Joined: Aug 2005 Gender: Female Posts: 681 Location: Sisseton SD
Whitestone Hill Massacre Site « Thread Started on Sept 20, 2009, 9:35am »
Editorials –
Sota guest editorial –
Open letter to North Dakota Historical Society, Whitestone Hill Organizers
I recently visited the Whitestone Hill Massacre site. We came for the Friday Educational Day. I brought two students from Tiospa Zina Tribal School. Recently, we have been learning about the Massacre that took place September 3, 1863. It was a massacre on hunting bands of Dakota and Lakota. We came in Thursday evening and camped. Very beautiful night, nearly a full moon. We missed the riders that had made the long journey by horseback, they had spent most of the day Thursday at Whitestone to honor their relatives that were massacred.
On Friday morning as the students were waking up and getting out of their tents, we heard across the lake and through the fog a bugle call. I thought I was hearing things. My stomach turned. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Surely, this is just some little joke. We packed our tents and drove to the other side of the lake. As we pulled near the base of the monument, I was horrified to see men dressed in Civil War uniforms, women dressed in long skirts, blouses and bonnets of the Civil War era. I didn't want to get out of the car. I was in shock, and I was becoming very angry.
Captain Furnas and his troops slaughtered 300 non-hostile Dakota and Lakota men, women, children, and babies. They took hundreds of women and children prisoner and sent them to Fort Thompson. They burned 400,000 pounds of buffalo meat and destroyed other supplies.
An elder Dakota descendant that I was with said " Let's go ask that soldier if I can see his gun". We giggled. Somehow, it was a way to help us cope at that point. She wanted to get out and take a look at a table that had some books for sale – see if they had any photos of her ancestors. We then went to go find one of those Civil War re-enactors. There was one soldier way up at the top of the hill near the large monument. From where we were standing, he looked like a sharp-shooter. Very intimidating for this Dakota elder. Thoughts just flooding her mind. Did they still view this Massacre as a victory? Do they think it was such a great thing that they want to reenact it?
We decided to talk to one of the re-enactors at the bottom of the hill. As we got closer to him I could see him squirm a bit. He had several large wooden rifles. She asked if he was selling them. He said, "No, I use them with the children in my demonstration."
We looked at each other and thought the same thing . . . He is teaching the children how to shoot Indians? Just then another group of children were coming. The kids had 15 minutes at each learning station. As we walked away we heard the soldier shout orders at the children. I thought I was in the Twilight Zone. At that point we decided to leave. We had enough "education."
I think re-enactors should be banned at any Indian battle site. It is in such poor taste. This was never a military camp. There were no drilling of troops here. There were no white women in bonnets here during this massacre. There was only murder by the United States Military and the destroying of Indian property to put them all in a sudden state of starvation. Shame on you for allowing such behavior to be perpetuated.
Re: Whitestone Hill Massacre Site « Reply #1 on Nov 10, 2009, 5:47pm »
I posted a request on another site about Whitestone Hill. I was wondering, is there anyone out there who would be interested in getting a group like thing together to go and get the site reworded, and maybe ask the people that goto Whitestone Hill and dress up like soldiers etc. The place is not and should not be turned into a Mountain Man randevoues..however you spell it. We don't dress up like our ancestors and go do an re-enactment of Sioux fight in 1862. I just think that it is wrong. But I would be interested in helping get a group formed, and maybe we could do this. It is interesting. I did find that trying this type of project you need to get other historians involved...i found out this hard truth in working on the Killdeer Mountain site. Our own, historians, when not promoted before the site, never showed up or wanted to help anymore because, well they were not promoted. I hope to avoid all that..like a said a group together. Well, if anyone is intersted let me know. Because I think it is time to try and do something for this site. I know dedications were done, but you harldy ever hear about this site, even amongst us Sioux. It is something that is never talked about. c_bear_f@yahoo.com is my e-mail address. I would be very intersted in getting a project like this off the ground. I will even talk with my friends at the NDSHS, well see who is still there from when I worked on the Killdeer Mountain site. But, anyone interested?
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