- TAKUWE

The title of this educational exhibition is a single Lakota word, "takuwe," which translates as
"why" in English.Thefocus of the exhibition is the 1890 massacreof Lakotas at Wounded Knee, but
it does not begin or end with the killings. Its intent is to begin with positives and to close with a call
to action.The exhibition is divided into seven chronological sections.

The first section, BELIEF, expresses the spiritual context of the Ghost Dance. ASSASSINATION
focuses on the early morning killing of Sitting Bull on December 15, 1890.TREK covers the journey
of Spotted Elk (Big Foot) and his people from along the Cheyenne River toward Red Cloud's
community in Pine Ridge Reservation.
The central section of the exhibition, MASSACRE, portrays the senseless killing of innocent
Lakota children, women and men on Monday,December 29, 1890,at Wounded Knee.

INTERVAL covers the period of time from immediately after the massacre through January 2,
1891. INTERMENT concentrates on the January 3-4, 1891, burial in a mass unmarked grave of the
Lakotas whose bodies remained on the site.
The final section, PROPOSAL, offers an opportunity to reflect on the complex legacy of the
massacreand looks forward to the ways in which Lakota citizens and tribes will continue to fittingly
commemorate Wounded Knee.

While developing this exhibition, we ran across an evocative illustration by Mary Wright in
1891 of the Wounded Knee killing field. She created it nearly a year after the massacre.It shows a
treeless expanse with sticks stuck into the winter ground, each marking where a body had fallen.
According to David Grua, in SurvivingWounded Knee,"Another visitor to the site, Lieutenant

1h1
One "';@{ Wane,
Augustus W. Corliss, likcewisedescribed 'seeing the entire field covered with short sticks flying flags.
The Indians had gone there and located the places where their relatives had been killed and marked
them with flags:"

These memory sticks touchingly commemorated those who were killed;they also were powerful
reminders that the killing continued far beyond the immediate vicinity of where the tragedy began.
Twelve years later, a survivor of the massacre,Joseph Horn Cloud, dedicated an impressive granite
monument alongside the mass grave that still stands there today. He designed it and funded the
majority of its $350 cost. Over 5,000 Lakotas attended the May 28-30, 1903,ceremony.

Lakotas havecontinued to commemorate their slain kinfolks in countless ways, including rides and
reunions. Recognizing that many may wish to participate in this new exhibition, the exhibition
incorporates something akin to the memory sticks.These are small artboards, each 5 inches square.
The hope is that up to 300 citizens of Lakota nations today will commemorate the slain at Wounded
Knee by each creating an artwork on one of these squares.

When Takuwe initially opened, over one hundred squares submitted by students of all ages,
inmates, lay persons and professional artists were exhibited. Their names are listed on the last page
of this catalog and their squares are on the back cover. Their participation is appropriate because
Lakotas of all walks of life were indiscriminately killed at Wounded Knee in 1890. These Takuwesquare
artworks are an ongoing component of the exhibition.

The core visual artworks, songs and poems that comprise this exhibition were created by
forty-six Lakota artists who live in fourteen states and two provinces. Their geographical
dispersement is evident by the locations of their current homes which is indicated on the map on
the facing page.They are citizens of five of the seven Lakota tribes and first nations.Twenty-two are
citizens of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, nine are citizens of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, nine are citizens
of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, four are citizens of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and two are citizens of
the Wood Mountain First Nation.

Some of these artists have enjoyed long careers in the arts, others are emerging artists. Some
live in metropolitan areas whereas others live in rural reservation settings. Some have visited
Wounded Knee, others have not. They range in age from their twenties to their seventies. The
variety of media, styles and genres of their artworks reflects the diversity of the artists themselves
and of the breadth of artworks that constitute Lakota art.

Images of the twenty-eight visual artworks that these artists created for this exhibition are
displayed on Pages 34-47 of this catalog.The seven poems are presented on Pages 19-30 and the
seven songs are represented by waveform images on Page 33. Waveforms visually represent the
changes in amplitude of the songs over the course of their runtimes. There is a Drop Card on Page
31 that provides online access to digital recordings of these songs. These songs, plus recordings of
the poets performing their poems, can be downloaded for no additional cost.
The text of the exhibition's seven chronological section panels is presented on Pages5-17.Their
format begins with the section title followed by a brief descriptive paragraph.The BELIEFand PROPOSAL

ll.77
Two '\P, Nunpa
sections, because they cover longer periods of time than the other five sections, do not include the
daily weather data that is presented in ASSASSINATION,
TREK,MASSACRE, INTERVALand INTERMENT.Across
the seven sections, first-hand accounts by Lakota narrators are presented in red, italicized text.A
list of resources accessed in developing these panels and the rest of the exhibition is on Page 51.

