In “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” Wovoka’s vision included a world in which the Native Americans would be able to live freely and in peace; in which the White people would not cause problems in their way of living. This is a general desire among the Natives as more and more difficulties are being put in their way as a result of the Euro-Americans wanting to secure the land for themselves. The Ghost dance was a movement that focused on re-immersing the Native Americans into their original belief systems, which occurred as a response to the forced conversion of many Natives into Christianity.
The Native Americans have a distinct, spiritual relationship with their land, whereas the Euro-Americans wish to use up all of the land’s resources. The Natives take care of their land and give back to it as it has religious importance to them, but they did not believe in the concept of owning land like the Euro-Americans did. In order for the Whites to feel entitled to the land where the Natives are settled on, they dismissed the Native narratives as legends. This was not taken lightly by the Native Americans, whose religion and culture was based on these very same narratives.
Names are extremely essential to one’s life and personality in the Native American culture, so the idea of having to change their Indian names to biblical ones, as to force Christianity onto the Natives even further. By making the Natives change their names, the Euro-Americans are forcing them to distance themselves from their culture and, in turn, assimilate into their own. This is tragic for the Natives, especially for the older generations who are spiritually tied to their names, such as the chief. Spoken language is so essential to their way of life that it created a tighter community for the Natives, as well as more closely connected families. Narratives are passed from chiefs, to parents, to kids, and it continues for generations.
The storyline of Charles represents the assimilation of Native Americans into Euro-American culture. The Battle of the Wounded Knee symbolizes a significant moment of proof in failure of the government’s policies towards the Native Americans, but regardless of the massacre’s demise on the Lakota’s population, they continue to hold on and keep their culture as intact as they can. Though the Natives were portrayed as savages by the Whites, they continued to walk and act with respect and calm, whereas the Euro-Americans, so eager to “own” Native American culture, used violence, greed, and force to get what they wanted.
What you didn't learn in religion class 