Introduction
Ever since the inception of the US government and its Constitution, the US has always wanted to own the lands that the Indians, who are one of the earliest tribes to settle in America, controlled. The process of owning the lands was through contracts which rid the Indians of their rights and as such there was always friction and tension. The paper, therefore, focuses on discussing the massacres and attritions perpetrated by the US military in the search for supremacy over the Indians and their prestigious lands.
Indian Island Massacre, Wiyot
The Indian Island Massacre is the single most gruesome and inhumane act in the history of the Humboldt County. The attack and massacre were due to the resistance and retaliation by the Indians accrued from the sense of entitlement that the whites felt had over the Indian lands as well as the people themselves. The settlers kidnapped women for their sexual pleasures, kidnapped Indian children and sold them into slavery, and sometimes killed the Indians because they felt like it (Rhode, 2010). Within a few weeks of their arrival in the Humboldt Bay, the settlers had killed a number of Indians and destroyed a whole Wiyot village. However, the military onslaught did not truly begin until the Indians killed whites such as Henry Larrabee and Wallace Hagans. The onslaught wiped out mounds of Indian men, women, children, and cattle. Ultimately, the massacre elaborated on how the Americans considered the Indians as inferior people subsequently exhibiting their murderous attitude towards them.
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The Sand Creek Massacre, Cheyenne
The massacre took place in 1864 in the Colorado territory perpetuated by 700 United States soldiers against Indians who ranged between sixty to two hundred. The massacre led to the death of between seventy to a hundred and sixty-three Indians. On the contrary, the US soldiers only suffered 24 deaths, and 52 wounded. The reason for the massacre was mainly territorial which led to the violation of the Fort Laramie Treaty by the US. The treaty initially allowed the Indians to control a huge territory of land, but with Pikes Peak gold rush of 1858, the US forced a renegotiation of the agreement which reduced the original Indian land to one thirteenth of the original size. Even though the Southern Cheyenne chiefs agreed to the treaty to protect their people, some of the Indians were not happy and as such resisted the whites. Due to the resistance, the US army commanded by Colonel Chivington and directed by John Evans, the Colorado governor, descended on the Indians especially in the Cheyanne camps. The Massacre saw the death of Indian women and children who the soldiers inhumanely mutilated. The killings elaborated the US inhumane and oppressive attitude towards the Indians.
Skeleton Cave Massacre, Yavapai
The massacre took place at the Skeleton Cave which was a rock shelter that resulted from an overhang. The massacre occurred in 1872 and was perpetuated by the US army in a bid to get rid of resilient Yavapai Indians who were taking refuge in the cave deep in the Arizona desert. The US used and hired thirty native Indian scouts who served as trackers. Under the cover of the morning darkness, together with the scouts, the hundred US soldiers opened fire on their 110 foes killing a number of them. Moreover, some of the soldiers positioned above the cave overlooking the Indians rolled huge boulders on their foes brutally crushing the Warriors. Women and children hiding were killed by bullets ricocheting around the cave walls. Finally, the Soldiers took over the cave and killed any surviving Yavapai Indian. In essence, the US soldiers treated the Yavapai Indians as enemies following a long clash between them over their lands, and it is this attitude that led to the massacre.
Wounded Knee, Lakota
According to Eyewitness to History (1998), the massacre took place on 29 th December 1890 at the Wounded Knee Creek. The US soldiers had surrounded the creek and had orders from General Miles to arrest Big Foot who was the leader of the Indians. However, the massacre ensued when a scuffle erupted between a US soldier and a deaf Indian called the Black Coyote. Consequently, when the soldier tried to disarm the Indian, the firearm went off. In reaction, the Indians reacted first rushing towards the soldiers. However, the Hotchkiss cannon artillery was fired off killing a hundred and fifty Indians including Big Foot and subsequently wounding 50 more inclusive of women and children. Regardless of the US suffering 25 deaths and 39 casualties, the massacre was unnecessary, and the brutal attitude of the US soldiers saw the death of innocent Indians.
Similarities and Differences
The conflicts and clashes over territory and land owing to the gold rush significantly propelled both the Indian Island Massacre and the Sand Creek Massacre. In general, all the massacres were directly and indirectly initiated by the US military due to their oppressive nature forcing the Indians to retaliate then killing them. The Skeleton Massacre and the Wounded Knee were similar in the sense that the Indians were running away from the soldiers and in both cases were innocently killed. Regarding differences, while the US soldiers in the other massacres relied on their brute numbers, they relied on native Apache scouts to track and kill the Yavapai Indians US soldiers during the Skeleton Cave Massacre. In addition, the Massacres took place in different locations and at different times. However, all the killings took place in the 19 th century, and most casualties were from the Indian side with the soldiers suffering minimal deaths and injuries. Elaborately, in all the massacres, the US soldiers were brutal and inhumane especially the Skeleton Cave Massacre where they threw boulders to crush the warriors.
Conclusion
The massacres were brutal and exhibited the inhumaneness and hatred attitude of the Americans towards the Indians. In addition, no one was ever held responsible nor incarcerated for the crimes that were committed. In fact, those charged with inhumane killings were later on exonerated.
References
Eyewitness to History. (1998). Massacre At Wounded Knee, 1890. Ibis Communications. Web. Retrieved from http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/knee.htm
Rohde, J. (2010). Genocide and Extortion. North Coast Journal. Web. Retrieved from https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/genocide-and-extortion/Content?oid=2130748
