The Wounded Knee Massacre, 1890

The Wounded Knee Massacre

The Ghost Dance Sitting Bull’s band joined Chief Big Foot.

In 1890 Sioux rations were cut and their The US Army moved in and they fled their crops were destroyed by droughts. reservation – now they were seen as hostile.

In desperation one Indian had a vision The army caught the Indians in the snow and that if they kept dancing the Great Spirit attempted to arrest them. would bring back the dead and a great flood would carry white people away. The bands began the Ghost Dance and the US army killed 250 Indians in 10 minutes. The army became nervous about rebellion and tried to stop the dance. Men women and children were killed in the They killed Sitting Bull. massacre.

The massacre became a This was the last clash symbol of US The US Government no between the US Army oppression of the longer believed any land and the Sioux Indians Indians belonged to native people

Consequences of the Wounded The US public thought Knee Massacre The Ghost Dance was the massacre was stopped by the justified Americans

The Permanent Indian Frontier was closed. All land was now in US government control

Links back to: Links forward to: Traditional way of life of Native Americans, The Dawes Act, Closure of Permanent Indian Manifest destiny, Life on Reservations, Battle Frontier of Little Big Horn The Wounded Knee Massacre 1890 – Skills Practise

1. Why were Sioux tribes starving in 1890?

2. What dance did the Great Spirit tell one Indian to do in a vision?

3. What did many Indians believe would happen if they did the dance?

4. Why were the US Army nervous about the dance?

5. Who was killed by the US Army?

6. What did his band do?

7. Why were the bands seen as hostile?

8. What did the bands do when they were caught by the US army in the snow?

9. How many Indians were massacred by the US Army?

10. Who was included in the massacre?

You will need to look back to Red Cloud’s War (p. 42) to fully explain this narrative.

Write a narrative account analysing the changing nature of conflict between the US army and Native Americans 1866 - 1890 (8 marks) You may include: Fetterman’s Trap, The Wounded Knee Massacre ______