Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota: On December 29, 1890 United States troops confronted a group of Lakota Sioux with orders to transport them by train off of their lands. When the Lakota Sioux resisted, a skirmish resulted, which took the lives of over 150 people, many of whom were women and children. While the event was commonly referred to as the “Battle of Wounded Knee,” native groups have rejected this characterization, preferring to call the incident a massacre. The Wounded Knee Creek at which the tragedy occurred is located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and is marked by a grave site and several signs describing the events. There has been considerable controversy concerning further development of the site, and there is widespread resistance to its expansion on the part of local residents. The Wounded Knee Museum in Wall, South Dakota, about fifty miles from the site, has capitalized on tourist interest, and features extensive exhibits and oral histories. It is privately owned and operated. (http://www.woundedkneemuseum.org/index.htm)
I visited Wounded Knee years ago while on a camping trip to the badlands. We stopped at Wall Drug for supplies and asked how to get to Wounded Knee. The shocked store clerk asked, “Why would you want to go THERE?” I explained that I was Dakota and wanted to pay my respects. She gave some quick general directions and turned away with a sigh.
Once there, we were greeted by a home made road side stand staffed by a Lakota guy with a few items for purchase. The lack of monument and fru fra increased my ability to offer my tobacco and silent prayers.
The museum in Wall didn’t exist then.