and tells his father “We are lucky here. They let us hunt. Watch.” He then presumes to enter a small enclosed area in which few game roam. The son is signaled by a white man as to when he can shoot, and eventually he does. The focus of the scene then shifts to Sitting Bull, to capture his reaction, and other members of the tribe. They all have demoralized looks on their faces and are disappointed at the naïveté of Sitting Bull’s son, and at the fact that he would dare to call this restrained and controlled activity ‘hunting’. More so than the battles and fights between the U.S. militia and the Sioux, I found this scene to be moving, because it represented an immense part of their culture, their daily way of life, simply being stripped away from them.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, another interesting aspect of the film is how “confident” Senator Dawes is in presenting his plan. It seems that when he speaks to Charles about how placing each individual Indian on 160 acres of land in solitary will eventually better his life and lead him to the way of prosperous Christian, he is trying to convince himself more so than convince Charles. It’s interesting to see how Dawes’ / President Grover Cleveland’s plans didn’t play out as they expected. Over the past few years, Indian reservations have experienced a growth in gang violence, increase in suicide rates and attempts, and a recurring theme of alcoholism present within the population. These statistics show that the kids on these reservations are far from “heading to medical school” as Dawes would claim they should have, given their 160 acres and assimilation.
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ReplyDelete“Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” is a beautifully filmed, extremely well cast, and overall moving film about the subjugation of the Sioux tribe by the white man who believes that the “savage” must be civilized and transformed into a rule-abiding Christian. The film’s use of black and white to describee memories as they are portrayed in the film, sepia to include the feeling of old-time photography, while being mainly shot in color enhanced my viewing of the film and made the distinction between the past, present, and retold very clear. The entire film had a very authentic feel of being true to the way the Sioux culture actually existed because of the backgrounds and the costumes that the actors wore.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most powerful scenes of the film was in the schoolhouse at the beginning of the movie with the book of Christian names presented to Charles Eastman, then named Ohiyesa in the Indian tradition, as the schoolteacher forced him to adopt a Christian name before he was allowed to answer questions in class. Ohiseya’s reluctance to adopt a Christian name symbolized the Indians’ resistance to assimilation and the US government’s pressure on the Indian tribes to give up their ways of life hunting buffalo and living in teepees for oppressed life on the reservations. Ohiseya eventually assimilated, becoming a Dartmouth-educated doctor and returns to help his tribe on the reservation when they are struck with diseases, only to be called the “white medicine man” by his people, which he found incredibly insulting as he did not want to become the government’s poster child for the benefits of assimilation, because he knew that he was not the example and every Indian forced into a reservation would not become such a success.
The first scene in which we see Charles Eastman as a proud, assimilated American is the scene where he is given an award and in which he meets Elaine, telling her the story of how he became called “Charles.” The dramatic contrast between his pride to be an American as he accepts the award and the tears in his eyes and intensity in his voice as he recounts the story of adopting his Christian name serve as proof of his inability to permanently forget and abandon his Indian heritage. The idea of coalescing his identity as an Indian and an Christian is displayed in the final scene when he wraps up the his black and white feather, won at a battle with the white man, and his Christian cross, most likely given to him by one of the missionaries who worked with him, keeping the two mementos of his different worlds together, being unable to get rid of either one.
-Rachel Zeide Period 5
The main scene I felt great interest towards was Charles' final acceptance of his Sioux heritage. The last scene where he keeps his feather after deciding to not drop it into the stream, effectively amalgamating both his education and life in the US, and his childhood with the Sioux. The thing i found rather interesting was his lack of acceptance on either the Sioux or white side -- in order to stop the massacre, Charles tried to convince his ex-friend whose daughter died that the Ghost Dance was full of crap, so they could disperse and not get killed by paranoid American soldiers. The guy just asked him why he was there-- and that he [Charles] did not belong with them. As Charles tries to convince him, the guy scoffs, saying, "What can your white medicine do for me?" And walks away. Senator Dawes also questions Charles' Indian-ness, so to speak, saying, "You're no more a Sioux Indian than I am." Charles also does not fit in on the white side either, feeling a distance from them, eventually leading to him snapping at Elaine, "You don't understand! You're white!" Despite all this rejection and angst, Charles remained, in his heart, both Indian and somewhat white, deciding to stay in the US with his wife, and spending the rest of his life working for Indian rights.
ReplyDeleteOwen Zhang Period 4
I found it really interesting how the movie contrasted the different situations of the Native Americans and their assimilation. For example, Charles' father was an assimilated Native American who held onto his culture in his heart but understood that the only way to survive, considering the lack of tolerance the Americans had for Native American culture, was to try to forget his culture and to blend in with white society.
ReplyDeleteHowever, most Native Americans struggled to let go of their culture. One such Indian was Charles Ohiyesa Eastman.Though he seems to be perfectly assimilated in the beginning of the movie, he gradually emotionally disintegrates as he remembers more and more of his culture. This continues until he completely breaks when he is forced to take a job in the renaming project in order to economically support his family. Unwilling to force others to start assimilating into white society by taking on a Christian name as he was forced to do when he was a child, he kicks over the boxes and refuses to do the job.
Another example of an Indian who struggled to accept white culture was Charles' medical assistant. However, the point at which he completely loses faith in white society and what Dawes called "civility" is the death of his child to the Whooping Cough epidemic; this causes him to respond by joining the Ghost Dance Movement. He even goes so far as to, when prompted why he would participate in what Charles thought was a ridiculous superstition, yell at Charles saying, "Tell me what to believe in, white medicine man!"
Sitting Bull provides another example of how difficult assimilation was. Though he fought vehemently in the beginning to represent his people and help his tribe hold onto their culture, he eventually began to give in and he stopped fighting. It isn't until he is criticized by his old friend, Gall, who says, "I don't understand why you've come because to me, you are Sitting Bull, our leader who would never surrender," that he once again begins to fight and delivers a moving speech at the vote to authorize the sale of the Black Hills to the American government.
These four examples show just how varied the effects of assimilation were on different people. Charles' father showed someone who accepted assimilation as the best way to survive; Charles acted as a person who assimilated but struggled to let go of his roots in the long run, forcing him to accept that he would have to identify with both cultures; Charles' assistant displayed a person who began to assimilate but for whom the trials and hardships ultimately proved to be too much; Sitting Bull epitomized the Indian who never gave up his culture, though he was forced to silently accept the fact that his people would have to assimilate.
A really memorable scene in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee for me was the part of the Ghost Dance. The dance showed most of the Indian listening to a preacher and dancing, while Charles Eastman sat on the side. The Ghost Dance was really overwhelming during the film and the music intensifies the dance. While watching the dance, I feel like I was there and watching them close up. The Ghost Dance was the symbol of Indian heritage and Charles Eastman did not join since, the Americans took and killed the Indian and saved the man. He was haunted by the teacher who tricked and forced him into picking a "proper" Christian name and discarding his original name.
ReplyDeleteI felt that Charles had a second chance to jump/ leave the American society, other than the train scene. When Charles was given the chance to choose a name, he could have refused and returned into his Indian society. The name picking scene was also really memorable. Once Charles had taken his name, he was no longer a Sioux Indian.
I would say that the film was extremely powerful and worth watching. In my opinion, this film was better than 12 Years a Slave, and it did a better job at making the Americans look like a monster.
-William Pan Period 4
"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" is a beautiful and powerful film depicting the struggles of Native Americans with the American government, how the land treaties affected their lives at the time and how it still continues to affect them today with their cultural, identity, and economical struggles.
