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Sam Acosta
Frank turner
HIST 102
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee Film Reflection
Through my readings in previous history classes and in this class as well I have become
familiar with the plight of the Native Americans after the coming of the white man to America. I
was aware of the laws and political injustices that Native Americans faced from being forced off
of their lands to being given empty promises of retribution. However, nothing prepared me for
the knowledge of the violent treatment that the Native Americans endured during their whiteinduced demise as shown in the film. I am aware the film is obviously an act but a part of me
wants the basis for the plot to be completely contrived by hollywood in an attempt for publicity
but the other part is too informed on the atrocities that did occur.
What irks me the most is the lack of sympathy the white settlers had for these people,
even if they saw them as savages I cannot begin to understand how one could carry out such
vicious acts of violence towards a people they considered less of a human. In my opinion the
white settlers are the true savages for demeaning human life as they did. The white authority
burned homes and villages and killed and raped young women and children all to incite fear in
the Natives. The settlers were not true to their word in honoring their treaties they wrote
themselves, even offering the Native Americans a huge sum of money in return for massive
amounts of land.
One thing I was able to admire was the sense of pride portrayed by the Native Americans
whilst being ousted out of their homes and everything they knew. The movie also showed

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equality among the Native American tribes with women being present at the discussions of
treaties and standing together with the men as an equal. Even more proud of their heritage, the
Native Americans take very seriously their traditions one of which is to grow out their hair which
one young man regretfully cut at the will of another white settler, effectively ripping himself
away from his own identity. Most impressive, knowing they were outnumbered and outmatched,
the Native Americans still stood up for what they believe in by quoting, It is easy to be brave
from a distance, implying it takes a man with real courage to stand in the way of an
overwhelming opposition. The Native Americans waged a war they knew they would probably
lose, yet they were able to make big enough an impact to make their way into history books and
indirectly document their struggle for basic human rights. The rest of the conflict is simply an on
and off retaliation from one side or the other, mainly the white settlers would end up killing
Native Americans after having agreed to peaceful treaties. If not war, domination; Native
Americans lives were controlled if they had no other choice.
It is truly puzzling why the white settlers did not just kill off every last Native American
for going the distances that they did. Without being too dark, would that not just make things
easier for both of the races? The American public had already been brainwashed to believe that
the Native Americans were the savages for killing their own, little did they know the actual battle
at Wounded Knee was instigated by General Custer who was revered as war hero for his actions,
uniting American morale in favor of Native genocide.
The end result of this whole ordeal seems fitting to the trend by which American
conquest follows. Sitting Bull of the Sioux advocates the Ghost Dance in a time of great despair
following the massacre at Sand Creek, and is later killed by a member of the Indian police which

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was a government sanctioned program to keep rogue Native Americans in check, to make a
statement regarding the Ghost Dance. Truly an eye opening film leaving out none of the gory
details of this event in American history. Now at the end of the movie, sitting in the dark thinking
about my reaction to the film I thought to myself, is the warring in the Middle East today not
similar to the same motives white settlers had only over a century ago? Sure the Iraq war is much
more complicated, but to me, war always boils down to one thing, mans inherent greed for
power.