Mass grave at Wounded Knee
Every time I sit long enough to think about Wounded Knee, I cry. There are so many images seared into my mind that make it difficult to comprehend those events, but one stands out above all others…the image of a nursing infant suckling at her mother’s cold body. I keep picturing my daughter…alone, unprotected, hungry. I can’t forget that scene or what I imagine it must feel like to witness…to know that a child’s mother was taken, that a mother was taken from her child. So many mothers, so many children, so many families…taken. I will never forget those images…I will never forget that genocide.
I look back on what I’ve read and seen…and I think about my daughter, my husband…and how truly precious they are.
Life is not disposable. Life is not replaceable. We must never forget it’s value.
Video Intro to Wounded Knee – December 29, 1890
Resources About Wounded Knee
- 500 Nations Documentary Series DVD Set
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
- Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog
- List of Recommended Resources
© 2011, Chantilly Patiño. All rights reserved.
Thank you for remembering this horrible event as I feel that we forget some of these atrocities. The Native Americans have had a terrible history of forced assimilation and genocide. Let’s make sure that we all know our history on this so we don’t repeat it.