ReplyDeleteI also have to commend the directing skills of the director in the movie, especially in the battle scenes.
At the Battle of Little Big Horn, the director chooses to film an aerial view of the battle with the Native Americans on their horses, all riding in a circle around the American soldiers (and of course Custer), surrounding them in a group effort to stop these men from hurting their tribes.
In addition, in another battle between General Nelson A. Miles (played by Shaun Johnston with his piercing, merciless blue eyes) and the Native Americans, there is a scene where all the Native Americans are riding on their horses in herds, down the hill, approaching the US Soldiers at the bottom of the bunk who are waiting with their cannons and riffles in hand. The sheer numbers of Native Americans are overwhelming in comparison to the two lines of US soldiers that are present, but the numbers of the Native Americans are no match for the technology of the cannons and the rapid firing riffles that the Americans have. With a few cannon shots and gun fires, the Native Americans are seen fleeing the scene in a hurry and in a panic.
The Battle at Wounded Knee is also one that stands out in my memory. The vivid and realistic scene of the gunfires, the cannon bombs, the screaming people, the crying women and children are truly devastating to watch. The mass scene of chaos is truly captured by the directing with the camera shots from all angles and the fast and quick panning between the Native Americans who are running away.
The ending scene of the battle with the field of dark, frozen dead bodies against the clear white winter snow is also very haunting. Additionally, the one shot of the frozen stiff dead body of a Native American man is also powerful in the fact that it is an exact parallel to the same photo in history of the massacre at Wounded Knee.
I truly understand the meaning in the title of the film now and with that, my heart, too, can be buried at Wounded Knee, after seeing this powerful, impactful movie.
The film helped me understand that the Indians were not unified over Indian assimilation. It highlighted the contrast of Indian opinion over changing their lifestyles. Sitting Bull, the symbol of Indian resistance, refused to live on reservations in the beginning of the film. The chief only gave in when his tribe suffered from starvation in the cold without help. Sitting Bull constantly resisted reservation rules and life style, including his refusal to practice agriculture and to receive welfare from the whites. The chief often found himself alone as other Indians encouraged him to assimilate reservation life.
ReplyDeleteIn one scene, Sitting Bull’s son was satisfied by the generosity of the reservation to allow the practice of hunting. However Sitting Bull and other Indians were demoralized by the limited lifestyle imposed by whites and seeing their traditional hunting practice become a form of entertainment.
While Sitting Bull disliked the assimilation, his brother Big Foot disliked Sitting Bull’s lifestyle as well. Sitting Bull received money from being photographed and signing autographs. He also went on Buffalo Bill’s Wild West tours to earn fame and money. This angered Big Foot, who assimilated into reservation life by practicing agriculture. He argued with Sitting Bull that he “sweat[s] for the money”, unlike Sitting Bull. Big Foot also criticized him that he was not helping the other Indians on the reservation by his selfish lifestyle.
One theme the film develops is the expansion of railroad in the west. Dawes created reservations in order to receive lands from the Indians for the construction of a railroad leading to gold. As mentioned in the Gilder Lehrman essay “American Indians and the Transcontinental Railroad”, the railroad sped up westward expansion and “undercut native independence” when they are forced onto reservations. NYT article “Gang Violence Grows on an Indian Reservation” points out that, as the government reduced regulation enforcement and aid to the reservations, such as a tribal police force, Indian reservations like Pine Ridge experienced increasing violence and gang activity.
-Haoran Xiao Period 10
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee does an amazing job at portraying the Native American struggle, not only with the whites, but with themselves as well. What I found intriguing was how the Sioux were given cod liver oil when they were sick. They did not need to get examined by the doctor; they simply went up to the window and asked for the brown bottle. These bottles actually contained a few drops of alcohol. Driven by their misery and hopelessness, the Sioux had to resort to alcohol, which would later become a dependency. These little details actually foreshadow what’s to come in the future. Currently, alcohol consumption is one of the biggest problems at the Pine Ridge reservation, where the Sioux reside in. There was even a ban on alcohol but that did not prevent them from being illegally smuggled in. Just a year and a half ago, this ban got lifted. The dependency on alcohol is also a factor to why the Pine Ridge reservation is one of the poorest places in the U.S. Unemployment, broken families, domestic abuse, gangs, and high suicide rates are all caused by alcohol to some extent. All these problems can be explained through those little brown bottles that were shown in the film.
ReplyDelete- Ping Ping Zeng Period 5
I really enjoyed watching “Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee” because I think it helped to paint a very vivid picture of the realities of Native American oppression by the American government. The part that conveyed this the most to me was the fact that the movie never had a real climax or high point. The only parts of the movie that could have been deemed as a positive moment was when Sitting Bull defeats General George Custer’s forces and survive another day or when Charles Eastman, a reformed native is finally integrated into white society and meets his future wife. But even then, the tender moment is ravaged by the traumatizing flashback of being forced to exchange his native name for a Christian one. Other than those, the movie portrays the steady decline of the Natives as they are pushed into signing unfair treaties with empty promises of a better life with the other option being war with the white man, something that they cannot win. Even though the story follows Charles Eastman, a Native American who graduated from Dartmouth College to become a doctor who works with Senator Henry Dawes to try to create a better life for the Indians, all his efforts end in vain because in the end, the Indians end up with most of their land being taken from them, and many of their friends and family dead. The movie ends with the Charles accepting a deal to give the Indians Christian names so that they can assign private property to them. Even though he knows the pain of losing your real name, he needs to accept the job in order to get out of his economic troubles. During the process of assigning names, he comes across the feather that he was awarded for his bravery at the Battle of Little Big Horn and he finally goes back to his childhood home by the red river where the movie started in order to get rid of his past that still haunts him. But once he realizes the doom of his race, he breaks down and realizes the importance of his heritage and keeps the feather. This moment was very touching because I think it symbolized a lot of the problems that Native Americans face today because although they have a rich and important culture, it has been riddled with slaughter and abuse by European Americans.
ReplyDelete-Max Kong Period 10
In my perspective, one of the most fascinating scenes in HBO’s “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” is when Ohiyesa chooses his Christian name of Charles Eastman. This scene is incredibly powerful because previously we see Ohiyesa refusing to choose a name even though it is the only way the teacher would address him in order to answer a question in class. However, when the teacher conveys misleading information about the Sioux tribe, which was most likely intentional on her part, Ohiyesa surrenders his last connection to his native tribe by declaring his name to be Charles Eastman. Symbolically this represents the final step of his assimilation into white society, first with him being removed from his homeland and relocated to a reservation, then having his hair cut off, converting to Christianity, and being forced into attending boarding school. Although Charles if given wondrous educational opportunities and eventually becomes a doctor with a degree for Dartmouth College, he continues to concern himself with the well-being of the Sioux Indians and truly believes he has their best interest at heart. It does not become apparent to Charles how disconnected he has truly become from the Sioux people until Senator Dawes bluntly states; “You are no more Sioux Indian than I.” Finally, Charles has a tearful revelation which was not uncommon among thousands of other Native Americans who lost their cultures and traditions as a result of Western expansion and assimilation efforts.