Exhibitions such as Takuwe are only possible if artists are willing to share their talents and
creative insights through their artworks. As is evident on the following pages and in visiting the
exhibition, they did so at a very high level. Similarly, exhibitions such as this one can only be realized
when museums are not only willing and able to host them, but proactively encourage and support
their development. The Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies deeply appreciates
our exhibition partners for their central roles in developing Takuweand sharing it with their visitors.

Finally, to the incredible artists whose works grace this exhibition, a heartfelt Wopila Tanka.
Thank you very much for undertaking the emotional work of creating artworks tied to such a tragic
and inexcusable event.

+
+
+

101
Three ";fl{ Yamni
 Site of Sitting Bull's assassination
December 15
+

Mouth of Cherry Creek where Big Foot's men

Big Foot's camp meet with Sitting Bull's people on December 19
December21 +
+
-t Big Foot's camp December 18-20
Big Foot's camp
December 22-23

+Badlandspass December 24

Supper break near Kyle

+December 27
Where Big Foot met the soldiers
December28
Wounded Knee +
+

Four
]117Topa
'\p,
Searching for Prayers and Dreams
to escape the ultimate reality
they searched for dreams
they thought were lost
yet those dreams through prayers linger
gathered in a spirit parfleche
in sage and tiny scarlet prayer bundles

those dreams survive

they rise like mists along
White River, eons old
embraced by the sun
in each rattling leaf of the
sun dance tree
in each pine scented valley,
and bits of Bad Lands dust
they rise in the winds
laced with memories
and stories forever old

those cherished dreams

defied each massacre,
assassination of each leader
endured each challenge
those dreams linger in prayers
laced in our language
heartened and revived
in our traditions
protected by wowacintanka (fortitude)
embraced in the beauty and magnitude
of prayers and dreams

LYDIA WHIRLWIND SOLDIER

Rosebud Sioux Tribe

Nineteen 1,,1 Ake napcinyunka

 Assignation with Sitting Bull

Bullet Hole in Cabin

Bullet Hole in Head
Bullet Hole in Cabin
Sitting Bull is Dead

Tolerant ofWovoka Dreams, Emerging from the West

Tolerant of Catholic Prayers, Forays from the East
Tolerant of Ghost Dance, High Stepping from the West
Tolerant of McLaughlin, Prancing from the East

Western Canon Intruders,

Pressing on Fate
Piercing Sun Dancer,
Defender of the Gate

Bullet Hole in Cabin

Bullet Hole in Head
Bullet Hole in Cabin
Sitting Bull is Dead

Assassination of Crazy Horse, Pictograph Finger Painted on Granite Wall

Assassination of Sitting Bull, Horse Foundered by Straight Cut Still
Assassination of Buffalo Bull Who Sits Down, Family Members Fall
Assassination of Crazy Horse, Blue and Red Soldiers' Killing Shrill

Sacred Pebble Returned to Ground,

Collapses to His Knee
Surrendering a Rifle
Future Dead at Wounded Knee

Bullet Hole in Cabin

Bullet Hole in Head
Bullet Hole in Cabin
Sitting Bull is Dead

Black-White Horse and Sorrel Colored Bull,

Protectors and Practitioners: People, Lands,and Ways
Parts of !Lakota Communities and not Singular Souls
National Indian Defense Association Allie.s,Annie Oakley

Sacred Pebble Returned to Ground,

Collapses to His Knee
Surrendering a Rifle
Future Dead at Wounded Knee

Twenty \' Wikcemna nunpa

 Bullet Hole in Cabin
Bullet Hole in Head
Bullet Hole in Cabin
Sitting Bull is Dead

Black-White Horse and Sorrel Colored Bull,

Keepers of Sun Dance Dreams: Pipe, lodge and Quest
Embarrassed to be Singled Out, Not a Western Fool
Death and then, Land Acquired by Renegade Bequest

A Value of Satisfaction,
Protectors of the Land
Future Generations,
Natural and Cultural Lands

