The Native Warrior at the Battle of the Little Bighorn - Research Paper Example

? The Native Warrior at the Battle of the Little Bighorn It was not easy surviving at this time of the year. Things were taking critical turns such that it was continuously becoming difficult to survive. With many impending dangers and the many army patrols that I was seeing, life was scary especially as a warrior as many people depended on you. You had to deal with the enemy and anyone from the east coast was considered an enemy. Our life in the northern plains was simple. What mattered to us most was our nomadic lifestyle which we cherished like any other person would cherish their culture. It meant a lot to us because everything we did was aimed at protecting our culture as well as our livelihood. The plains we lived in mattered the most to us and we saw this as home and any disturbance was seen as a threat to the survival of our culture as well as our people. It all began when our leaders, forced by the U.S administration of the time, agreed to the terms of a treaty which was meant to create a large reservation system. This meant that we were going to give up our nomadic life and culture as we were forced into reservation and boundaries that ensued meant that we could only operate from certain regions.i This was because of the many conflicts that arose due to our culture and the interaction we were having with settlers and many of the rail road surveyors. As a warrior, I was used to the nomadic lifestyle and moving from this to a more stationary life was not something that was interesting to me. I, therefore, joined many of the other warriors and leader who rejected this treaty.ii There was no way we could be forced into the reservation system and wait on the government subsidies. Many of us, warriors, and other hunters refused the reservation system idea and were not party to the treaty. I remember Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, who were our leaders, were the very first people to reject this idea as it meant a death to our culture and way of life which we were ready to protect.iii We, therefore, continued with our lives and in so doing came into conflicts with many of the settlers time and again. As a Lakota warrior, I took pride in fighting enemy tribes that passed through our lands and accepting the treaty was going to stop our escapades. Tension began to grow in early 1875 when Custer came over into the already established reservation system. His aim was to map the area ad to locate a suitable place which was to be used in the construction of a military post. He also came to conduct an exploration of the natural resources in the area. Luckily for him, he stumbled upon gold deposits. Word went round about this and we all came to know about the gold deposits in our land. Immediately, a proposition was made by the US government of buying the land and this was rejected by the Lakota leaders. I remember tension growing in the Black hills as there were lots of people who had come as a result of the news about the gold.iv Things became even tougher when the commissioner of Indian affairs demanded that people return to the reservation system. This was rejected by many of the people. This is where our lives took a different turn. I came to realize later that the matter was forwarded to the army. As the US Calvary planned on attacking us, we were also planning on retaliatory attacks with our crude weapons. A group of over 1500 warriors was already stationed to counter the threat that was eminent from the US army. Many of our leaders had information concerning the plans that were underway of attacking us.v The aim of attacking us was to force us to return to the great Sioux Reservation. We were considered hostile and thus the army was seen as the only strategy that could be used to get us to cooperate. I learnt from others that about 879 men were being prepared most of who were the 7th cavalry. I was not worried and this is because of our great number which gave me hope and confidence that we would win any battle that could ensue. Our people moved to the plains in the regions of Powder, Rosebud, Bighorn and Yellowstone rivers. We camped there because the place was a productive hunting ground. It was the usual time for our sun dance festival and, therefore, many people as well as the warriors were around. I was still in the plains waiting for the next sun dance ceremony when I heard of the Sitting Bush’s dream about or vision for that matter about soldiers falling down in his village. According to him we would emerge victorious if we were attacked by the US cavalry. It is the vision that encouraged me and the other members who were also prepared to fight the US army to reclaim our land and our culture.vi On the eve of the battle, on 24th June, word went round that the US cavalry had been spotted near the Wolf Mountains and was advancing slowly to the village with a possibility of a night attack. Tension grew as groups and warriors began to align themselves and to take positions on which side they would attack the army. I was psyched up rearing to go. The population of about 8000 people was in the plains and we had moved closer to the Little Bighorn River. I established that the army was only 12 miles away from our camp and thus the battle was scheduled to begin any time.vii It was possible that we would be ambushed anytime from any angle and thus, preparation was highly important at this time. We organized ourselves into a great army of between 1500-1800 warriors. The Cheyenne warriors also merged with us making us a strong army. It was difficult to predict anything at this time and I was really scared of the soldiers because of their sophisticated weapons. Despite the fact that we had the numbers, we did not have the sophisticated weapons of the industrialized world. Our bows and arrows could not do much given the guns that were carried by the army. This did not deter us and I proceeded with the preparations to attack the army. It was not clear how or when we would be attacked but we knew the attack was eminent any time. I was among the people who were caught unawares though we were already prepared for the battle.viii The group of about 150 men advanced down the river towards as swiftly. We quickly rushed to fend off the attack. The commander of the troop reorganized his troop before they began firing at us. It was a tough battle but the US cavalry could not stand the advancing warriors. It became too difficult for them to move towards us as we continued fighting hard. The commander realizing that he was being overpowered ordered a retreat to the bluffs east of the river. Seeing this initial victory we moved forward and likened the chase to a buffalo hunt. We rode down the troopers as many soldiers who were left behind continued to suffer in the hands of the other warriors. Heavy casualties were incurred in the process as we continued the chase. We shot the soldier at close range and pulled them from their saddles onto the ground causing deep cuts and injuries (Scott & Connor, 1986 46).ix Many died in the process and only a few managed to escape. The plain was filled with tears and blood, bodies strewn all over. A number of our warriors also perished during the attack. The soldiers crossed the river and struggled to climb the steep bluffs and began regrouping again at the top. The soldiers at the top of the hills were demoralized with only a few survivors remaining. Downstream there was continued gun fire as our warriors continued to fight the other group of soldiers. Sensing defeat, they all climbed up the hills (Scott & Connor, 1986, 48). They could not do much as they were all surrounded by Indians and many other warriors were still in hot pursuit of them. They were held under siege for the rest of the night until the following day when the village began moving to the south. The battle was not over yet. Early the following day, the remaining soldiers were heavily battered. Their bodies were stripped naked and mutilated. All of the soldiers were killed in the battle led by their commander Custer. Some of the survivors who tried to escape after they were corned at the top of the hill were also killed in their attempt to escape. They were stabbed to death as others were clubbed and slaughtered mercilessly. It was a huge victory and the village continued down the plains in search of a good place to settle away from the battle ground. Life is still difficult at this time with the village recovering from the attacks and the death from the battle. Notes Read More