Journal Entry Native American
Posted: Thursday, December 18, 2008
by Joann Rojero
Journal Entry 1875
The crackling of the fire is the only sound in the wind tonight. This night is a peaceful one with everyone in my village tucked away or preparing for sleep. The moon is big and shining so bright; my mom says this is how the moon appeared on the night I was born, and this is how I received my name, Light of the Moon. I am now 9 years old and my mom says that my name should have been Listens with Open Ears, because I hear everything that I should not hear. Last night I heard our great tribal leader Crazy Horse speaking to Red Cloud and some of the other tribal leaders, of the Oglala tribe of the Sioux Indians, the white man are coming soon they are nearing our lands.
Up until this point we were living as we always have hunting the buffalo and practicing the sundance. We migrated from the North East in a Southwesternly direction in the face of the hostile Ojibwa who had guns from the Europeans (American Indians, n.d). I know in the past the Sioux fought alongside British in the American Revolution War. The leaders have spoken of the eastern tribes moving into the reservations that the white man has set for our oyate (people). My father has discussed the 1830 Indian Removal Act which made all eastern tribes across the Mississippi River to relocate westward through forced migration. Last year in the year of 1874, a rumor was spread by Col. George Custer, he exaggerated that there was gold in the Black Hills. Once this rumor was heard many more white settlers moved onto our lands, forcing the Sioux to move. I remember being cold and the elders refused to pick up and move because it was so cold. My mother says we must make more and stronger shoes for the warriors so they, will be prepared for battle.
Journal Entry 1876
Colonel George Custer is not pleased with my oyate (people) because we refused to leave our village. I hear that the white man is coming to our village to take us out of here and send us to reservations. The warriors prepare everyday and at night they pray and smoke the peyote. Mother says the leaders are wise and one day, the white man will leave our people alone. I then hear my father say to my mother, " Wina, it way mn kte l, " ey. Eh toh wagl ni hha na th po, " ey. This means, "Wife, I think I must go out and hunt." "So don't move in with the tribe if they should go on, but stay camped here until I return" (Ager, 2008). Mother says I have to be prepared for whatever happens. As we continue to prepare the warriors for war, we also wait for my father to return with food. The wait may be a while because the buffalo have not been around very much since the white man entered our territory.
My father has returned and we can, now eat and dance. The elders join again for prayer and call upon the ancestors to help against the white man. The wakanyeja (children) play and sing songs when we are not in lesson. Mother says that our culture must never be forgotten so to learn and teach is very important for the Sioux tribes. She says the white man may try to make us forget our way of life and we must, not allow that to happen.
We were attacked today here at our camp on Powder River. The long haired white man, Custer tried to come in and move us out. Crazy Horse claimed victory here today along with Sitting Bull. The Little Big Horn battle was our victory and the elders are proud, the long haired white man, Colonel George Custer, has been killed. We are the Oglala Sioux and our great leader is Crazy Horse, he is brave and strong. My name is Light of the Moon and I, am proud to be here, but my mother says we will have to move soon because more white man will be coming. After the battle warriors took their families and scattered around the Plains.
The elders have learned of the Ghost Dance, from Wovoka who is a Paiute prophet. This dance will bring back the buffalo and raise our ancestors; when this happens the white man will leave our lands. My father laughs and says that the white man is scared of the Ghost Dance and, they do not want us to sing and dance. My father says that the white man is afraid our strong warriors will band together to defeat them. Sitting Bull is a true believer in the Ghost Dance and informs everyone how important this dance is for our people. Some time has passed since our victorious battle and the United States government has been killing and taking our people out of their villages' little by little. The white man is forcing our oyate (people) to move onto these reservations and assimilate in Southwest Dakota.
We have been living on small areas of land and the hunt for buffalo is much harder now. We must go to one of the reservations to live. Father says the Black Hills have been sold and if we do not move we may starve. Our people continue the Ghost Dance and prayers in hopes of regaining our strength through reaching our lands that once belonged to us. The year is still 1876 and we, now live amongst other tribes even though all the tribes do not get along. Here on the reservation the white man will not listen to the tribal leaders. Mother says the white man only wants us to assimilate so they are making our leaders weak. The white man tries to make us learn their ways just as mother once said to me.