Bullet Hole in Cabin

Bullet Hole in Head
Bullet Hole in Cabin
Sitting Bull is Dead

Rendezvous with Sitting Bull Means to Perpetuate Lakota Nation

To Visit Lakota Lands.
Rendezvous with Sitting Bull Means to Touch Heritage and Tradition
To Go Past the Single Man

A Value of Satisfaction,
Protectors of the Land
Future Generations,
Natural and Cultural Lands

Bullet Hole in Cabin

Bullet Hole in Head
Bullet Hole in Cabin
Sitting Bull is Dead

Buried Hearts at Wounded Knee, Buried Heads and Souls

Hands Reaching Sunward, Blue Waters of the Sky;
Blue Pebble Falling to Ground, Behind a Horse's Eye

Blue Pebble Creating Circles in Grand River Rocks and Poles

Hands Emerging from the Ground, Feet Stepping into Sky;
To Sit, to Rise,to Stand,to Sink to Western Sty

Embracing lnyan's Creations

Lakota Never Die
Embracing lnyan's Creations
Lakota Fre to Cry

PATRICK LEBEAU
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe

Twenty-one !,,
r Wikcemna nunpa ake wanji
The Ballad of the Salt Rider
Far from his Cheyenne River camp In olden days, before these days,
He rode with riders west, When all this land was awe,
Salt Riders of the tribal Plains The people traveled all about
This was his first ride west. Even to SiHasapa.
Far west to Mniskuyeton, Above the weary couple· shone
Land of Wovoka's throng, Celestial shooting stars
Sang songs he heard to bring back home To guide them on their dream-like way,
The legions of buffalo gone. Bright witnesses afar.
Far west to Mniskuyeton, Through frozen mat of tufted grass,
Where dancers danced and prayed: Dwarf sagebrush, prickly pear,
Return to us,Wakan Tanka, And headless stem of flowers spent
For we have been betrayed. Of dormant prairie bare.
So filled he was with heart rejoiced, Deep Solstice night and days that passed
He leapt atop his mount Across a secret sky,
And sang his way to Killdeer camp Until the false spring turned about
Crier of good his wont. When frozen crystals fly.
Provisions packed in parfleche bags, The still warm air gave way to cold
His wife with yet unborn, As the couple reached the crest
They set out bound to spread the word, Of flat stones helter-skelter peak,
His promise so foresworn. This butte renown for rest.
They rode due e:ast along the Grand Oyasin, all are welcome here,
No sign post points the way, Around them flew big crows
No soft-worn path is visible, And tracks led to the hidden door,
No memory astray. A refuge, cave, repose.
To Sitting Bull's camp to learn of death Inside, a wolf with pups, a bear
Wicasa waste, dead, Asleep far to the rear,
And four police, a few days later. The she-wolf gave them full retreat,
SiTanka'sband had fled. She knew of winter's fear.

Too late to join, they trailed behind, Outside the driving snows did blow
So deep in grief, they walked With force to uproot trees.
Passed Oak Creek then traveled south. They would not reach the Hapless Ones,
Afraid that they were stalked. Nor would their prayers appease.

Twenty-two '\., W1kcemna nunpa ake nunpa

Instead, a dark foreboding hue
Cast stillness on the earth.
North winds fell calm; new stars burst forth,
And mother's love gave birth.
Soft stifled cry, sweet mist of breath
Among the flat-top buttes,
For there was one and then was two,
Both named for one Paiute.
We are the Stars; we are Wican,
Believingthrongs are free.
SiTankadied, but Hope still lives.
Remember Wounded Knee.
lANNIKO L LEE
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe

Mniskuyeton: Great Salt Lake

Wakan Tanka:Great Spirit
Wicasa waste: Good man
SiTanka:Big Foot
SiHasapa:BlackFoot
Oyasin: All, everyone
Wican: Star People

