456. Fall of the Sioux: The Massacre at Wounded Knee (Part 3)

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode traces the death of Sitting Bull, the collapse of Lakota resistance, and the Wounded Knee Massacre as the violent end of the Ghost Dance era. It also examines L. Frank Baum’s racist 1890 editorial, the role of U.S. Army and agency politics, and how these events were later commodified, mythologized, and reinterpreted in American memory.

Main Topics: L. Frank Baum’s editorial on Sitting Bull (Priority: 5/5): The hosts open with Baum’s 1890 newspaper editorial, which begins as a eulogy for Sitting Bull but turns into a call for the annihilation of remaining Indians, illustrating the era’s racial brutality and contradiction. Sitting Bull, Mrs. Weldon, and the Ghost Dance (Priority: 5/5): The discussion covers Sitting Bull’s declining authority, his association with Mrs. Weldon, his engagement with the Ghost Dance, and how these dynamics intersected with agency hostility and Lakota internal politics. Arrest and killing of Sitting Bull (Priority: 5/5): The episode reconstructs the December 1890 arrest attempt by Indian police, the confrontation at Sitting Bull’s cabin, the role of his son Crowfoot, and the chaotic shooting that killed Sitting Bull and others. Wounded Knee Massacre (Priority: 5/5): The hosts detail the encirclement of Bigfoot’s band, the disarmament attempt, the accidental or disputed gunshot, and the ensuing massacre by the 7th Cavalry and Hotchkiss guns, killing around 300 people. Media distortion and official exoneration (Priority: 4/5): The episode highlights how journalists and officials framed the massacre as a battle or victory, while military leadership was more critical than civilian authorities, revealing the power of narrative control. Commodification of Native suffering (Priority: 4/5): The story ends with the transformation of Sitting Bull’s cabin and Ghost Dance imagery into entertainment at world fairs and amusement parks, showing how Native tragedy was turned into spectacle. Historical memory and modern reinterpretation (Priority: 4/5): The hosts reflect on how Native American perspectives have gained moral and historiographical prominence, even as the broader consequences of conquest and dispossession remain unresolved.

Key Arguments: Baum’s editorial captures the era’s contradictory attitude: sentimental admiration for Native nobility alongside explicit support for extermination. Sitting Bull’s authority was weakened by reservation politics, internal Lakota divisions, and McLaughlin’s hostility, making his arrest politically motivated rather than necessary. The Ghost Dance was both a spiritual movement and a political symbol of resistance, but it was also used by authorities as a pretext for repression. Wounded Knee was not a battle but a massacre of refugees, including women and children, triggered by fear, confusion, and military overreaction. The 7th Cavalry and surrounding press were primed by mythic revenge narratives, especially the legacy of Custer, which helped turn the event into a bloodbath. Official civilian praise of the army’s conduct contrasted sharply with the reality on the ground, showing how institutions protected themselves through false narratives. Native American suffering was later commercialized and staged for white audiences, turning historical trauma into entertainment. Modern historical interpretation has shifted strongly toward sympathy for Native peoples, though the material consequences of conquest remain severe.

Data Points: Date of Baum editorial: 20 December 1890 - Published in the Saturday Pioneer in Aberdeen, South Dakota, shortly after Sitting Bull’s death Year Baum became editor of the Saturday Pioneer: 1890 - Same year he wrote the editorial calling for annihilation of remaining Indians Sitting Bull death date: December 1890 - Killed during the attempted arrest at his cabin Bigfoot’s band size: about 300 people - The group encamped near Wounded Knee before the massacre Army reinforcements at Wounded Knee: almost 500 soldiers - Including the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Cavalry under Colonel Forsyth Ghost dancers arrested by Miles: 27 - Miles rounded up participants after Wounded Knee Ghost dancers who joined Buffalo Bill’s show: 23 - Their sentences were commuted in exchange for joining the Wild West show Native population identifying with one tribe in the U.S.: almost 4 million - Modern census figure cited in the discussion Mixed-heritage Native population: about 6 million - People identifying as partly Native American Total Native-identifying population: almost 10 million - Combined total cited by the hosts Native share of U.S. population: about 3% - Approximate proportion mentioned in the closing reflection Wounded Knee deaths: about 300 - Most of Bigfoot’s band killed in the massacre Tour date of Buffalo Bill show in Glasgow: final date of the tour - Kicking Bear reportedly addressed the audience in Lakota after the performance

Pivotal Quotes: "The whites, by law of conquest, by justice of civilization, are masters of the American continent, and the best safety of the frontier settlements will be secured by the total annihilation of the few remaining Indians." — L. Frank Baum (quoted in transcript): The editorial’s explicit call for extermination after a sentimental opening about Sitting Bull "It was the most abominable criminal military blunder, a horrible massacre of women and children." — General Miles: Miles’s reaction after learning what happened at Wounded Knee "A Sioux squaw is as bad an enemy as a man." — New York Tribune (quoted in transcript): Press justification for treating women and children as legitimate targets after Wounded Knee

Implications: The episode shows how conquest was justified through racism, myth, and media distortion, and how Native suffering was later commodified. It also underscores the lasting importance of Native perspectives in reassessing U.S. history.