Weather, spat bring bitter taste to tribute

WOUNDED KNEE — Dangerously cold weather and a confrontation between Gov. George Mickelson and longtime Indian activist Russell Means put a nasty spin on Saturday’s Wounded Knee Massacre memorial.

Fewer than 1,000 people, including the Big Foot Memorial Riders, the press and dignitaries, came to Wounded Knee to pay tribute to the Minniconjou Sioux Chief Big Foot and 300 to 400 of his followers who were slain here a century ago Saturday by U.S. troops.

Organizers of the Big Foot Memorial Ride, which concluded Friday afternoon, had hope more South Dakotans would visit the gravesite and learn the history of the massacre.

But Saturday’s bitter weather limited attendance. The temperature in Rapid City was 25 below zero at 8 a.m. and was expected to rise only to a high of minus 10.

The ceremonies, which began about two hours behind schedule, were highlighted by a human hoop formed by the Big Foot horseback riders. They circled the cemetery atop the hill opposite from where the massacre occurred and prayed in silence.

Indian spiritual leaders conducted a Feeding of the Spirits ceremony, in which they made offerings to their creator. Many descendants of those killed at the massacre left offerings at the gravesite.

But it was a confrontation between Mickelson and Means of the American Indian Movement that garnered most of the attention while spectators waited for the ceremonies to begin.

Means, who spent the week riding on the Big Foot trail, blocked Mickelson’s way into the cemetery. They exchanged a few private words, then the governor walked away.

“He’s having a blast.” Mickelson later said of Means, as the governor sat in the heated truck, awaiting the riders.

“He’s grandstanding just like he always does. He physically restrained me from going into the cemetery. He said I wasn’t welcome here. I asked him who he was.”

After the riders broke their prayer circle, Mickelson entered the cemetery to pay his respects.

Means said he stood in Mickelson’s path because he believes the governor’s efforts to improve race relations in South Dakota amount to little more than rhetoric.

He repeated charges he made earlier this week that Indians living in South Dakota are financially stressed because Mickelson’s economic development policies ignore the state’s reservations.

Mickelson said he walked away from Means to avoid further confrontation.

“He was looking for a conflict,” Mickelson said, noting that Means was flanked by three or four burly friends. “I’m big, but I’m not that big.”

Means and his supporters with the American Indian Movement maintain that South Dakota cannot think about reconciliation until the Black Hills, the spiritual center of the Sioux nation, are returned to the Sioux.

Mickelson reiterated Saturday that ownership of the Black Hills cannot be negotiated.

Mickelson accused Means of disrupting the ceremonies, and said his days as an Indian leader are through.

“AIM is a thing of the past,” Mickelson said. “He does not represent the general mood of the Indians and non-Indians here today.”

Sterling Hollow Horn, 29, who grew up in Wounded Knee but who now lives in Denver, said he resented Means’ presence at the memorial ceremonies.

“He’s a comical farce, “ Hollow Horn said.

In remarks, he prepared for Saturday’s memorial, Mickelson urged Indians and non-Indians to put their differences behind them.

“Today marks a very important point in our past and in our future. As we wipe away the tears, we mark a new beginning. For too long, Indians and non-Indians in South Dakota and throughout the entire nation have lived close together in body, but far apart in spirit. Broken treaties, misunderstandings, mistrust and fear have strained relationships.”

The governor praised the 250 horseback riders who rode through the cold of the prairie winter over the past two weeks en route to Wounded Knee.

The ride began near the North Dakota border on Dec. 16, but most participants joined Dec.23 in Bridger on the Cheyenne River, where Big Foot had camped.

“This year, the harsh cold weather of the South Dakota plains brought to life the reality of the Big Foot journey,” Mickelson said. “The ride has been a prayer and a sacrifice, a wiping away of tears.”

Mickelson declared Saturday Wounded Knee Commemoration Day throughout the state.

The memorial began Friday night at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, behind the cemetery. Parishioners hosted an all-night vigil, and today’s Mass will focus on the massacre at churches throughout the Catholic Diocese of West River, said Deacon Ben Black Bear Jr., the diocese’s director of native issues.

Saturday’s frigid weather forced organizers to move most of the memorial ceremonies indoors to the gym at Wounded Knee District School in Manderson, seven miles from here.

Saturday night, many of the riders met Kyle at the Little Wound School for more ceremonies.