I have to say that I thought I knew my history, but I was wrong! Reading about Sitting Bull and how he prayed to the Great Spirit and was shown a vision of many soldiers falling from the sky with the words "I give you these because they have no ears to hear"........did our early soldiers who were trying to round up all the Indians and make them go to the reservations......did they not "hear"?? Or for them, were they only following orders? Regardless, not a thing to look back on proudly, by any means.
To also read about how Custer sent word to the other companies not once, but twice, to "be quick!" and bring the pack wagon and extra troops to help in the fight, yet they were so busy fighting off the Indians in another area 3 or 4 miles away, that they never made it. To wonder what was going through Custer and his men's minds as they realized that any help would not arrive in time. To read about how the warriors realized they could "kill them all" or to read that by the time the reinforcements arrived to help Custer, it was already too late, was so very, very tragic. For all parties! For the warriors who only wanted to be left in peace and not be forced to leave their lands. For the soldiers who did what they had to do or were told to do. To actually stand on the field where it all happened, and look out over at all the white and red grave stones and read the names of the men who died was sadly moving. Sobering, indeed.
I have always been a Patriotic American, but when I think of those days, I'm ashamed of what happened. As with the Civil War, no matter who "won", there were no winners; everyone lost! Any war is so tragic for all sides involved.
There stands a beautiful sculpture in the park which is there not only to honor the tribes who fought at the battle, but to acknowledge the peace that now stands between men:
The stone wall goes in a circle with four openings........one of which faces the hill where Custer and his men made their last stand. The symbolism of this is that the Native Americans have left a doorway to welcome the spirits of those who lost their lives there. Poignantly beautiful in its simplicity!
The quote on the side of the Visitor Center says it all:
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| If only people could fully grasp the truth of this! |
Our next stop was Devil's Tower Monument. I was a little reluctant to go there for whatever reason and ended up loving it! We took the 1.3 mile trail all around the base and it was very beautiful and awe-inspiring. There is a sign reading something to the effect of "Do not remove or disturb the prayer cloths or bundles". Everywhere we walked, the Native Americans had left prayer cloths in all of the trees. The monument is sacred to them and it a place of pilgrimage for them. The different tribes call the monument by a variety of names: Bear Lodge, Bear Tipi, Bear's House. They do not like the current name and would like it changed.
I was very careful not to take any pictures of any prayer flags as we circled around this wonderful place......you could feel the spirituality of all the many prayers as you walked around.....it was pretty amazing and I liked it much more than I had thought I would!
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There is also great controversy amongst the tribes and rock climbers. It is highly offensive to the Native tribes that people climb on Devil's Tower. Because it is sacred, they want climbing to stop altogether. We did speak to a climber who had climbed dozens of times and his face was just shining! He loves climbing that tower! We didn't dare ask his opinion of what the tribes felt about the whole thing!
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If you look at the side of this part of the tower, you can see 6 or 7 places that appear to have pieces which have fallen off the side......well, Mike is standing in front of one of those pieces! They believe the last piece fell off around 10,000 years ago!
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As I said before, many parts of this trip have turned my way of thinking upside down........I have been surprised by my reaction to places and stories, but with that surprise has come a deep sense of reverence for all that has come before. We wouldn't be who and what we are without our history. Our country is a beautiful and diverse land the likes of which I don't think you'll find anywhere........the mountains, the lakes, the oceans. The prairies, the meadows, the farmlands. The canyons, the geysers and hot springs.......and so much more. America really is the land that I love!
~Karen
From Mike:
I really liked how the Little Bighorn National Monument now stresses that everyone, both the Native American tribes and the US Cavalry were in their minds fighting to preserve their own way of life. Like the Civil War memorials, there were points of view from both sides--although I have to admit that I see the Native American side a bit clearer. I am glad that under George H. Bush the name was changed from Custer Battlefield National Monument to Little Big Horn National Monument. The addition of the Native American gravestones (in red marble as opposed to the US Cavalry gravestones in white) sprinkled throughout the fields and the memorial to the tribes that fought there placed steps away from the monument honoring Custer and his men made a very powerful statement. After later learning about the tragedy at Wounded Knee in the Badlands http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wounded_Knee_Massacre
I agree that this was a very sad part of our nations history.
I was glad to hear that since 1995, there is a voluntary climbing closure on Devil's Tower National Monument in June out of respect for the Native American cultural activities that month.
--Mike
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