Little Bighorn National Battlefield was not on the itinerary. It wasn’t a conscious choice. I made a mistake planning the trip. Some friends we are planning to see live in a different town (and state) than I planned for. I still have no idea how I did that, but it is how we get to this story. Leaving Billings, Montana, I noticed the brown and white sign saying that the battlefield was coming up. After quickly looking to see if it took us too far out of the way (it didn’t), we decided to stop.
Like with all National Parks, the first thing we typically do is go to the visitor center. We have a small list of tasks to do there. Stacey gets the passport stamped, and we get the sticker for the park/monument/battlefield; we get whatever information we need, and we buy the simple collectibles we are picking up to remember our trip. For us, that means a certain type of postcard that we hope to frame and make part of a future home. We are also collecting tokens from each park for our two grandkids, like the good grandparents we are. This is where the story gets interesting.
In my limited experience so far, parks typically have a single token. The coins, about the size of a nickel, are minted with the park name and a defining feature or animal on one side, and often the date of establishment or another fact on the reverse. Until today, they have all been round. However, it was immediately clear that the Little Bighorn medallions were different. One was rectangular, with the park name, its establishment date, and the image of a soldier on horseback (who I assume is General George Armstrong Custer) on the front, and the monument's obelisk, in silhouette, on the back. The other was a more traditional round design and featured the park name on the front, with a picture of Chief Sitting Bull and his name, while the reverse bore the words, “I am here by the will of the Great Spirit, and by his will I am Chief.” The two tokens rightly reflect the two sides of the story of the Battle of Little Bighorn. In fact, they perfectly portray the tension we felt from the second we drove onto the memorial. The gift shop reflected this tension with American Indian history books and Native items, but also bookmarks bearing the image of Gen. Custer. There was candy made to look like rifle cartridges from the era (a paper tube with powder and a ball, in this case pixie dust sugar and a gumball), and also sage sticks for ceremonial cleansing.
The dichotomy continued when you walked out of the visitor center. In front of you was a National Cemetery holding the remains and headstones of US service personnel from the late 1800s through the Vietnam era. A flagpole with flags at half-mast stood in the middle of the rows of memorials. A monument, originally placed in another location, commemorated those who fought in the Indian Wars against the “hostile Indians” In another spot, people had laid coins, respecting the valor of a particular US soldier. In the cemetery, the tension between the two stories was strong, with respect paid to those who have served, fought, and died protecting the country, laid to rest in a place where the US Army dramatically lost a battle in the midst of a genocidal war against the original inhabitants of North America.
The walk up the hill to the monument marking where Custer and his soldiers took their last stand only added to the tension. While the monument traces its date of establishment to the year of the battle, 1876, it was a number of years later that a memorial marker was placed on the hill (1881) and nearly a decade (1890) until the Army placed headstones around the battlefield, marking, as best they could, the locations where soldiers fell. Looking out across the rolling hills, it is easy to see these locations of demise. What one does not see is markings for where any of the Indian Warriors fell.[1] The granite monument to the fallen soldiers on the top of the hill is staggering. The 263 US 7th Cavalry soldiers who died, each with their name inscribed on the stone marker boldly jutting out into the big sky of Montana, is impressive. The obelisk does its job, marking the spot of the fallen soldiers, their mass grave, and setting them apart as heroes to be admired and remembered.
In contrast, the Indian Monument across the street (or is that on the “other side of the tracks”) could not be more different. Rather than calling attention to itself by standing erect on the top of a hill, the native monument blends into the landscape. Carved from a hill, the monument to the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho is nearly unseen until one walks closer and is invited into the space through the small channels cut into the hill. Once inside, the story of the battle is told from the Indian perspective. It too has lists of the men who fought and died, but those names are situated in the context of their communities and the larger American Indian experience. The monument’s information is carved into stone on the outside walls of the round shrine reserved for remembrance. Even the part of the circle that opens to the vista portrays men on horseback without names, allowing them to represent all who joined together on that battlefield. By situating this memorial as a circle, the visitor is invited into the story being told as a participant. You are welcomed to become part of the community represented by standing in their midst, in contrast to being asked to look up and gaze upon the names of the fallen in admiration, and even worship, as visitors are asked to do across the street.
It was in the circle that the real contrast between the two tokens, and the two men portrayed on them, was minted in my mind. On one part of the wall, a quote from Custer read “I will never harm the Cheyennes again. I will never point my gun at a Cheyene again. I will never kill another Cheyene.” Custer said these words in March of 1869 after another battle (Wasita), or massacre, depending on your perspective, while smoking a peace pipe. Seven years later, Custer died shooting at the Cheyenne. In the years in between, Custer actively participated in the Indian Wars.
The other man from the tokens did not participate in the ofBattle at the Little Bighorn. Sitting Bull (Tatanke Iyotake) heeded his mother's advice and stepped aside for younger warriors. However, according to the memorial, “After the battle, he went to the ridge, filled his Cannupa (pipe), and prayed for the fallen warriors. He also prayed for Custer and his men.” Along with that story, the words on the wall contained these quotes:
“In order to heal our grandmother earth we must unify through peace.”
“generosity, compassion, and sacrifice”
“truth, justice, and wisdom.”
It seems that Sitting Bull was interested in a lasting peace based on words Christians would know from their scriptures.
Two Bible passages came to me as I read the story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn and sat in the tension of the two stories portrayed in that place – one each for the men on the tokens. The first comes from the Old Testament. Two prophets, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, speak of those who say “Peace, Peace” when there is no peace (Jer. 6:10 & 8:11 / Ezk. 13:16). Gen. Custer’s words seven years before he famously died reek of this statement. Promising to never again level his weapon at an Indian sounds like “Peace, Peace” when there was no peace, and no intention of peace. In fact, if you look at the Jeremiah texts, they seem prophetic in the case of Custer.
