Wounded Knee, SD–One hundred and nineteen years ago today, 146 Lakota men, women, and children were massacred here by 365 U.S. troops of the 7th Cavalry. It’s hard to imagine a more shameful event in U.S. history. Yet on this killing field, only the howling wind and few relics commemorate the site. On top of the nearby hill, a mass grave marks the remains where the dead were buried days after the massacre. A blizzard set in the evening of Dec. 29, 1890, and it was several days before the dead could be collected. A pitted and pitiful government sign, originally labeled “Battle of Wounded Knee” stands testament to the events. The word “battle” has been covered over with the word “massacre”. Maybe it’s best that a new sign wasn’t made to replace the offending “battle”. I see how the power of one word can change one’s view of history.
