In “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”, the author informed its readers of the history of settlement of the United States. This story is told from the point of view/perspective of the Indians. The settling was at the expense of a group of Indians that went by the name of the Nez Perces. It began around 1805 when Lewis and Clark stumbled upon Nes Perces country (Wallowa Valley). At that time they were weak and hungry, and ill with a disease called dysentery. Instead of the Indians running the whites out of their little country, the Nez Perces welcomed them with open arms. They fed them and gave them a supply of food as well as looked after their horses for many months while the expedition continued via canoe to the Pacific coast. This union led to a friendship that lasted for many years to come.
In 1855 the Nez Perces were invited to a “peace” council. Here, Governor Isaac Stevens of the Washington Territory demanded the Indians give up their home, the Wallowa Valley. The chief of the Indians refused to give up the only home that they have ever known and the land of their ancestors. This eventually led to fighting between the 2 groups. The Indians fought to keep their land and wh
The Nez Perces Chief went to the President and requested that they be allowed to keep their land. President Ulysses Grant agreed closing this land off to white settlement. This promise was rescinded 2 years later. General Howard was sent to make the Indians leave, giving them 30 days to evacuate. The chief asked if they could have until the fall season due to their livestock being scattered all over the Wallowa Valley and the river being too high to cross. The request was struck down and the white general told them that if they stayed over 1 day that soldiers would come and drive them onto the reservation. The Indians were furious and some of them wanted to fight for their home but the chief spoke against this. He decided that he and his people would leave in peace.
One of the author’s main purposes for writing this essay was to tell the story from another point of view or perspective instead of the typical or mainstream viewpoint. In grade school I remember learning about the Indians and whites and their conflicts with each other but I don’t quite remember it being presented from an Indian standpoint but more so from a white or European point. It is always important to be able to hear both sides of a story and you can be sure that somewhere in the middle would be the truth. This essay presented me with that other side. The mode of discourse that the author used was expository. The author cited factual information providing dates and quotes of the chiefs and members of the Nez Perces tribe. One could infer that if a group invited another group to an event call
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