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.
They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.
Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the Lord. (Jeremiah 6:13-15 - NIV)
The other passage that came to mind was Jesus’ instruction to his followers to
"[T]reat your enemies with love and respect, and send up good prayers for the ones who make trouble for you and bring you pain. This will show that you are mature children of your Father from above, who sends his blessing of rain on the ones who do right and the ones who do wrong.” (Mathew 5:44 & 45 – First Nations Version)
You might know this passage another way – “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (NIV). This passage fits well with Sitting Bull's actions and aspirations. While it is often said that the United States is a “Christian Nation” in the story of the Battle of Little Bighorn, it is the American Indians who were striving for and living out the values of the Kingdom of God. I could not have known the full experience ahead of me when I bought the tokens for my grandkids. As we walked back to the van, I told my wife, Stacey, “I feel like I just went to church.” The stark contrast between the worship of militarism in the cemetery coupled with the honoring of those perpetrating a Colonial genocide in the name of a “Christian Nation” at the monument to “Custer’s last stand,” and the invitation to peace in the Indian Memorial felt like a three-dimensional illustration of Jesus words,
Joel K
Afterword:
In contrast, the Indian Monument across the street (or is that on the “other side of the tracks”) could not be more different. Rather than calling attention to itself by standing erect on the top of a hill, the native monument blends into the landscape. Carved from a hill, the monument to the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho is nearly unseen until one walks closer and is invited into the space through the small channels cut into the hill. Once inside, the story of the battle is told from the Indian perspective. It too has lists of the men who fought and died, but those names are situated in the context of their communities and the larger American Indian experience. The monument’s information is carved into stone on the outside walls of the round shrine reserved for remembrance. Even the part of the circle that opens to the vista portrays men on horseback without names, allowing them to represent all who joined together on that battlefield. By situating this memorial as a circle, the visitor is invited into the story being told as a participant. You are welcomed to become part of the community represented by standing in their midst, in contrast to being asked to look up and gaze upon the names of the fallen in admiration, and even worship, as visitors are asked to do across the street.
It was in the circle that the real contrast between the two tokens, and the two men portrayed on them, was minted in my mind. On one part of the wall, a quote from Custer read “I will never harm the Cheyennes again. I will never point my gun at a Cheyene again. I will never kill another Cheyene.” Custer said these words in March of 1869 after another battle (Wasita), or massacre, depending on your perspective, while smoking a peace pipe. Seven years later, Custer died shooting at the Cheyenne. In the years in between, Custer actively participated in the Indian Wars.
The other man from the tokens did not participate in the ofBattle at the Little Bighorn. Sitting Bull (Tatanke Iyotake) heeded his mother's advice and stepped aside for younger warriors. However, according to the memorial, “After the battle, he went to the ridge, filled his Cannupa (pipe), and prayed for the fallen warriors. He also prayed for Custer and his men.” Along with that story, the words on the wall contained these quotes:
“In order to heal our grandmother earth we must unify through peace.”
“generosity, compassion, and sacrifice”
“truth, justice, and wisdom.”
It seems that Sitting Bull was interested in a lasting peace based on words Christians would know from their scriptures.
Two Bible passages came to me as I read the story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn and sat in the tension of the two stories portrayed in that place – one each for the men on the tokens. The first comes from the Old Testament. Two prophets, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, speak of those who say “Peace, Peace” when there is no peace (Jer. 6:10 & 8:11 / Ezk. 13:16). Gen. Custer’s words seven years before he famously died reek of this statement. Promising to never again level his weapon at an Indian sounds like “Peace, Peace” when there was no peace, and no intention of peace. In fact, if you look at the Jeremiah texts, they seem prophetic in the case of Custer.
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.
They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.
Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the Lord. (Jeremiah 6:13-15 - NIV)
The other passage that came to mind was Jesus’ instruction to his followers to
"[T]reat your enemies with love and respect, and send up good prayers for the ones who make trouble for you and bring you pain. This will show that you are mature children of your Father from above, who sends his blessing of rain on the ones who do right and the ones who do wrong.” (Mathew 5:44 & 45 – First Nations Version)
You might know this passage another way – “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (NIV). This passage fits well with Sitting Bull's actions and aspirations. While it is often said that the United States is a “Christian Nation” in the story of the Battle of Little Bighorn, it is the American Indians who were striving for and living out the values of the Kingdom of God. I could not have known the full experience ahead of me when I bought the tokens for my grandkids. As we walked back to the van, I told my wife, Stacey, “I feel like I just went to church.” The stark contrast between the worship of militarism in the cemetery coupled with the honoring of those perpetrating a Colonial genocide in the name of a “Christian Nation” at the monument to “Custer’s last stand,” and the invitation to peace in the Indian Memorial felt like a three-dimensional illustration of Jesus words,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your Father in heaven. (Matt. 5: 43-45 – NIV)
Joel K
Afterword:
The United States government and the US Army erected memorials to the fallen soldiers of the Battle of the Little Bighorn almost immediately after the battle ended in 1876. However, the Indian Memorial was not created till 1991, one hundred and fifteen years after the last shot was fired. Just this year, President Trump ordered signs telling the story of the American Indians at Little Bighorn removed in an effort to restore “Truth and Sanity to American History.” Historians often point out, and rightly so, that history is told by the victors. The historical version of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, portrayed at the Monument until 1991 and desired by the current administration, tells the story from the losing perspective, albeit through a lens that benefits the ongoing Colonial viewpoint.
[1] There are a few markers of the places where Indian warriors feel in other places in the park, but not visible from this spot.
[1] There are a few markers of the places where Indian warriors feel in other places in the park, but not visible from this spot.
No comments:
Post a Comment