ReplyDelete- Tanisha Thakurdeen Period 4
Throughout the movie, my opinions of history swayed. It made me cringe during the massacre, and emotional during Red Cloud and the Sioux's acceptance of Sitting Bull after his anti-signature speech. But out of the entire movie, nothing fazed me more than the documentation of the Massacre. When the photographers came and moved the dead bodies, and repositioned them. When the one body was flipped over, I realized that the director chose to shoot the entire scene in black and white. I'm unaware of the reason behind doing so. Perhaps it was a memorial to those who died, maybe it was to provide a tint of depth in the camera angles and movement. Either way it was quite effective at inducing emotion. The remorse and shock that I felt was bewildering, and it reminded me of the Rwandan Genocide movie "Hotel Rwanda" I had seen in AP World.
ReplyDeleteThe producers dictated other ways the movie was to be filmed, such as when they used sepia or the dyed photographs as a transition from the past to now. In terms of the movie as a whole, disregarding historical accuracy ( I don't feel like I could judge) I would give this movie 4 out of 5 tomatoes. From the little details such as the cod liver, to major events like the Sioux Massacre and the execution of Sitting Bull, this movie kept me intrigued scene to scene.
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ReplyDeleteAfter seeing this film, I was struck by Charles Eastman's controversial decisions to align with the Sioux and, at the same time, align with the whites.
ReplyDeleteOne moment that really struck me was when Eastman goes to console the Sioux. While attempting to talk to them, one of the members of the tribe says, "Tell me what to believe in, white medicine man!" This made Eastman reflect on his decision to take the train that day to receive an education. I thought this signified that Eastman had crossed the line between the two groups of people and could not return, as much as he wanted to.
Another moment that struck me was when Eastman was a schoolboy. He could not name the previous four presidents without first choosing a Christian name. Eastman refused, which I thought showed the Sioux's resistance towards the whites. However, later Eastman had to chose a Christian name in order to gain recognition for Sitting Bull, an analogy for the Sioux giving in to the whites. It also marked Eastman's lurking decision to join forces with Dawes.
Throughout the film, different photographs were shown of the Sioux. While it may seem insignificant, the photographs remind us how the Sioux were a people too and should not be looked down upon.
I think this film is great at telling an aspect of Native American culture that many people do not know about. Most of the public are ignorant when it comes to this topic, if anything they know about Christopher Columbus' initial encounter with the Native Americans. This film serves as a way to reconnect with the Sioux and to sympathize with them a bit.
-Brandon Lin Pd. 5
Charles Eastman is an interesting character because he is neither fully accepted as a Sioux Indian nor a White American. The last scene of the movie best shows this. In the last scene by the Red River, Charles was clutching on to both the feather and the necklace of a cross his father gave to him at the beginning. The feather obviously represents Charles's Indian heritage. The cross represents his assimilation, or the American part of him. The fact that he kept both indicates that he could not throw away either parts of him.
ReplyDeleteI found Charles's internal conflict just as touching as the physical conflict the Indians faced with the Americans. One scene that stood out in particular was at the beginning when Americans and other Indian groups attacked the Sioux. One Indian attacked Charles (at the time known as Ohiyesa). A Sioux Indian saved Ohiyesa and killed the other Indian. After killing him, he scalped him. The scene was gruesome but it stayed in my mind. It also answered my question of how the scalping process worked.
Another scene that stood out to me was the scene when Charles arrived to town to work as a doctor. Before his arrival, there was no professional medical official and the Indians were literally drinking their problems away. Today, Native Americans have the highest rates of alcoholism in America and this scene clearly explains why. With such a tragic past, the Indians turned to alcohol to cope with their problems since other methods were not working.
-Anny Lin Pd. 10
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ReplyDelete"Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" is a powerful film portraying the predicament in which the Native Americans were caught. The film hammers in the fact that the Native Americans were always living in desperation. The one moment of triumph for the Native Americans is at the very beginning of the film, when they successfully defend themselves and defeat General Custer and his troops. From that point on, the Native Americans are always suffering. They are later seen losing to General Miles' troops, starving in Canada and being forced to eat rats, dying from disease on the reservation, and finally being massacred at Wounded Knee. By the end of the film, I had become restless, desperately hoping for a happy ending, for some sort of settlement to be reached between the Native American Chiefs and Senator Dawes.
ReplyDeleteI really felt Charles' frustration in how he felt responsible for things ending up as terribly as they did for the Native Americans. The most touching line of all was when Senator Dawes tells Charles "You're no more a Sioux Indian than I am." This line essentially states that Native Americans must suffer unless they assimilate in which case they are no longer Native Americans.
Unfortunately, there is no happy ending as it is a fact that those Native American communities living on reservations still live in desperation to this day. Rampant gang violence, extremely high suicide rates, and alcoholism are all large problems plaguing the present day Native Americans living on reservations such as Pine Ridge.
-Arvin Azam Period 4
This movie really helped me to see history in the point of view of the Indians. One scene that really stood out to me was the Wounded Knee Massacre. I understood what Charles meant when he said, "Bringing in troops would kill more Indians than the diseases." Many Sioux Indians, especially the children, have been killed by the diseases brought by the white men. In the Indians' eyes, the white men had brought nothing good to them. When the troops came into the camp, conflict between the white men and the Indians grew even tenser. The parts of massacre made me cringe and for some parts, I even had to look away. When the soldier shot Sitting Bull and the tears were streaming down their faces, it was heartbreaking. I was able to sympathize with the Indians as the white men shot them down, as they tried to run away. They were not able to go against their powerful guns and cannons. Their land was being taken away and they weren't even allowed a fair fight. This movie was allowed to be in the Indian's shoes, something I can't do by reading a textbook.
ReplyDelete“Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” is a powerful film that almost flawlessly depicts the dark history of of Native Americans in the American West around the 1800s.This film really helped me achieve understanding of the degree of the oppression the U.S., with its policies, enacted on the Native Americans. The Native Americans were trapped; they had to give up their land, die or both.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the most prominent themes of this movie is Charles Eastman’s identity crisis. One example is the idea of Christian names.The U.S. sought to strip the Native Americans of not only their land but also their identity. Bestowing a Christian name on an Indian symbolically takes away his/her identity.This is the reason Eastman refuses to assign Christian names to the Indians on the reservation. Even he regrets ever getting on the train and his assimilation into white society. One of the most powerful lines in the film I believe would have to be what Senator Dawes said to Eastman, “You’re no more a Sioux Indian than I am.” This line further reflects Eastman’s identity crisis.
I think there is an obvious correlation between social problems today that Native American societies still have and Native American history during the 1800s. For example, the traumas Native American tribes have experienced in history such as the Wounded Knee massacre is one cause of of the suicide phenomenon of Native American youths.
Although the West did help to “reconstruct” America, it did so at an enormous cost.
The Sioux Indians of the Dakotas are a very independent tribe. I can see how Senator Dawes tried to genuinely help the Sioux Indians. However, he did not understand that the Sioux or the other Indians did not “own land”. His deals with the Indians required the individual ownership of the Sioux and messed up the Sioux’s way of life. For example, the “hunting” the Sioux were able to do was laughable. A buffalo is released into a pen and a Sioux member would chase it around screaming and then shoot it. It was very pathetic since the movie also portrays the vast plains the Sioux used to prey on. It is really sad that all the people that are for the Indians do not understand the Indians. Even Charles’ wife, Elaine, could not grasp at the idea. She tried very hard to benefit the Indians, but her vision was exactly the same as Senator Dawes’. The white men could not understand the ways of the Indians since they themselves never lived like them.