Twenty-three "'.., Wikcemna nunpa ake yamni

 MASSACRE -Wounded Knee Creek - Monday, December 29, 1890

Chief Big Foot ti Mrs. Big Foot ti Horned Cloud ti Mrs. Horned Cloud ti William Horned Cloud, son
ti Sherman Horned Cloud, son ti Pretty Enemy,niece ti Mrs. Beard, daughter-in-law n Thomas Beard,
grandson ti Shedding Bear ti Trouble In Front, son ti Last Running ti Red White Cow, daughter n
Mother-in-law of Sheddiing Bear ti High Hawk ti Mrs. High Hawk ti Little Boy, son ti Little Girl,
daughter ti Whirl Wind Hawk ti Mrs. Whirl Wind Hawk ti Young Lady, daughter ti Young Girl,
daughter ti Little Girl, daughter n Little Boy,son t1 Little Boy, son ti He Crow ti Pretty Woman,
daughter ti Buckskin Breech Clout ti Running in Lodge, son ti White Feather, son ti Little Boy,son n
Bear Woman, the oldest woman in the band ti Crazy Bear ti Elk Creek ti Mrs. Elk Creek ti Spotted
Chief, son ti Red Fish n Mrs. Red Fish n Old Good Bear ti Young Good Bearr ti Mrs. Good Bear n
Little Boy, son ll Pretty Hawk ll Mrs. Pretty Hawk ti Baby Pretty Hawk ti Mrs. Lap ti Shoots the
Right ll BadWound, son ti Bear Parts Body ti Little Boy, son ti Brown Beaver ti White Beaver
Woman ti Black Coyote ll Red Water Woman ti Sun In The Pupil ti Mrs. Sun In The Pupil ti Henry
Three, or Pretty Bold Eagle ti Iron Eyes ti Mrs. Iron Eyes ll Has a Dog ti Red Shirt Girl ti Pretty
Woman t1 Albert Iron Eyes ll White Day t1 Little Boy,son ll Charge at Them ti OldWoman,mother
ti Mrs. Iron American n Mrs.Yellow Buffalo Calf ti Louis Close to Home ti Cast Away and Run ll
Bad Braves ti Red Horn ti Winter ll Strong Fox ti Mrs. Strong Fox ti Little Boy, son ti One Feather
ti Little Boy, son ti Without Robe ll Old Man Yellow Bull ti Mrs. Old Man Yellow Bull ti Brown
Woman ti Shakesthe Bird ll Red Ears Horse ti Shoots with Hawk Feather 1:1 His mother ti Ghost
Horse ti Little Boy, son ti Chief Woman ti Mrs.Trouble in Love ti Hat ti Baby boy ti Mrs. Stone
Hammer ll Little baby ti Wolf Eagle t1 Good Boy,son a Edward Wolf Ears Little Girl t1 Shoots the
Bear ti Kills Assiniboine ti George Shootsthe Bear ti Mrs.Shootsthe Bear ti Kills Crow Indian ti
Little Body Bear ll Mrs. Little Body Bear ti Little Boy, son ti Baby girl ti Red Eagle ti Eagle Body,
daughter t1 Little Girl t1 Little Elk t1 Mrs. Little Elk t1 Black Shield's little girl t1 White Wolf t1 Red
Ears Horse, sister ti Old Woman, her mother ll Wood Shade ti Mrs.Wood Shade ti Running Stand
Hairs ll Mrs. Running Stand Hairs ti Young lady,daughter ti Scabbard Knife ti Mrs. Scabbard Knife ll
He Eagle ti Mrs. He Eagle ll Edward He Eagle,son ti Young girl, daughter ti Young boy, son ti Log ll
Mrs. Log ti ReallyWoman, son ti Brown Hoops ti Little boy, son ti Young girl, daughter ti Mule's
daughter, young lady ll Red Other Woman ti Black Flute.s,young boy ti Takes away the Bow ti Gray
in Eye ti Mrs. Drops Blood ti Young boy, son ti Little boy, son ti Old Woman ti Mrs. Long Bull ll
Young girl, daughter ti Spotted Thunder t1 Swift Bird ll Mrs. Swift Bird ti Boy, son ti Boy, son ti
Strike Scatter ti Boy,son ti Wolf Skin Necklace ti Last Talking, old woman ti Not go in Among, son of
Hailing Bear, and Her Good Medicine ll Wounded Hand ti Comes Out Rattling, wife ti Big Voice
Thunder ti Mercy to Others ll Long Medicine a Broken Arrow ti Mrs. Broken Arrow ti Young Man
ti YoungWoman ti Brown Turtle ll Old Woman, mother ti Bird Wings ti Not Afraid of Lodge ti Bear
Comes and Lies ti Wears Calf's Robe ll Yellow Robe ti Wounded in Winter, son ti Mrs. Black Hair
ti Bad Spotted Eagle - a Cree Indian ti Mrs. Bad Spotted Eagle ti White American ll Long Bull ll
Courage Bear ti Mrs. Courage Bear ti Fat Courage Bear ti George Courage Bear ti Black Hawk ti
She Bear,wife ti Weasel Bear,daughter

The.seare their names.

