TRIUMPH OF CIVILIZATION OVER HUMANITY
SIOUX “GHOST DANCE” UPRISING OF 1890
“WOUNDED KNEE MASSACRE”
[“Buffalo Bill”]
[“Ghost Dance” Uprising] Meyer,
H. (artist). Revolte Des
Derniers Peaux-Rouges. 45-1/2 x
31-1/2 cm. (17.9 x 12.4 inches). Engraving in folio size and full color. Removed.
Very good. (Paris). Samedi 13 Decembre 1890. $250.00 - - -
“In 1890 he (Buffalo Bill) was called back once more during the
Indian uprisings associated with the Ghost Dance. He came with some Indians from his troupe
who proved effective peacemakers, and even traveled to Wounded Knee after the
massacre to help restore order.” - WETA
(The West Film Project). The
photographer Grabil on January 16th, 1891 took a shot of Buffalo Bill
and General Nelson A. Miles “Scouting an Indian camp near Pine Ridge
Reservation, South Dakota . . . soon after the massacre at nearby Wounded
Knee.” -
PBS (Archives of the West).
In this engraving by Meyer, a flamboyantly attired, Buffalo Bill is depicted
at the center astride a galloping mount, as he engages in combat at the head of
American mounted troops. “Wounded Knee,
an unincorporated community in South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation . . . was the site of two conflicts between the local Native
American population and the United States government. In the late 1880s the Sioux began practicing
a religion taught by Wovoka, a Paiute prophet who promised that performing the
ritual ghost dance would result in the return of native lands, the rise of dead
ancestors, the disappearance of the whites, and a future of eternal peace and
prosperity. Nearby white settlers,
frightened by the rituals, called for federal intervention. The U. S. Army believed Chief Sitting Bull
to be the instigator of an impending rebellion, and he was arrested in December
1890. As he was being led away over the
objections of his supporters, a gunfight erupted. Thirteen people, including Sitting Bull,
were killed. His followers then fled,
some to the camp of Chief Big Foot. The
7th Cavalry pursued the Sioux to an encampment near Wounded Knee
Creek. On December 29, 1890, a shot was
fired within the camp and the army began shooting. Accounts of the precise events and the death
toll vary considerably but it is likely that the soldiers killed between 150
and 370 Sioux men, women, and children, the great majority of whom were unarmed
bystanders. Thirty-one U. S. soldiers
were killed in action, many of them from fire by their own troops.” - Encarta. Issued two weeks before the actual massacre
and two days before the death of Sitting Bull, this engraving constitutes a
dramatic pictorial forecast of the soon to occur combat, considered the last of
significance between U. S. Troops and the American Indian. A textual discussion of the print (on page
8) cites both Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull.
The gist of the discussion is that the United States is responsible for
annihilation of its Indian population.
The discussion closes with the note that the cause of civilization
will triumph but that of humanity is in question. “Sitting Bull, Native American name Tatanka
Yotanka (1831?-1890) . . . was born in the region of the Grand River in
present-day South Dakota. Led by
Sitting Bull, the Sioux resisted efforts of the United States government to
annex their lands and force them to settle on reservations. Between June 25 and June 26, 1876, the
Sioux, with the aid of other tribes, annihilated a punitive expedition
commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer in the Battle of the
Little Bighorn. Sitting Bull and his
followers then fled to Canada.
Receiving a promise of amnesty in 1881 and suffering hardship and
famine, he returned to U. S. territory.
Sitting Bull was put in prison for two years and then settled on a
reservation. He continued to be hostile
to the settlers. In 1885 Sitting Bull
was allowed to leave the reservation to tour with the Wild West show of Buffalo
Bill. There is speculation that
permission was given because the Native American police wanted Sitting Bull off
the reservation to prevent him from creating problems. The tense situation among the Sioux was
aggravated by followers of the Native American messiah Wovoka, who promised the
defeat of the whites. Wovoka introduced
the ghost dance, which was supposed to help the Native Americans regain their
lands and live in peace. The ghost
dance gave the Sioux hope and added to their restlessness. The army feared an uprising and believed
that Sitting Bull was the leading instigator.
They had him arrested on December 15, 1890. As he was being led away
over the objections of his supporters, a gunfight erupted during which Sitting
Bull and 12 others were killed.” - Encarta. The print appears in full-color and
full-page size on the cover of the popular newspaper supplement, Le Petit
Journal for 13 December 1890. We
offer here the complete eight page issue.
At the time of this print's issue, Buffalo Bill was one of the most
famous people in the World. Le Petit
Journal certainly counted on that in selecting him to grace the cover of
this its third ever issue (Premiere Annee, Numero 3). [Title:
Last Revolt of Indians.] F22.
BUFFALO BILL. “WOUNDED KNEE MASSACRE”
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