Making things right

Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills, South Dakota

The United States of America will celebrate its 250th birthday in four short years.

That occasion should be the cause of great celebration and reflection. It should trigger an overwhelming humility and gratitude across the nation, renewing citizenship, obligation and responsibility.

The birth of the American republic is among the most momentous events in the annals of human history. It represents a rupture in history and the beginning of a new one — where freedom became an incandescent force in human affairs. The imperfections of the United States are rooted in the failings of the human spirit and heart. They are rooted in man’s imperfections and hypocrisies. What are we to make of the fact that the greatest truth written in human history, “all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with inalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” was penned by a slave owner? Does the hypocrisy overwhelm the truth? It does not.

The American story is filled with tragedy, evil and hypocrisy. Overcoming mankind’s inhumanity to man and the evil of dogmas and doctrines of subjugation has been integral to the American story and the endurance of the American experiment. That fight continues. Making things right is difficult when contemplating injustices that are beyond the reach of being fixed and beyond the lifespans of any of the participants.

A nation that is invested more deeply in fighting about its past than building its future is as doomed as one that can’t remember its past, and is thus blind to its future. The reconciling of the past with the present and future is a difficult undertaking when giving consideration to atrocities that remain unspeakable to this day. While nothing shattered can be fixed, the shattering can be acknowledged. Debts can be settled that allow for new beginnings.

Renewal is a cleansing. When it is possible to seek redress for a grave injustice, a great nation should seek it. There are symbolic and material amends that can be made. The 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States should be an occasion for reconciliation with the grave and great injustices done to America’s Indigenous people.

There are symbolic acts that could have great meaning, but there are two specific actions that would have meaning beyond any rhetoric and would offer a new beginning.

Symbolism remains important, but it has limitations. Symbols have no meaning to the party that has received nothing but broken promises from the people who offer them. This is where action is required. Beyond symbolism and words, it remains possible, rarely, to set the past right, to correct great breaches of promises and law,  restore justice and dignity, as well as hold accountable individuals who must be held to account.

The Wounded Knee Massacre, in which hundreds of Lakota women, children and men were murdered by the United States Army, must be addressed. It must be addressed because twenty Medals of Honor were awarded to the murderers. There is a long history in the United States for retroactively stripping the medal during the period where it was errantly and loosely awarded. The Medal of Honor is the highest valor award the United States can bestow on an American. Every hour of every day that it remains in place for the Wounded Knee murderers is a desecration and a self-inflicted wound on the integrity, honor and righteousness of the Armed Forces of the United States. Simply, it is a disgrace.

The massacre, though, is only part of the story. It is much deeper. The next part is what can be redressed in the next four years.

The United States of America signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868 with the Oglala, Miniconjou, and Brulé bands of Lakota people, Yanktonai Dakota and Arapaho Nation. It established the Great Sioux Reservation, including ownership of the Black Hills, and set aside additional lands as “unceded Indian territory” in the South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and possibly Montana.

This land was what the Sioux called Paha Sapa, meaning “Black Hills.” The Lakota Sioux consider them to be the center of their universe and where their culture began.

The treaty was one of more than 500 that was broken by the federal government.

The center of their universe was among the most beautiful places on the North American continent. They were the home of the seven Lakota Sioux tribes by treaty agreement that was smashed to pieces when gold was discovered in the Black Hills.

What resulted was Custer’s defeat, the revenge and massacre by the US Army and subjugation of the Lakota nations to reservation land outside the boundaries of land considered sacred by the tribes.

The US Supreme Court awarded compensation to the Lakota nation in 1980 with the United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians decision. It awarded the Sioux more than $100 million for the land.

The Lakota have refused to touch the money that has sat in an interest-bearing account, and has risen to a value of over one billion dollars. The Lakota don’t want the money. They want the land. They want what is theirs, and they should have it.

The federal government of the United States should enter into a last treaty negotiation with the Sioux Nation. This treaty should hold. It should return the sacred lands of the Lakota by giving the tribes full control of federally-controlled national forest land. The open access of these public lands should be preserved for all time, but they should be controlled by the Sioux Nation. The transfer should happen on July 3, 2026.

The Medals of Honor awarded for the massacre of men, women and children should be revoked.

It doesn’t fix everything, but it is more than words. It will make the Union more perfect. That is worth celebrating.