They do not fit comfortably in a sentence or even on a page declaring 185 dead and
those are just the ones found of the 300+ killed and

Twenty-four \, Wikcemna nunpa ake topa

 who could be identified specifically or, if not, as young man, young woman,
young boy, young girl, boy, girl, old woman, baby,sister, brother, son-in-law ....

FAMILY! COMMUNITY! OYATE!

These are their names other than the patriarchal 'Mrs.' given to the wives
when we know these women had their own name, their own identity, their own sense of self.
But that was then and that was how their names were recorded.
These are the names written in the colonial English
when the original language held all the glory and meaning of dreams and respect
given in honor of who they were.

Monday, December 29, 1890

The day a shot burst the uneasy air beneath a flag of truce.
From where? By whom? Different stories. Different perspectives. An accident?
A misunderstanding. to be sure.
But the consequence was an ending met in the need to survive, to escape.
Women and children racing across the open fields, with child, with their children.
Men moving in another, in an opposite direction like a fox leading the threat, the menace,
the enemy away from the precious, the sacred.

The Cavalry.
No! No one was surrendering to the dogma soaked,
Custer leftovers who,
on that grey December day,
outnumbered, in weapons and body but not in spirit, the Lakota
of the Mniconjou, Oohenunpa, Sihasapa,ltazipco and Hunkpapa oyates and
visitors from other tribes.

Soldiers carrying out a random, unplanned,unmilitary-like responseas shootings and deaths

of their own resulted from friendly fire.
All in the midst of them running over, chasing down, tracking. and methodically killing.
maiming and subjecting our people to horrors we need to remember.

To remember so we can tell our story.

Tell our perspective with our emotion and the credibility of our truth.

This is our story. It is time for us to bring it to light.

It is time to talk about the killing of our elders, the holders of our history.
The killing of our warriors, our protection. The killing of our women, our heart.
The killing of our children, our future.

This was a documented slaughter because of a certain kind of pride taken

in annihilating a group of people who had willingly given up their guns and
who were prepared to be escorted to a safe and welcoming community among the Oglala oyate.

Twenty-five '\., Wikcemna nunpa ake zaptan

 Who does this?
Who kills old men? Old women?Young women with child?
Who talks a group of young children
into believing they are safe and
then brutally, purposefully, tears them apart before each other
as the next and the next one dies and it is done?
Who does this except out of fear?
Who fears a group of unarmed, outnumbered people?
The enemy.The enemy who fears a ghost, holy or not.
Who leaves the victims to freeze alone or piled up or tossed aside in the snow
that was so pure just hours before in the belief
that it would be undisturbed except for the trail to safety?
What did the trees, rocks, grass, and wind see that day?
Theirs was the same terror and dismay in the two-legged's contempt for the keepers of this land.
Historical trauma remains.
It holds that memory lest we forget the cries of pain and loss
that were quieted and lay frozen at the sight of a massacre
on an unwilling place of encampment.
Wounded Knee Creek it was then.
Wounded Knee Creek it remains.
RoNYA Jov GALUGo-HoBLJT
Oglala Sioux Tribe

Twenty-six "', tin Wikcemna nunpa ake sakpe

.P,
The Dark Side of December

A chasm exists for Lakotas between Christmas and New Year,

between Christian and Savage,
between red and white
Burned into our hearts, our minds, our memories,
even if we weren't there.
December 29, 1890.
Wounded Knee Creek, the earth, stained red
with the blood of our peoples.
If you listen you can hear the terrified cries of innocent babies,
moccasin and boot alike, running.
The staccato "pop" and crack of firearms
Muffled thud of bodies falling to the ground
souls torn from bodies;
only to be bound to earth, trapped in a memory as bitter as the December winds.
Forever burned into the collective unconscious
Of every Lakota since that day.
Please,celebrate your holidays,
ring in your New Year.
But send a prayer, a song,
a whisper, for mothers, sisters, babies, brothers and husbands lost.
Heinous, tragic,
everlasting...