ReplyDeleteThe Indians’ way of life was also transformed by the white men. We can see that they are new to the idea of “everyone is a chief”. When Sitting Bull told McLaughlin that he would be in charge of the entire ration, McLaughlin said no straight up. The white people are forcing their own ideologies onto the Indians thinking that there would be no repercussions. Charles hated having a white name and wanted his heritage to be saved. He wanted the feather he earned for his tribe. It is miraculous to see how inconsiderate some people are. Yes, the companies wanted the land and assimilation
"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" was an excellent movie in portraying what happened in the West during expansion of America. The film hit me hard emotionally, as there were scenes that made my heart ache. For example, one scene was when Charles boarded the train and left, leaving his father, who was singing in his native tongue. What this shows us is how much Charles' father sacrificed in order to assimilate and survive. I can't imagine how that much feel; having to abandon your cultural roots and become someone you are not to survive. Another scene similar to this was the cutting of Charles' long hair when he was a child. The hair symbolized the cultural roots that Charles had, and the cutting of it symbolized the transition of Charles into the "white man's world".
ReplyDeleteI would rate this film 10/10. The film illustrated the sadness and anger of the Native Americans during the expansion of America. The actors were phenomenal, and with the inspiring musics, each scene showed emotions that cannot be described through words.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee was dense with complex characters, the one that interested me the most was Senator Dawes because he reflected the essence of the Indian problem during the late 19th century.
On one side, Dawes appears as the antagonist because he represents the US government’s misleading treaties that always end up hurting the Indians. For example, , in the scene where Dawes is trying to convince the Indians on the reservation to vote either on the red or black paper, Sitting Bull and Red Cloud both make speeches about how he and the US government intend to make them extinct on the reservation. Furthermore, Dawes is obviously opposing Charles, the protagonist, during their arguments and is portrayed as especially cruel when he tells him “You’re no more Sioux Indian than I am.”
But on the other side, if you put Dawes in context, he’s championing the rights of the Indians. The general consensus of most Americans during this time was that they wanted to fulfill “manifest destiny” and expand all over North America. Many saw the Indians as uncivilized and didn’t recognize the Indians’ claim on their lands. People were hungry for more land and they would be perfectly fine with either driving all the Indians away or exterminating their entire race. This ideology is especially seen in the beginning of the movie when Dawes, Sherman, and Grant are conversing in the Oval Office. Also, we see the great effort Dawes made by making various speeches with the help of Charles inside Congress to get the Dawes Act passed.
Although Dawes’ opinions on the humanity of Indians were flawed, he was still doing the best that he could for the Indians’ wellbeing, making him one of the most complicated characters in the movie.
I think that the most compelling scene of the movie is when Charles confronts Dawes about his insistence on taking the land from the Indians and settling to white settlers. Already feeling quite isolated and different from the Indians, Charles is completely enlightened when Dawes exclaims, "you're no more a Sioux Indian than I am." He is further alienated by his tribe when he observes the ghost dancers. One Indian confronts him because he recognizes Charles to be an assimilated Indian, one who has lost his touch. These scenes really show the contempt Indians had for those who changed and the powerlessness that these assimilated Indian felt. Even Charles who spent his life studying to make the Indian community better could only stand and be a witness like the rest of the "humanitarians". He threw away his name in order to clear up a misunderstanding about an Indian chief and years later, he thinks his work as a doctor will do for the Indians. In reality, there is nothing that his small sacrifices can do to ameliorate the situation.
ReplyDeleteEven with all his medical knowledge, Charles could do nothing but watch as the people he felt an affinity towards scorned him and died a painful death. Consumed by alcoholism, the community refused his offers to give actual medical attention. The community no longer wants to be helped. They want to be comforted by the sweet nectar of alcohol because for them, it is futile to resist the white man's advances. This scene really foreshadows what the future holds for these Indians. Right now, we see these reservations are riddled with alcoholism, crime, and poverty and still, there is as much being done today as there was 150 years ago. These Indians have been forced into a corner by the United States government and no attempt has been made to recompense it.
A scene I found particularly striking was the one when Charles finally chooses his English name so that his teacher would acknowledge him. It turns out that the teacher purposefully made a mistake to force him to pick a name. This scene shows not only the Americans’ desire for the assimilation of Indians into American culture, but also their intention to completely eradicate Native American culture. Only when Charles takes the first step away from Indian culture and toward American culture, does the teacher acknowledge him. In addition, just as the railroads removed Indians from their lands, the train in the film takes Charles away from his homeland and Indian culture. At the end of the film, Charles regrets having lost his Sioux customs and just becoming a “white medicine man.”
ReplyDeleteInterference with Indian lifestyle continues today. Whiteclay, Nebraska sells alcohol to residents of Pine Ridge, where alcohol has been banned for nearly four decades. This contributes to the high rates of domestic abuse, suicide, and crime in the region. Because of the spread of commercialization, many Indians – as much as they would like to – are unable to revert back to their old ways of life.
-Lily Liang Pd. 10
Although the film "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" dealt with many different aspects of the Sioux Indian struggle such as being forced onto reservations and the mass killing of herds of buffalo, I felt that the origins of the alcohol problem on reservations was very clearly and effectively explained. In the film, because of poor health care and inadequate supplies, many Indians resorted to alcohol to relieve their stress. However, the only alcohol on the reservations were in the doctor's office in "brown bottles" of medicine. Indians would pretend to be sick and ask for the brown bottles just to get the alcohol. In the film, Charles does not deny sick Indians of the medicine because he feels there is no other way he can help them cope with life on the reservation.
ReplyDeleteThe scenes relating to alcohol and the "brown bottles are especially relevant today as alcoholism has become a major problem Indian communities. Alcoholism has led to domestic violence, depression, suicides, gang violence, and ultimately broken famalies in these communities and I believe the film provides a simple explanation for how alcoholism became such a widespread problem on reservations in the first place.
I agree with Boaz that the character of Charles’ father is often overlooked. Charles’ father had the most successful long-term strategy for the conflict between the United States government and the Native Americans: to assimilate. When he returned to the reservation to retrieve Charles the father respected the beliefs of the tribe and did not try to convert them to Christianity. He simply explained the reasoning behind his assimilation. Charles’ father provided Charles with his path of becoming a doctor. It was disappointing that the father was never to be seen again after saying his goodbyes to Charles on the train to Illinois. However, the movie may have done so implying that many Native American children moved for a better education and never saw their parents again.
ReplyDelete"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" is an engaging and thought provoking film that uses scenery, music, powerful quote to illustrate the life of the Sioux in the late nineteenth century. One of my favorite scene is at the end when Charles saw the list of Native American names that he was asked to change into Christian names and he threw a fit. In every culture, names represent the identity of a person. When it is changed, it is similar to having a part of body severed and replaced with an imitation that will trap and drag down the person. In that scene, Charles was able to fully understand what he had actually helped the Americans do. Throughout the movie, we were able to see tidbits of the way Charles feels about his Christian name: he hates it. So when he was asked to help assign Christian names for the Sioux, he got fed up and broke down. He was helping the Americans cut down his people's heritage, something that he had gone through during his childhood and resented.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I liked this film because it was interesting and fun to watch although the plot was not fun. Each scene played an important part to the whole movie and it helped me learn about what happened during those events.
