Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: Summary and Recommendation

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is an important piece of literature because it is one of the very few books supporting the Indian cause. This outlook is done using council records, autobiographies and first hand accounts. Each of the nineteen chapters focused on a certain tribe, battle, or historical event. Brown goes into deep detail on each and every topic in the nearly 500 pages. I would not say Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is an interesting read, but can be used as teaching material. Generally very little is known about the terrible genocide done to the Native Americans and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee teaches it.

Unlike a lot of American literature, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee teaches what is not taught in the average history book. This book forces us

Along the way to Pine Ridge, Big Foot was intercepted by the Seventh Calvary and ushered to Wounded Knee. When they reached Wounded Knee they buried Crazy Horse’s heart there by a creek. While disarming the Indians a gun accidentally went off, in reaction the soldiers shot and killed 300-350 Indians. The rest of the Sioux were taken to Pine Ridge for Christmas where a banner hung stating, “PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TO MEN.”

I learned from this book that there is more in the world than my little problems. When I can live my life everyday with this philosophy I will be a much better person. Not only would I recommend this book for someone’s life problems, I would recommend it for someone’s everyday problems. You can’t help but be humbled by Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, and everyone could use a little humbling.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee gives a detailed account on the terrible genocide done to the Native Americans. This people are giving no opportunity to share the land, in fact they are ushered into a corner and then slaughtered maliciously. Some people think there life is horrible, for example: if a person is grounded for not doing their chores they think they have it off terrible. This book was written for these people. I want this person to live in an area for centuries and then have some strange people they don’t know kill them unmercifully.

There are few problems I find with the book. To the average high school student the vocabulary and writing techniques can prove to be a challenge. It seems as if she is writing the same story in every chapter just using different tribes. Actually, she may use this as an affective tool once thought of more closely. She is most likely portraying that no matter where the Indians went, they were quickly massacred. If this was the purpose of her writing style it is properly conveyed, but unfortunately an average student would not understand it.

November 29, 1864 the Colorado Volunteers, lead by Colonel John Chivington, attacked a tribe of peaceful Cheyenne at the Sand Creek Massacre and killed from 150-500 people. In 1868 their leader Black Kettle is killed by General Cluster to put an exclamation point on the battle. In 1865 the settlers tried to invade Roman Nose of the Cheyenne, in the Powder River Invasion. The settlers are humiliated by the Cheyenne, who take advantage of the settler’s low food, clothing and weaponry.

Some topics in this essay:
Wounded Knee, Native Americans, Native American, King Phillip, Dull Knife, Red Cloud, Mexicans Americans, Taino Powhatan, Bear Poncas, Powder River, wounded knee, heart wounded, bury heart wounded, heart wounded knee, bury heart, native americans, powder river, bad day, american history, summary bury heart, roman nose, life horrible, pine ridge, terrible genocide native, genocide native americans,