By Nadia Johnson
It all started on June 26, 1975, on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where two FBI agents were shot and killed during the second Wounded Knee uprising. For those unfamiliar with the history of Wondedknee, let me give you a brief history of both the first and the second one and explain why this day is so important to Indian country.
On December 29, 1890, the US government sent the 7th cavalry, which Major Samuel M. Whiteside commanded. Major Whitside mission was to approach Spotted Elk’s band of Miniconjou Lakota and 38 Hunkpapa Lakota near the Porcupine Butte and escort them five miles to Wounded Knee Creek. So, how did a simple mission of removing the Lakota turn into a massacre? Let’s see, the 7th Cavalry was responding to the high anxieties of settlers who called the conflict the Messiah War and were worried that the Ghost Dance movement signified a potentially dangerous Sioux uprising.
So, on the morning of December 29, the US Cavalry troops entered the camp to disarm the Lakota. Eyewitness account of events maintains that during the process of disarming the Lakota, a deaf tribesman named Black Coyote was reluctant to give up his rifle, claiming he had paid a lot for it. According to the witness, that is when Black Coyote’s rifle went off, which is when the soldiers began firing on the Lakota. The Lakota warriors began to fight back, but the cavalry had already disarmed the Lakota. Two hundred fifty people of the Lakota died, and 51 were wounded, with some accounts stating that the number of dead reached as high as 300. The US Calvary lost Twenty-five US soldiers, and 39 others were injured. As a result, nineteen soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for Wounded Knee, and overall 31 for the campaign.
However, in 2001, the National Congress of American Indians passed two resolutions that condemned the military awards and called on the federal government to rescind the medals. Of all the Indian Wars, Wounded Knee was rewarded the most medals, and that was for a massacre.
Fast forward to the second Wounded Knee Incident of 1973, 83 years after the first Wounded Knee happened on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The second Wounded Knee happened due to corruption on the reservation. The protest followed the failure of an effort by the Oglala Sioux Civil Rights Organization (OSCRO) to impeach tribal president Richard Wilson, whom they accused of corruption and abuse of opponents. The protesters also criticized the United States government’s failure to fulfill treaties with the Native American people. They demanded the reopening of treaty negotiations with the goal of fair and equitable treatment of the Native Americans. Now in walks Leonard Peltier, a member of the Native American Movement called AIM (American Indian Movement). It was during this time that the FBI came to the reservation, and the stand-off between the Sioux and the FBI went on for 71 – days. By the end of the 71-day siege, two FBI agents, FBI Special Agents Ronald Arthur Williams[27] and Jack Ross Coler, were shot and killed during a gunfight between them and the protesters on the reservation. After a very public show trial, Leonard Peltier, a member of AIM, was tried and convicted of murdering the two FBI agents. Robert Robideau and Darrelle “Dino” Butler, two other activists where were also brought in for the murder of the two FBI agents, but they were released. Peltier was given life in prison for the murders.
But that all changed, for Leonard Peliter, under President Biden, had his sentence reduced. On January 20, at the age of 80, having spent most of his life in prison. Peltier’s sentence was commuted to home confinement, noting Peltier had spent most of his life behind bars and was in poor health. Of course, this course of action by Biden prompted criticism from those who believe Peltier is guilty. Among the people who believed that Peliter was guilty of the murders is former FBI Director Christopher Wray, who called Peltier “a remorseless killer” in a private letter to Biden obtained by The Associated Press.
The final justice that Leonard Peliter has finally received is a homomage to all the Lakota who were masscared at the first Wounded Knee uprising that they were not forgotten, and their caues for uprising and demanding justice did not go unheard or unseen. Peliter’s release sends a message that they did not die in vain, but the war still rages on for Native American rights, which is something I feel Peliter will still be taking part in now that he is free.