I felt that "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" was a memorable movie that was worth watching in class. It showed how the Native Americans were truly treated at the time, and how conflicted they were in whether or not to assimilate into American society. A scene that stood out to me was when Sitting Bull sat with his other tribe members around a small pot of boiling water, filled with mice. Previously, he had let many of his tribe members leave for land set aside for them by the whites. During the scene by the fire, Sitting Bull shed a tear looking at the pot, knowing that he and his fellow tribe members wouldn't be able to survive the rest of the harsh winter without the aid of the whites. We were able to see how desperate they were as the killed the mice, trying to stick with their Native American way of life and not assimilate and give in to American society. Eventually, Sitting Bull decided to go to the Sioux Agency in the Dakota Territory, where he was greeted by his fellow tribe members who seemed to be living well with the clothing and materials given to them by the whites. Although things work out well at the beginning, tensions between the Sioux tribe and the whites continue to grow over the settlement of Native Americans. Conflicts occur over their practice of the ghost dance, leading to the sending of troops to the agency, and eventually, the Massacre at Wounded Knee. The scene at the massacre stood out to me as well; it showed how cruel the whites were towards the Native Americans, shooting every one they had in sight, including mothers and children. I felt that this movie visually showed us the conflicts that Native Americans faced at that time period, something that we wouldn't have been able to fully understand by reading the textbook.
ReplyDeleteBury my Heart at Wounded Knee was a magnificent depiction of the struggles faced by Native Americans during the late nineteenth century as they attempted to preserve both their land and culture. Powerful scenes, brilliant use of historical photos, and memorable characters were some of the strongest aspects of the film. One character I found particularly interesting, but unfortunately overlooked, was Chief Red Cloud. Unlike the heroic war commander Sitting Bull and the poster boy for Indian assimilation, Charles Eastman, I believe Red Cloud is a much better representation of the Native American community as a whole. Many like him reluctantly signed peace treaties with the US after being exhausted of fighting. But, as time passes, he is coerced or deceived into agreeing to further American demands. Eventually, he comes to regret his actions, but by then it is too late as many of his followers have already perished. His final scene, when he visits the Wounded Knee massacre site, is one of the strongest. "Tell me what you see, I'm the one who told our people to stay."
ReplyDeleteThe ending credits explain that he lived the remainder of his life fighting for the rights of the Indians in the reservation as well as opposing the government’s attempts to violate the treaty. He did this through several visits to Washington D.C. and negotiating with Indians rights activists. Ultimately however, his life represented the victory of the whites over the Indians. The U.S. had failed to meet any of its promises while the Native Americans endured the loss of both their freedom and way of life.
Though we read and talked about the Dawes-severalty act, and on some level I knew that it was unfair to the Indians, Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee was much more powerful. The movie not only told, but it showed us first hand what it was like for Indians in the 1960s and 70s. Though they were not harmless people and the Indians did kill many whites, including general custer and his men, this in no way justified what The American government did in return. The movie shows this sequence of events through powerful scenes and characters.
ReplyDeleteA big part of the United States government’s policy in the time period was assimilating the Indians into American education and Christianity. An exemplary student of this assimilation is Charles Eastman. To me the most powerful scene in the movie is about his name. The scene is shown through a flashback. The teacher uses what she knows about Ohiyesa’s respect for his chiefs to manipulate him into choosing a name. The teacher, the white person, manipulating the Ohiyesa, the Indian, into submission is what the entire movie is about. It is seen again when Senator Dawes comes to the Indians with offers to manipulate them into giving their land up. The same dynamic is in play, the teacher gets Ohiyesa to become Charles and Senator Dawes takes the land.
The film does a good job in showing the unknown story of the Indian struggle in America. Many people know about the African-American story with slavery and the Emancipation Proclamation and the black civil rights movement, but not many people know about the difficulties that Indians faced before and even now. In fact, regarding the gang violence on the reservations, much of it stems from the internal anguish (I would even call it jealousy) of the black culture- not only in the form of their music and gangs, but in their struggle, fight, and declaration of equality. The film shows only one instance of Native American extortion (not to mention Columbus and the Trail of Tears), and is a good compliment to America’s brutal conquest against the Indians in the late 19th century. An interesting thing I noted from the film (and their history in general) is their submission (although reluctant) to American laws and customs (especially in juxtaposition with their pride for their tradition and culture). Even though they want to believe that they can just mind their own business and hunt buffalo, they cannot- they are constantly pressured by the “white man.” Sitting Bull does his best to keep his faction together, but eventually they leave him in the cold to eat rat soup, where they will go to battle it out on a reservation, and get daily rations and have their cards punched one by one.
ReplyDelete“Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” accurately captures the devastating consequences of American expansionism on Native American life. Americans stripped Indians of their culture as they forced Indians to live on reservations. We see an example of the significance of bison in Native American culture in the film as Sitting Bull steps onto a bison hide before negotiating with a Canadian official. Bison were used in religious ceremonies and also to feed and clothe Native Americans. Elliott West explains in “American Indians and the Transcontinental Railroad” that after 1872, Americans began using bison hides for leather. The rail system across the plains allowed Americans to ship thousands of hides from the plains to the east. As the bison population dwindled, Natives Americans found themselves dependent on the government’s reservations for survival. In the film, we see a young man excitedly proclaim to Sitting Bull and the other Indians that they can still hunt bison on the reservations. I shared Sitting Bull’s reaction of confusion and surprise when the camera pans over to a pen where bison have been rounded up to be hunted for sport. Although this young man was excited to be hunting bison on the reservation, nearly all of the other Indians look extremely distraught. This young man represented the gradual deterioration of Indian culture because he did not truly understand the significance of bison. His treatment of the bison as an object of entertainment rather than a source of sustenance demonstrated his lack of respect for the bison as was expected in Native American culture. Instead, he was assimilating to American culture.
ReplyDeleteThe consequences of Natives Americans being pushed onto reservations is still evident today in the high rates of suicide and alcoholism on reservations. The extermination of bison contributed to these consequences because bison played such a large role in Native American culture. With the bison removed from their lives, Natives Americans had to depend on Americans for food and shelter. This dependence has resulted in violence and misery as Native Americans have resorted to alcohol to deal with the loss of their culture.
- Alice Xue
I really appreciated the fact that Native Americans, although the victims, were also portrayed as a normal tribe of human beings, who also faced their own problems, especially the alcoholism. The usage of Charles Eastman as a different perspective in the American-Native American struggle amplified the suffering of the Natives, as Charles' often privileged life and education granted him a life the Natives could never imagine. I was a little disappointed that at the end, Charles was ambivalent about the two different backgrounds he grew up in, and I was hoping that he would reach some sort of conclusion (I actually expected him to return to his Sioux people, at least in some way). It was interesting how the movie deliberately set it up so that Charles became the only person to see the true suffering of the Sioux, while leaving people like Dawes believing their own lies (or maybe intentionally causing harm?) and even people like Elaine, who sympathized with Charles, but didn't understand the severity of the situation. I was quite impressed with Sitting Bull's perseverance, regardless of his age and critics. I feel as though he was much better than Red Cloud, despite Red Cloud's part when he supports Sitting Bull. The fact that a Native killed Sitting Bull was probably the most powerful message in the entire movie, as it summarized the point that whites won and will continue to win and conquer.
ReplyDeleteI think that this film amazingly depicts Native American life as it intersects with America's manifest destiny motives. The most striking part of this movie to me was the psychological change Charles Eastman had to undergo as he settled into white society. This was constantly revisited throughout the movie in the train nightmares and finally at then end when Charles crossed the red river into the woods. Although in many ways it seems as if he Charles forgot his Sioux life and accepted the superior white society, the fact that he was actually so impacted by his early life shows his similarity to his father. I also loved the way that names became a strong motif throughout the movie for the struggle within Charles. From the emotionally brutal scene in which his teacher coerced him to choose his name to the final scene in which he could not come to terms with his new position as official renamer of Indians, Charles was plagued by his identity crisis and found it even more difficult to pick a side in the political controversy.
