My town was named after a Native American Chief so it had a heavy influence on some of the lessons including the whole inhumane way we ruthlessly pursued the Manifest Destiny mentality *as a country, not my town in particular.
One of my grandfather’s was Red Cloud. I have lost count of how many times I have asked people, almost always when they are talking about US History, if they know who he was and they don’t.
Red Cloud was the only native chief/general to combine multiple tribes into an army. He is also the only guy to force the US Army to surrender.
Dude was probably one of the most bad ass warriors to ever be born in the Americas but rarely do people know who he is. They know Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse but rarely do they know Red Cloud.
That’s an incredible lineage to say the least. Keep spreading the history that so often goes unacknowledged. It gets suppressed, rewritten, and glossed over all too often.
Do you have have any family memories from your grandfather from that time?
My mother was the first one born outside of the traditional territory or reservation. My older cousins tell stories about how their grandmother (my mother’s grandmother) was a child during that age. She was on her mother’s back when they went looking for survivors of the Wounded Knee massacre. How she remembers sitting on Red Cloud’s lap and making him laugh.
There’s much more painful stuff so those good stories are like medicine. Reminders that even in darkness there’s a little light.
I’m so happy you replied. This has been a really great follow-up. I’ll definitely share your story whenever I can. There’s always a little bit of light out there.
My town was named after a Native American Chief so it had a heavy influence on some of the lessons including the whole inhumane way we ruthlessly pursued the Manifest Destiny mentality *as a country, not my town in particular.
One of my grandfather’s was Red Cloud. I have lost count of how many times I have asked people, almost always when they are talking about US History, if they know who he was and they don’t.
Red Cloud was the only native chief/general to combine multiple tribes into an army. He is also the only guy to force the US Army to surrender.
Dude was probably one of the most bad ass warriors to ever be born in the Americas but rarely do people know who he is. They know Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse but rarely do they know Red Cloud.
I didn’t know about this. Thanks for informing me!
That’s an incredible lineage to say the least. Keep spreading the history that so often goes unacknowledged. It gets suppressed, rewritten, and glossed over all too often.
Do you have have any family memories from your grandfather from that time?
My mother was the first one born outside of the traditional territory or reservation. My older cousins tell stories about how their grandmother (my mother’s grandmother) was a child during that age. She was on her mother’s back when they went looking for survivors of the Wounded Knee massacre. How she remembers sitting on Red Cloud’s lap and making him laugh.
There’s much more painful stuff so those good stories are like medicine. Reminders that even in darkness there’s a little light.
Red Cloud would be five generations away from me.
I’m so happy you replied. This has been a really great follow-up. I’ll definitely share your story whenever I can. There’s always a little bit of light out there.