Journal Entry 1881
One of the great leaders of the Sioux, Sitting Bull has returned after escaping to Canada after the Little Big Horn battle, because the white man promised to give him a pardon. Sitting Bull speaks to our people and attempts to make the Sioux understand the importance of not selling whatever land we have left to the white man. Sitting Bull says that we need to continue to practice our religion of the Ghost Dance.
Journal Entry 1887
I Light of the Moon am now 21 years old and I understand the way of the white man now and why my father new the importance of our culture. I am to begin teaching the children on the reservations of our past so it will not be forgotten. The Allotment Act has been passed this year and this act was set forth without the tribal leaders' agreement. The Allotment Act is said to be for the tribal members to own their land individually. The thoughts of the white man are to make each an owner so we, will cross over to white society. The white man does not teach our people how to use the land in order for it, to be productive. Eventually our people will lose the land because they are not able to live off of the land and it, will become possession of white people.
Journal Entry 1890
Today while I was in class teaching I heard some of the other teachers speaking of a battle at Wounded Knee; where Sioux chief Big Foot and his tribal members were camped. Big Foot had been killed and Sitting Bull had also been killed by one of his own people during an attempt to arrest him at the Standing Rock reservation. This news was horrible and saddened our people the battle was also the last of fight for the Sioux people. Although we never had the chance to fight for lands again the attempts made by so many great Sioux leaders we will not be forgotten.
Journal Entry 1934
I am now at the age of 68 and our people continue to mourn our ancestors, between 1800-1900 almost 300,000 Native Americans were slaughtered (American Indians, n.d). Another act has been set forth it is called The Reorganization Act this requires the tribes on the reservations to do as the white people and form an election type of government that holds leaders. I do not know what will come in the future for our oyate (people), but now all we can do is hope and pray for our younger generations. Hoping that the children will grow to be strong and have the knowledge our ancestors strived so hard to instill in our people.
References
Ager, S. (2008). Omniglot. writing systems & languages of the world. Retreived December 05,
2008, from http://www.omniglot.com/writing/sioux.htm
Dobak, W. A. (2005). The Blue Creek and the First Sioux War 1854-1856. Kansas History,
28 (1), 74-74.
American Indians (n.d). American Indians. Retrieved December 05, 2008, from
http://www.nativeamericans.com/index.htm
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Joann,This is a very interesting write, and very educational, I must add.Thanks for sharingThank You very much I enjoyed writing this very much!
Wonderful article. Although I am only part Choctaw, I still love reading and learning about the native Americans. They were a wonderful and proud people. I am proud to call them my ancestors.Thanks so much for a great article, Joann.And Welcome to SearchWarp.SandraThank You I also love to read and learn of Native Americans, I remember my great grandmother before she passed had hair full of silver shine and so long but always refused to cut it she was strong headed and a very proud woman.
Loved it as opart of American Indian History, good job and a story from a different perspective.Thank You! I actually wrote this as an assignment for a class and thought it would be nice to share with other people. The assignment was to act as a member of an indian tribe and write as a journal entry form. I am pleased that you loved it.
I love how you have taken cold historical facts and woven them into a personal story.My job takes me onto a reservation from time to time. The living conditions are not the greatest, but the people are wonderful.I too believe that they are wonderful people, and thank you for commenting on my story.
Hi Joann, I am familiar with the assignment that you wrote this for and if I were to give it a grade it would be 100 (actually 70 ; ). It is evident that you wrote from your heart while allowing your intellect and dedication to academe lead the way. I have always been in awe of the culture that is so tied to the earth and all of nature, which for many can be frightening. As so many of us attempt to control other people, our surroundings, our planet, our universe; we forget our roots and our humble beginnings. Thank you for sharing this.
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