The Sioux View: Museum’s remit must be to tell the story of a slaughter

Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A lot of people think what happened at Wounded Knee in 1890 was a battle. It wasn’t a battle; it was a slaughter.
On Monday night we held a meeting of Wounded Knee descendants, and I heard the shocking story of a small boy, maybe seven years old, who survived by crawling into a slit in one of the ravines. He stayed long enough to hear the bodies being buried. He heard soldiers throwing infants, still alive, into graves. We all agree there should be a museum, so people can learn what really happened. And if it turns a profit, the money should go back into beautifying the site. But the Lakota must be involved.
The sale has brought interest, and I’m appreciative to Mr Czywczynski for that, but if he wants to sell the land, he should do so based on what it is worth. The reason he asked for $3.9m is because of the land’s historical significance, based on the deaths of hundreds of our relatives. If someone turns a buck on our ancestors’ misery, then shame on them.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments