Documentary Review: We Shall Remain: Wounded Knee

This is the last of the five episodes presented by PBS through their program American Experience.  This feels focuses on the take over of Wounded Knee by Oglala Sioux and American Indian Movement activists in 1973.  They occupied the town for 71 days.  Part of their goal was to oust Tribal Chairman Richard Wilson.  They also wanted to reopen some o the original treaty negotiations.  When two of the occupiers were killed by Federal Marshals, they occupiers gave up.  The government never really et wit them, and they arrested many of those involved.  The community had one of the highest murder rates in the country after this uprising, much of this blamed on Wilson and his GOONS, Guardians of the Oglala Nation.  This movie only mentioned briefly the Wounded Knee Massacre.

Documentary Review: We Shall Remain: Geronimo

Geronimo's sneer was from a bullet wound

This is the fourth of a five-part series from American Experience on PBS.  This film points to Geronimo as both a hero and a man whose pride brought down his nation.  Geronimo had a vision in which he was told he would be a fierce warrior and bullets would not kill him.  Many times he was captured and released, or negotiated to give himself up and then changed his mind.  One time he left the reservation after a peaceful medicine man, prophet was killed.  He was known simply as the Dreamer.  He was a peaceful man, focusing on living the Native ways, but also learning to coeXist with the Whites.
Geronimo was the last Native American fighting the Federal Government.  He and his people but a heavy price for this.  I had never realized before the consequences for his people.  The Chiricahua Apache were removed form the reservation and kept essentially as prisoners of war for over 20 years.  They were shipped to Florida, which was very poor for their health as they were use to more arid conditions.  Geronimo and those still with him, about 34 were taken to Florida, and then to Indian territory.  He become somewhat of a celebrity, and even became a part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.  He was in President Ted Roosevelt's inaugural parade.  He asked the President if he could go home, but his request was declined.  He died in Indian Territory, after falling of a horse and contracting pneumonia.

Documentary Review: We Shall Remain: Trail of Tears

This show was hard to watch, but good to watch.  The Cherokee as a people did everything they could to appease the White Easterners.  Many accepted Christianity.  The Cherokee were one of the Civilized Tribes.  Some had Black slaves.  Many lived in fancy American style houses.  They had been granted their land, their reservation if you will.  However, many of their neighbors coveted the land.  However, when Andrew Jackson came into power as president, he came with a mandate from his constituents to remove the Indians to the West.  He was true to this campaign promise.  David Crocket and others opposed him in congress, but this opposition was not successful, and congress passed a bill in 1830 and President Jackson sign the Indian Relocation Act, authorizing him to remove the Indians. 
After passage of this act, the State of Georgia divvied up the Indian territory, and made it available to citizens of Georgia.  They began to push the Native Americans aside, and some were killed.  This issue went to the Supreme Court.  The court ruled that as the Cherokee were an independent nation, the state had no jurisdiction and they could not be removed without a new treaty.  Chief Justice John Marshall said, "The Cherokee nation, then, is a distinct community occupying its own territory in which the laws of Georgia can have no force. The whole intercourse between the United States and this Nation, is, by our constitution and laws, vested in the government of the United States."
However, President Jackson chose not to enforce the ruling of the Supreme Court.  He made it clear he would not interfere with the State of Georgia, and in fact encouraged them to keep the "heat on."  This continued pressure split the nation.  John Ridge and his son and Elias Boudinot argued that removal was inevitable and they should negotiate with the government for compensation for their lands.  John Ross, the tribal chair at this time (John Ridge had been) followed the wishes of his constituents and refused to negotiate a treaty for giving away their lands.  Ridge, his son and Boudinot signed a treaty document ceding their lands for lands in Indian territory, $3 million dollars, and a guarantee of assistance in moving.  This was known as the Treaty of Echota.  It passed the Senate by only one vote.  They left, with about 2000 others before the required date, and were helped to move and reestablish themselves.  
John Ross held out hope of a change in heart.  They gathered a petition signed by almost every remaining Cherokee, about 15,000 signatures.  However it was not to be presented to Congress.  Other matters took precedence, and when the day came for removal, military and locl militia forced Indians out of their homes with just the clothes on their backs.  The rounded them into cattle corrals.  
Some would stay for some time in these corrals, facing the weather as the first group to travel hit illness.  The rest wanted to wait for the passing of the sick season.  They finally began their journey in the Fall.  However the weather caught them.  This season was exceedingly cold, with considerable amounts of snow.  Because of the weather they were delayed, and consequently their food ran out.  Of the 16,000 being forced to travel, a quarter would pass away.  All would suffer hardship, hunger and fatigue.
Cherokee law had been passed stating that if you sold Cherokee land your life was forfeit.  This payment was extracted from Ross sr. and JR as well as Boudinot.
I think it is important to watch this movie even though seeing the suffering is hard.  As a country, we treated the native Americans very harshly.  At one point a commentator said these acts were akin to genocide.  

Documentary Review: We Shall Remain: Tecumseh's Vision, episode 2

PBS Picture

This is the second episode in a five-part Native American PBS series presented on "American Experience."  It was directed by Ric Burns and Chris Eyre.  It using interviews, maps and historical reenactment.  Here we see Tecumseh's vision.  Tecumseh was a leader among the Shawnee.  He never signed a peace treaty with the Americans, but others did which would effect the Shawnee Territory.  He saw it slowly sliced away.  He also saw disease and hunger among his people. However he also saw the might of the Americans, and knew that the Shawnee could not face them alone.  His vision was to form a great Pan American Indian alliance, and to force the Americans to create an Indian Nation with recognized territory.  His brother Tenskwatawa had been less than an honorable man.  He too was sick.  However he recovered, saying he had seen a vision.  Tenskwatawa had seen that the Native People needed to avoid white ways, white clothing and especially alcohol.  Tecumseh saw this as a means to bring people together.  His brother established a following, and Tecumseh provided the leadership.  When his brother successfully predicted an eclipse, his influence greatly increased.  With this new energy, and people of over 20 tribes behind him, Tecumseh confronted the local American leader, William Henry Harrison.  Tecumseh confronted him as one speaking for all the Native American people, that they wanted their property back,which had been illegally sold by others who had no right to sell the property.  Of course these negotiations ended poorly.  Tecumseh traveled south to gain more support from the Creek and the Cherokee.  He also sought British support.  In the mean time Harrison attacked Prophetstown.  Tenskwatawa was in charge, and predicted victory.  Tecumseh had warned him not to be drawn into battle, however some of the warriors insisted they attack Harrison.  they did not have enough warriors nor ammunition to route the 1000 men army harrison had with him.  The abandoned Prophetstown and scattered in the end, both sides having serious losses.  Although the men of Tecumseh's alliance were scattered, they continued the fight.  When tecumseh returned they reorganized.  However it wasn't until they were joined by the British, in the War of 1812, that they alliance looked like it might be successful.  Tecumseh worked well with General Isaac Brock.  Tecumseh provided the needed man power, and Brock the ammunition and support.  Together they had some success, capturing the Fort of Detroit.  Tecumseh proved himself as a strategist and a warrior.  However Brock was killed, and his replacement, Henry Proctor left something to be desired.  He was much less willing to fight.  When Tecumseh's old nemesis headed into the fray with a large army, the British abandoned the field.  Tecumseh gave a mighty speech to him, asking him that if they abandoned the field he leave weapons for his people, because they intended to fight.  They were fighting for their lands.  Tecumseh was killed at the Battle of Thames.

Documentary Review: American Experience: We Shall Remain: After the Mayflower

In this first episode at a series looking at Native American history after the coming of the Europeans deals with the Pilgrims and their relationship with the Wampanoag people.  The Wampanoag had gone through a devastating plague just before the English arrived at Plymouth Rock.  This plague was likely brought to them by European fishermen who had started to have contact with the Native Americans along the coast.  As a result, the English found a territory underpopulated.  The disease had taken a great many lives.  Chief Massasoit watched the Pilgrims with caution.  It wasn't for three months after they landed that the Native Americans finally decided to make contact with them.  Because they had brought their children and wives, it was felt they could be trusted.
This story deals with the many years of peaceful relationships between the British and the Massasoit.  This helped the Pilgrims get established.  The story of the first Thanksgiving is fascinating, as Massasoit attends with many of his warriors.  The bring five deer to contribute to the feast.
There is a period where Massasoit falls ill, and he is nursed back to health by a friend from amongst the pilgrims.  By the first year of the Pilgrims coming to America there was a peace treaty in place between the two peoples.
Before Massasoit passed away he asked the British to give his sons Christian names.  His older son was given the name Alexander, and the younger Phillip.  The peaceful relations between his people and the British would last even beyond his death in 1661.  His son Alexander continued the peace.  However when his next son, Phillip, took over as chief things began to deteriorate.  Phillip (Metacomet) could see that the British intent was to take over, and that his people would only be second class citizens in their own country.  The British tried to extend their laws to his people, and it just didn't fit.  He felt disrespected, and no longer an equal.  Finally he formed an alliance with several neighboring tribes, and initiated a war against the British.  It was very effective against those communities that were not well defended.  Many towns were burned, and many settler had to retreat to larger communities.  However, the Mohawk aligned with the British, and killed 500 of his warriors in an attack.  After that Phillip and his people did not have the strength to carry on.  Phillip visited the community of his youth, where he was killed.  His body was dismembered, and parts given to different people for their part in his death.  His head was mounted on a pike and placed at the entrance to Fort Plymouth as a warning against others who may attack.  His wife and son were captured and sold as slaves in Bermuda.

Documentary Review: An American Experience PBS: Bonnie and Clyde

I have fantasized this story since seeing the movie as a teen.  Bonnie and Clyde were a couple of depression era gangsters out of Dallas, Texas.  The documentary puts the story in a different light than the movie.  However, Bonnie and Clyde did make the most wanted list, are were the only romantically in love couple on the list.  I guess that is the stuff legend and myth are made of.  In reality, they were on the run for a long time, and being on the run is a very stressful lifestyle.  The myth was increased by a roll of film they had taken, with the two in different poses with guns.  During the early days, Barrow was able to out run and out shoot the police.  He preferred the Browning Automatic Rifle, a more powerful weapon than the police.
The Federals and Police were out to kill Clyde Barrow because he he and his gang had murdered policemen.  Bonnie Parker was along for the ride come what may.  The FBI armed their G-Men with machine guns.  Towards the end they even master minded a prison break out as they were short men.  Clyde's brother had been killed, and his sister-in-law imprisoned.  It was the family of one of those new gang members who did Bonnie and Clyde in.  They were making arrangements for leniency for their son, and provided information about a visit Barrow was going to make with the family on a particular date.  This allowed for an ambush.
The ambush was successful, and Barrow was killed with the first two sniper shots, having been struck in the head.  However, the police and G-Men unloaded at least 150 rounds into the care after those first two shots.  There was no hope for either.
They were not buried together, but there was a line of viewers for both.   This was mostly out of curiosity, everyone wanted to see the couple gangsters..