Wounded Knee--December 29 1890

Wounded Knee

December 29th 1890

The icy wind blows through the trees

The Lakota tribe brought to its knees

Red stained snow marks the shame

No one left to take the blame

History of a settlement marked in blood

Euphemized for the common good

In all of time the land defiled

with the spilled blood of a native child

In Washington the politicians sleep

But I know why the willow trees weep

AUTHORS NOTES

Wounded Knee

(December 29  1890)

The day was icy cold as winter gripped

The Lakota Sioux were on their reservation

The division of the 7th cavalry

arrived to disarm the tribe

the weapons were handed over

in general compliance to the order

An older tribesman was deaf

he did not understand

and refused to give up his rifle

insisting he paid much money for it.

In the altercation his rifle was discharged

The cavalry started firing indiscriminately

at the mostly unarmed Lakota

the few remaining armed tribesmen

were quickly suppressed

men women and children

were killed and wounded

Blood covered snow

strewn with bodies

was the final scene

in all at least

150 men, women and children

of the Lakota tribe lay massacred

some state the number to 300

The bodies of the Lakota

were buried in a mass grave

later twenty cavalrymen of the 7th

were awarded the Medal of Honor