ReplyDeleteThe final scene, in which Charles, fed up with his new position, feverishly throws his renaming papers up in the air and starts spewing what seems to be a bunch of nonsense was amazingly powerful. The way that names became the manifestation of his cultural struggle showed the irritation he felt with both the Sioux, who raised him, and Dawes, who educated him and took him in. Finally, that scene cut to him at the river, decide to save his feather and cross and find peace as he walked into the woods. This amazingly summed up the film and showed Charles finally find his place within his cultural struggle.
-Frances Dodin
"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" was able to depict the turmoil that was going on within the Sioux tribe by using powerful music, emotional dialogue, and gruesome death scenes. One of the most powerful scenes in the movie is when the Indian reserve police arrest Sitting Bull which eventually turns into his public execution. The scene is actually a flashback and is retold by a Sioux woman who has been injured. The woman remembers the events clearly even though she must be in excruciating pain after being shot in the chest area. Throughout the flashback the camera is shaking which shows the chaos and confusion that is occurring between the police and the crowd. The camera then clearly shows one police officer pulling out his gun and saying “stay back, stay back, or we will arrest you all!” This is particularly powerful because it shows the rift that has developed between the Native Americans. After the initial shot is fired, the Native Americans flee Sitting Bull's house and run into the fields. When the police try to confiscate their weapons an argument ensues between the Native Americans and the police. This leads to the police officers shooting at the native Americas which was especially tragic because they evens hot helpless children. I felt that an absolute war, or rather massacre being the Native Americans couldnt really fight back, had erupted. I also want to point out that throughout the entire scene intense music is playing which helps in creating tension.
ReplyDeleteI think that "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" was a great movie that had to be made. The film accurately and unapologetically depicts the hardships and struggles that the Sioux of South Dakota and all Native Americans throughout the history of European colonization of North America have had to face. I think that the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 was a horribly unjust action by the federal government entirely based on the ethnocentric idea that white civilization was superior to that of the Indians. I think that the plan is summarized best using the quote by Richard Henry Pratt, a founder of one of the boarding schools used to educate Indian children of white civilization when he said, "kill the Indian, save the man." The ways the Indians were forced to be "civilized" and the ways some of them handled this treatment was compelling. For example, the scene when Sitting Bull watches his son "hunt" a bull in a closed pen is saddening. When his son screams like an Indian after killing the bull, it shows how desperately the Sioux tried to hold on to their culture. Another scene I found interesting was when Charles Eastman picks his Christian name as a child in one of the Indian boarding schools. The film focuses on how hard it was for him to do so and how resistant he was to it. This scene highlights how, despite seeming arbitrary, your name truly binds you to your people, your history, and your culture. When reformers took those away from the Sioux, they stole much more from them than they could have even imagined.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought, but if Charles ran in the train at he same speed as the train but in the opposite direction the train was going in he might've landed safely I might be wrong however, I'm no expert.
ReplyDeleteThe film changed the way I thought about the Dawes act. Originally I thought that I was a great idea for the Indian to settle down and take up farming. The excess land that they don't need could be exchanged for money to improve their condition, and they still get 160 acre per family. Before the film I thought that even though they might not see much of that money, they would still have a piece of land to sustain themselves, more stable and land-efficient than hunting. After Sitting Bull pointed out that the land might not even feed one generation I realized that the whites would have left the worst lands to the Indians . Furthermore the land was supposed to feed all the generations after too. The property would have to be split between the children and in the end they would end up like the feudal lords in Europe. It also mentioned crop failure because there was a drought, although they didn't take up that much space anymore, they were susceptible to natural disasters that destroy their crops. I believe giving each their own land was out of good intention but Dawes had way too many opponents to effectively execute his plan.
I think the most moving scene of the film was when Charles and Elaine took a blind Chief Red Cloud to the aftermath of the Battle of Wounded Knee. What Charles saw as a doctor was nothing compared to what he saw at the battlefield. The part when a journalist flipped over the frozen corpse of a Sioux warrior was agonizing to watch. Learning that the frozen warrior was not fabricated and that the photo exists made me feel sick to the stomach. This part was made more grievous when Chief Red Cloud asked Charles to describe what he saw and Charles was unable to respond.
ReplyDeleteThe encroachment of the U.S. on Native soil was completely unfair and illegal. Granted,the ideals of westward expansion and Manifest Destiny made the U.S. a superpower, but that does not justify the abuse and mistreatment of the native people of North America. The scene with Chief Sitting Bull and General Sherman arguing over the land of the Black Hills was a huge point of tension. I think that Sherman's tension with the Natives took a hold of him. He irresponsibly attacked the Natives after they refused to give up their land. U.S. has absolutely no power to take land or to bargain for the land if the other party refuses. "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" excellently portrays how the Natives were completely abused and mistreated.
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee was an emotionally intense movie. I think that it served as a great example of how evil and destructive society/civilization can be. There were multiple scenes showing civilizations cruelty such as "Charles" experience in school when he was little or when the whites pushed the Indians into the reservations after nullifying previous treaties they have made. Sadly this wasn't like Brave New World by Aldous Huxley in which the savages were left alone to their own devices except for rare occasions when civilized people wanted to visit them on trips or experiment on them. These Indians were lied to and betrayed, they were degraded and treated like caged animals once they were put into reservations. Dawes, one of the US Senators, who tried to redistribute Indian lands and set them up for subsistence farming, thought he was fighting for the Indian cause, but he turned a deaf ear towards their cries. They wanted to be left alone without having to assimilate. The Civil War was just over, and blacks got their freedom but now it was time to enslave the Indian? However, there is one scene that shows mankind is capable of kindness. It was when Sitting Bull, and his people people of the Sioux, traveled to Canada and were greated by friendly Canadian soldiers who gave them an open welcome and supplies to survive. Sadly, some of the Sioux were sick of traveling and couldn't stand the cold weather which lead to quarrels with some of the other Indian tribes stationed there. Overall, the massacre at Pine Ridge was the worst possible thing the whites could do. In a later scene, we see one of the soldiers almost in tears saying they (the U.S. Army) didn't shoot first, which I guess shows that some whites actually felt guilty but didn't/couldn't take the responsibility of recognizing how cruel they were. Maybe that's why the U.S. government is still offering the Indians over $600 million, because of the guilt they feel, but the Indians ar doing the right thing of not accepting this money.
ReplyDelete-Mike
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a new take on how Native Americans are portrayed in American culture. It is a stark contrast to the old western films where they were seen as nothing but savage murderers, with no hint of being a civilize people. In this film, as in reality, the whites invading their lands are the agressors that are gradually killing off all of them, or assimilating them into American culture, until all hints of the culture are erased. It is sad to see how the whites manipulated the Sioux along with other tribes, in order to force them to submit. They lured them into false compromises, such as offering to buy the land from the Native Americans, but later paying them in miniscule portions or refusing to pay at all. It was also interesting to see the lengths to which the tribes had to go to survive. For example, Sitting Bull joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, a show that stereotyped Native Americans for the enjoyment of others, in order to help his tribe.