MARY BLACK BoNNET

Rosebud Sioux Tribe

Twenty-seven 1,, Wikcemna nunpa ake sakowin

Root My Heart At Wounded Knee

I feel them "Give up your land,

Falling upon my surface and we won't kill you."
like snowflakes "Live on this reservation,
Bullets take and we won't kill you."
Their lives "Stop dancing, stop singing,
Each unique and we won't kill you."
They melt We won't kill you
And their hearts We won't kill you
return to me They sing to those who flee
Wounded Knee from
Wounded Knee
I try to be a soft place
to land Such treaties
But the land Make it easy
is closed For fat takers
for the season To see lives like lands
of white And resource extraction
colonizing my every Becomes target practice on
curve and crevice The bodies of those who
their menace Only want to protect me
leaves me Survival is the priority
bruised You throw your hands up
abused Wave a white flag
scarred and hope
I am a deathbed Surrender doesn't make you
For these hearts An easier mark
I hold like fruit Now the Oceti Sakowin are
forced too soon slowly dying
from the tree Of survival
atop The denial of life
Wounded Knee stains the frozen ground
like a smear of war paint
I measure this time
Across the bloody
As a singer at a drum Wounded Knee
Wailing to the sound
Of so many thumps Sometime later my
No rhythm just frozen arms
The echo of broken promises are pried open
On ice inch by inch
A dream heist six feet
Set to a soundtrack of gloom 300 bodies
With a Hotchkiss base beat The stink of
They sing Destinies

Twenty-sight \' Wikcemna nunpa ake saglogan

And doctrines Under
And discoveries Wounded Knee
And fear
My earth covers these bodies
Fuels the digging
A blanket
A grave seems to be the only place
I smile to myself as I tuck them in
Indigenous people are allowed to gather
The enemy doesn't understand
En mass
Cant understand
Interred
That they sow the seeds of resistance
In massacre
A persistent force that can never
The fat takers give their promises
remain buried
Back to the Lakota
I know the slow, steady ways of the root
And bodies back to me
an unceasing undergrouind ceremony
Wounded Knee
A spreading memory planted anew
I accept Blooming
This forced sacrifice into resistance
As a gift Counting coup
The Pte Oyate are returning home And screaming into the face
Not alone Of white supremacy
But accompanied by the scars and wounds MY DREAM IS OLDER
on their skin THAN AMERICA
Skin the same shades of warm hills and AND SHEWILL BE HERE LONG AFTER
prairies So I will hold these hearts
Marked skin that tells me Like I hold all sacred seeds
they lived lives worth fighting for And watch their roots spread
And my brother To one day grasp hold
the Creator Of all that's been settled
will know them all as worthy Returning the burdens
of rest like all decaying things
They fill me Tome
With death Wounded Knee
and in death, life
TATE WALKER
I turn to their waiting spirits above
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
And say through the crisp, winter air
"Rejoice, relatives, for your bodies are
welcome below
"Return your spirits to the stars
"And watch this ultimate offering
"Fertilize the next seven generations!'
Their hearts sink into me, not buried, but
Composted
Soiled beauty

Twenty-nine ""..., Wikcemna nunpa ake napcinyunka

The Proposal
1890
the date shakes through me every time i hear it
taking me back to the screams and blood as though i were actually there
we are transported by our DNA
feeling it creep through us
in constant reminders as we pass by the grave site
reminders as we breathe in the cold wind chill every Pine Ridge winter storm
drifting through trailer windows
i am transported back
they say there were mostly women and children
women, the cultural bearers
children, the leaders of the next generation
livingresistance, the last free Lakota
do you know what its like to feel your ancestors under your skin?
do you see the shine of their guns in the 20 medals the 7th Calvary were awarded?
do you honor them?
placed on your mantels
with passed down stories of how grandpa killed the last free Indians.
Let us heal.
walk me through Wounded Knee
in thoughts of resistance
resilience
survival
sink my feet irnto ground that moccasins dance over
hearing their heart beat under a drum
i want to propose a place to heal.
give me a plac,e to mourn.
Not a grave 5 feet deep, 6 feet wide, 72 feet long
give me a plac,e to make sense of it all
a way to honor them
and let us heal.
AUTUMN D.WHITE EYES
Oglala Sioux Tribe

]1]7
Th •,rty " '-.P, w·k, cemna yamn,•