Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee Summary

Words: 783
Pages: 4

Monica Jamero
Word Count: 783
Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee is an eye opening account of the conflicts between white settlers and the American Indians from 1860 to 1890. Told from the Native Americans viewpoint, it demonstrates the United States’ many attempts to gain control over the Native Americans land and in result dismantled many of their beliefs and practices. “They were so sure of the country’s impregnability that most of them were skeptical when they first began hearing rumors of soldiers coming at them from four directions” (Brown 104). The title of Chapter 5, “Powder River Invasion” signifies the conflict between the Army and the Indians. Brown portrays the Army as being ruthless in their quest to destroy Indian Villages. The Indians’ resistance is impressive but Red Cloud knew that “the Indians
…show more content…
Brown shares the story of Donehogawa to show the readers that Indians can make it in White society if they acted on the white man’s terms. However, news soon spreads about the massacre of Piegan Blackfeet and many Indian tribes begin to question Donehogawa’s loyalty to the Indian population. The ruthlessness portrayed by the Army that slaughtered Piegan Blackfeet shows the mindset of many white settlers. It is easier just to kill them than try to negotiate. “For a quarter of a century they (Chiricahuas) and other Apaches would fight an intermittent guerrilla campaign that would be more costly in lives and treasure than any of the other Indian wars” (Brown 194). Chapter 9 begins with an increasing amount of tension between the Americans and the Native Americans. The theme of vengeance is common throughout the chapter and keeps the whites and Indians at war with one another. This constant battle makes the reader wonder if this was a ploy to force these tribes into near