ReplyDeleteBury my Heart at Wounded Knee is a sensational film that really captures the essence of the problems surrounding Native American and U.S affairs. There is clearly a major disconnect between the U.S officials and the Natives and the film accurately portrays this. To the white Republicans in charge, even the ones claiming to be sympathetic to the Natives, the problem was the Native resistance and their inferior culture. To them, if the Natives became “civilized” then all the problems would be fixed. The problem with this thinking is the same problem that has plagued politics for years on end. That the people at the top don’t realize that the problems the people have at the bottom may not be the same problems they face. Ultimately the Natives really just want to be left alone at the end of it. They have already realized that there is almost no chance of reclaiming what was once theirs and would rather not deal with the whites they already know to be deceptive. In particular, the scene between Dawes and Charles shows this the most clearly. Charles informs Dawes that the Indians have no word for owning land to which Dawes replies that he should invent one. This completely flippant attitude and utter disregard for Native tradition and culture is really the story of U.S Native American policies and is probably where most of the problems the U.S faces when trying to solve the “Indian Issue” stem from. Yet because there is no concerted attempt to even remotely understand the Natives, or if they do try to understand them they understand them through rose-tinted glasses, the U.S continues to interfere with the Natives in the wrong way over and over again. This lack of knowledge or caring about the needs of the Natives would result in more and more Native resistance leading to more violence and harsher policies. This results in a vicious circle where the Natives resist the U.S policies and the U.S responds with force or harsher policies that only lead to more resistance. In effect, the U.S creates its own problems when it comes to foreign affairs.
ReplyDeleteThe film "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" most accurately describes the atrocities the Native Americans faced; it also shows the awful relationship between the Native Americans and the White U.S. officials that resulted in these atrocities. This film is unlike any other - although it has some dramatizations, it has few impressive historical details to even out the dramatizations - such as including the fact that Sitting Bull, later in his life, became a performer for Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.
ReplyDeleteA scene that was particularly striking was the scene in which Sitting Bull and the remainder of his Sioux tribe gather in a tepee, trying to survive the cold weather. Sitting Bull and his tribe members try to fight off the cold and hunger, but nothing can be done since there were no buffalo meat to eat, and no buffalo skin to wear. The whites hunted all the buffalo that the Sioux needed to survive. Sitting Bull finds a rat in the tepee, and to my surprise, put it in a soup with many other rats. Though there were other powerful scenes, this scene really sobered me up from the sugar-coated history and forced me to realize the abominable adversities that the Native Americans faced.
Jason (Hyunsung) Yang - Pd. 4
- “The epidemic of hopelessness that has overtaken the reservation.” Disease constantly reappears in many scenes of the movie. Charles condemns the military’s entrance onto the land allotted to the Indians. “If you bring troops to these reservations you will have more deaths in these Indians than any disease has ever taken.” This inevitably leads to a battle between the two sides. The scene after Wounded Knee truly showed how grim and inhumane the battle was. This particular scene, which lacked any color or joy, and was filmed in black and white – fitting the mood of the battle as well as the relationship between the white man and the Native Americans.
ReplyDelete- The movie also focuses on a main aspect of assimilation, something that Charles regrets but kept hiding. Even though he was born into the tribe and grew up with the tribe, he is treated as an alien (“Tell me what to believe, you white medicine man.”) or someone who has betrayed them – and he understands this in its entirety in the scenes where he tells himself, “I should have jumped off that train.”
- America has lacked its ability to accept its mistakes and instead has glorified its “achievements”. However, in this movie, we can see the struggle that many Native Americans had to go through that we cannot see in the movies and textbooks that hide the true, appalling past of America’s “conquests” in the west. It is because of the actions of the past that lead to the present issues that manifest in the Native American communities – depression, alcoholism, and high suicide rates.
Emily Lam (pd 10 )
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee was a great film because it vividly depicted the tensions between the Natives and the whites. I like how the film was set in the perspective of Charles Eastman who was essentially a “converted” Native. Throughout the film, he experiences this inner conflict regarding his identity because he is both white and Native. He is rejected by the Natives when one of them calls him a “white medicine man.” When Charles tries to insist to Senator Dawes that he is still Native, Dawes says, “You’re no more Sioux than I am.” Charles is clearly stuck in limbo. I feel like the film was trying to portray Dawes and the whites as the enemy who wanted to take land away and violently killed the Natives on numerous accounts. Well, for most of the movie I wasn’t so sure which side Dawes was on because he was on the “opposing team” from the Natives but at the same time believed that his efforts were for the benefit of the Natives. But towards the end, when Charles tells Dawes, “you had an enemy from the start,” I got the idea that Dawes was the enemy in this film. People may say that it was wrong for the whites to kick out the first inhabitants of the land. However, in the film, one of the generals that spoke to Sitting Bull made a great point that goes against those people. Yes, the Natives were the first inhabitants, but they’ve always fought each other so that one can take over another and it’s land and game. So what’s wrong with the whites doing the same to the Natives? Overall, I think this was a great film and it really made me think about Indian history and how far its people have come to still exist today.
ReplyDelete-Brian Won pd 4
In the movie “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” it showed the complexity of the whole situation of the Native Americans in their indigenous lands. The film as a whole offers another view, relatively unbiased, of the whole situation that the Native Americans and Whites had to face. What struck me the most in the film however, besides the utter disregard of life (Native American life) by the many Whites, was that the efforts that many put in to justify the actions and procedures that they proceed with. The saddest, most memorable scene however, was the scene where the U.S. captain was speaking to the Chief Sitting Bull while sitting there with unwavering calmness on the carpet. The intensity of the scenes, and the figurative, and actual divide of the two cultures were shown. When the captain had justified the actions of the whites, in taking the lands of the Native Americans in cruel, violent, snide ways, he had used the fact that many of these tribes themselves were also doing the same exact cruel things to each other, and that they had NO moral grounds to speak of themselves, when they themselves do the same exact things as the whites did. It was particularly striking to me because the captain said it in such a manner that was actually convincing, and logical, that it stuck with me. I had previously thought that it was unjust no matter what (and I still do think so to a major degree) that taking the land in such ways were bad, but the argument that he proposed made some sense, and it was sad to me because the fact that it made logical sense to most the people at the time. Although the Charles and Senator Dawes were also interesting in the manner that they preceded with their actions, it was very unnatural to a sense, and very unusual that any benefits would really come from such, and so I did not go into that. I thought that the common basis for this hatred was striking, then even this incident.
ReplyDelete-Alan Yeung pd 4
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ReplyDeleteBury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a truly spectacular film depicting the skirmishes and internal conflicts between the Native Americans and the U.S. I thought the film beautifully portrayed the transition from Ohiyesa to Charles Eastman through a single train scene. The fact that Charles could have jumped off the train and gone back to his people still haunted him as an adult. His assimilation into white Christian society almost foreshadowed the subsequent attempt to assimilate the Native Americans. The bloodshed that ensued at Wounded Knee Creek had the same powerful music track playing as the Battle of Little Bighorn scene at the beginning of the movie. I think that showed the similarities between the brutality with which each group massacred the other. However, I had a feeling that Charles never wanted to assimilate into white society. This was corroborated in the scene where Senator Dawes and Charles argue about the Dawes Act of 1887. Charles finally sees that the Dawes Act was nothing but a venue to rid the nation of the "red man" and only leave the "white man". He didn't want his entire culture to be changed and forgotten. The scene climaxes when he says "You have an opponent before you, sir!" which signaled his ultimate regression to the Native American culture. Senator Dawes replied with "You're no more a Sioux Indian than I am." This powerful scene showed the significant gap between the whites and Native Americans as neither wanted to compromise. This film did a great job of enlightening me about the whole situation that took place and it gave a lot of background information that was necessary to understand these events.
