Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The Land for Sale at Wounded Knee
Wounded Knee is the killing field of over three Lakota/Sioux Indians; it is located on the Pine Ridge Reservation. May 1, 2013 is the deadline for James Czywczynski who has owned the land and another parcel of land to the North since the 1960s; he has stated he will give the Oglala Sioux Tribe to purchase his land for 4.9 million dollars. It was appraised for 7 thousand for each parcels of land. The picture above shows the land that is up for sale and it has sat for forty years without getting developed. In 1973 the American Indian Movement came to the village and thought to take a stand for the Rights of American Indians. We have seen people make money from this event and not Mr. Czwczynski would also like to take his shot and capitalizing from the death of Lakota. The FBI Agent in Charge wrote a book about the events of Wounded Knee and his son is arguing with another writer who wrote about the death of Raymond Yellow Thunder in Gordon, Nebraska. And now the guy wrote a book about Wounded Knee because it is vital to understanding American Indian History and you can make some money on the way.
I am not surprised as an American Indian by what is happening. People have sought to find their fortunes ever since the European or English came to the shores of the Americas. They sought Gold and traveled looking for gold and a fountain of youth. Land has always been at the forefront of what the Europeans have fought and died over the last five hundred years. Manifest Destiny was an idea found in first part of the 1800s by a newspaper man. It basically said to take the land and wipe the Indians out because it was a God ordained for the White Man to rule the earth. It is pure evil and it continues to be in the spirits of the people of South Dakota and Nebraska. It seems they are tired of us being upset because of the stealing of our boundaries, which were set by the 1851 and 1868 treaties. The White Man never wanted to keep his promises; his leaders want to wipe out the Indians so they could take the land. Land, Land, and all the land is the desire that came from Manifest Destiny. The ideology of Manifest Destiny came to the fullest when the 7th Cavalry came to Kill Indians.
Wounded Knee was home to the Oglala and a winter camp to the Lakota for years. Big Foot was bringing his people to Red Cloud Agency which is Pine Ridge. Big Foot was Miniconjou and they were stopped to the Northeast of Wounded Knee and were disarmed and were under a White Flag of Surrender but even that did not matter. Tensions were high and Big Foot’s people were slaughtered and it makes me upset. People like to say we should get over this event and move on but the facts are clear, the United States of America owes the Lakota people a life. They need to keep their treaties and their word. Our people are not welfare Indians, we are treaty people who are owed a life as long as the grass grows and the rivers flow.So If you are reading this and came to it by chance or you follow Rez Ramblings, I am happy you can understand the damage that was done by the United States and the Churches they sent to destroy a people.