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Canku Ota |
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(Many Paths) |
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An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America |
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January 11, 2003 - Issue 78 |
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Big Foot Riders Remember Wounded Knee |
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WOUNDED
KNEE, S.D. - In 1968, Birgil Kills Straight had a recurring dream. He
and other community members were envisioning modern people riding horses
down the Big Foot trail in South Dakota. In 1986, Kills Straight decided
to make journey along the trail on horseback to honor the Lakota people
who died in the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. Once word of his ride
got around, others asked to join him. Nineteen riders and two support
vehicles made that inaugural trek. Now, over 15 years later, groups
of up to 250 riders retrace the ride of Big Foot and his band. The ride
takes about two weeks, ending around December 29, the anniversary of
the massacre.
The Big Foot Memorial Ride starts at the site of Sitting Bulls log home, where the Hunkpapa spiritual leader was killed by tribal police 110 years ago; the Standing Rock Reservation unit, also tribesmen, was under orders to arrest him in what many historians consider an over-reaction to the Ghost Dance ferment. The annual ride retraces the route of a band led by Chief Si Tanka (Big Foot), who fled Standing Rock Reservation fearing for their safety. A group of about 100 joined Si Tankas band at Cherry Creek. He led this large group through the Badlands, but federal troops intercepted them near Porcupine and escorted them to Wounded Knee. On Dec. 29, 1890, more than 250 Lakota men, women and children were massacred by the soldiers. According to reports, these rides are not for the weak. The days are long with a fast pace and limited rest periods. While support vehicles follow the riders to set up camp and cook meals, it is expected that the riders feel hardships. These hardships connect the community of riders and sponsor a sense of cultural pride. (These are the following stops along the Big Foot Memorial trail and their historical significance, as presented in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader special coverage of the year 2000 ride.)
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