ReplyDelete-Sanbir Rahman pd 5
I believe that Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee did a great job at displaying the series of events from a perspective that many of the Natives probably shared. The idea that the assimilation was destroying native culture and ruining their people was highly evident in the movie, starting with the example of Charles Eastman. Taken as a child, he was forced to choose a Christian name as he was reluctant to let go of his culture, yet he became educated, attended Dartmouth, went to medical school, earned his degree, and pretty much became a "white medicine man" with little trace of his culture in him, evident when Dawes tells Eastman, "You're no more a Sioux Indian than I am." It was absolutely terrible when Eastman was given the task of giving each and every Native a Christian name in the renaming project, renaming about twenty-five thousand Sioux. After hearing his intense story of how he was forced to choose a name just to be able to speak in class as a child, I felt that it must have been torture, agonizing for him to have to do this to the rest of the Sioux. He clearly shows the agony when it peaks as he just throws the paperwork down, yelling "I won't do this!"
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ReplyDeleteBury My Heart at Wounded Knee was affective in telling the often overlooked story of the Native Americans during the country's expansion west. The film was able to portray several perspectives of the attempts to pass laws ceding native land to the U.S. government: Sitting Bull was overall a symbol of pride and resistance by the American Indians, although he deviated at some points; General Sherman represented the views of white men that disregarded morality and wanted the land that the U.S. was supposed to own cleared for settlement; and Senator Dawes tried to be humane in his plans to move the Sioux and other tribes onto reservations, but ultimately thought of the Native Americans as savages who needed to be assimilated to Christian culture like Charles Eastman. Eastman's complicated view of the civilization of the Sioux is probably the most important because he mimics the revelations made by some audience members. Current Americans may not be aware of the details regarding the removal of Native Americans in the west and have only learned the story told by white settlers just as Eastman initially shadowed Dawes. However, once viewers and Eastman watch the truth be exposed, they are able to sympathize with the Natives. The film provided a dynamic picture of America's history that was both captivating and informative.
ReplyDelete-Emmy Wang pd 5
Sitting Bull personified the struggle of the Indian peoples against an alien government that sought to contain, restrain, and oftentimes destroy them. Throughout the film, he is a stoic, courageous warrior who handles the hardships of leading his tribe. This is evident when Sitting Bull leads his people to Canada to escape the U.S. forces bent on vengeances after the Battle of Little Bighorn. However, after many of his Lakota succumb to cold and pestilence of the foreign Canadian land, Sitting Bull has no choice but to return. Downgraded to a common man -- as the U.S. administration preaches an egalitarian message of "every man a chief" -- he nonetheless manages to maintain his dignity and Indian pride despite the administration's attempts to calumniate his character. This shows that long after military resistance subsided, the Native Americans struggled to maintain their culture and their honor -- efforts which went notably unappreciated by the assimilationist U.S. government. Despite the U.S.'s purported altruism in setting up reservations and pushing Indian children to attend American-styled schools, the passing of the Dawes Act -- which features prominently in the movie -- shows that the U.S. is after nothing more than economic gain in its taking of native lands. The U.S. wants to destroy native culture and communities not to genuinely help and "civilize" them, but to neutralize them as threats and distinct peoples. This is no more evident when the U.S. cuts down on medical and food supplies and refuses to help when the reservation is struck by famine and sickness. In desperation, the Lakota turn to the religious Ghost Dance movement -- which the Americans ban and violently suppress. It is clear that, in many cases, the U.S. government's attitude towards the Indians is simply plain and brutal destruction. It is clear now from the state of Indian communities today, that if the U.S. government has managed to accomplish anything, it is the breakdown of cultural values and social fabric of Indian communities. Reservation communities today, like Pine Ridge, suffer from rampant alcoholism, high suicide rates, and gang violence. The road out of this misery is for natives to relearn their culture and the honor and courage of Sitting Bull and other native warriors like him.
ReplyDeleteBury My Heart at Wounded Knee clearly showed the hypocrisy of the American Government. Every time they struck a deal with the Indians they would break it. If the Indians gave them an inch they would take a mile. I was particularly interested in how the movies portrayed Charles Dawes. I believe that Dawes truly cared about the Indians as a people and did not want to see their extinction. Even though the offers he was able for receive were not ideal, they were still better than what could have been proposed. He fought valiantly for the cause even though he was not able to solve it. The Acts may not have had a positive effect but that wasn't his original intent. I also believe he cared about Charles. He did see Charles as a friend and not just a poster boy. I also like how they showed the social influence of Sitting Bull among the Sioux society. The scene where the American man insults Sitting Bull at his house is very interesting. He called Sitting Bull a sellout and you could see the guilt in his eyes because Sitting Bull knew the man was right.
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ReplyDeleteBury My Heart at Wounded knee displays a stark contrast between theoretical American ideals and how these ideals are implemented in reality. The U.S. was founded by enlightenment thinkers, who preached equality and fairness in all aspects of society. These ideals would would never be vanquished. Even when congress was under the festering influence of the slaveholding elite, voices of reason could still be heard. During the Indian conflict, greed and racism again pervaded the halls of congress. Yet, progressives like Senator Dawes fought to preserve the founding fathers' principles of freedom and justice. Dawes fought to make sure Indians were fairly compensated for their land and were integrated into American society. The problem was in the execution. If Indians were allowed to keep their culture and were given adequate health care and economic opportunities, they would have found it much easier to acclimate to Western society. Due to disorganization and the mismanagement of Indian affairs, the Indians were trapped in a grey zone resistance and reluctant compliance, which lead to tragedies like Wounded Knee. Moreover, when looking back on out history it is important to consider that tragic outcomes do not necessarily equate to flawed ideologies.
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ReplyDeleteBury My Heart at Wounded Knee opens up topics for consideration and reevaluation. Perhaps a popular belief in our revisionist society is that the Indians were total victims in The United State's unrelenting hunger for land and power. and events such as Martin Van Buren's forcible removal of the Cherokees from Georgia to the Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma (an act infamously, though somewhat falsely attributed to Andrew Jackson) strengthened it. However, this film's portrayal of Senator Dawes demonstrates the extents to which members of Congress were willing to go to to fight for Native American assimilation. This contradicts the idea that all of the US government was against the Indians. We can see Dawes's true intentions are good, although mislead and slightly white supremacist-y. He says to Charles, "Extermination? I suppose you say we've exterminated your Indian heritage rather than provided to you the benefits of an entire civilization?" We can see that he truly wants to help the Natives adapt and flourish in what he believed would become the only future for America. The film also does a solid job of showing how critical a weapon manipulation was for the whites against the Native Americans and wonderfully illustrates the complications during the expansion of the United States of America.
ReplyDeleteBury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a unique film in that it retells American-Indian History from a unique, personable standpoint that makes the viewer sympathetic to the Natives. The most notable aspect of the film for me is the Ghost Dance: seeing the Sioux come together in solidarity in face of oppression, displacement, and attack by the American government creates a powerful image. Seeing the effect of Sitting Bull's death is also emotional, because the entire tribe is so dependent and reverent of him. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is an amazing comprehensive retelling of the Sioux-American relationship
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