Jodi Rave: Wounded Knee Massacre reminders

National

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

"Rowan McQuarrie took a day off work Monday to hold a sign on a busy Missoula street, reminding passers-by of the Dec. 29, 1890, Wounded Knee Massacre, commonly known as the last of the Indian Wars.

McQuarrie stood on the Higgins Avenue Bridge for five hours hoisting a Wounded Knee sign into the air, staying in position until his parking meter expired at 1 p.m. Some people honked as they drove by. Others stopped to visit with McQuarrie and wife Nancy.

“People respond differently,” he said, snow falling upon him. “If they are over 40, they say, ‘That's awful nice of you to remind us.' If they're under 30, they say, ‘Is that around here?' ” The Wounded Knee Massacre took place 118 years ago on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The tragedy unfolded after Chief Sitting Bull was killed by adversaries who were revolted by the Lakota involvement in the Ghost Dance, a religious ceremony sweeping the Dakotas. Sitting Bull's death prompted Chief Big Foot of the Mineconjou Lakota to seek refuge at the Pine Ridge Agency.

It was a bitter journey for Chief Big Foot, who crossed the Badlands with more than 300 band members, mostly from the Cheyenne River Reservation. After traveling for hundreds of miles across the frozen South Dakota prairie, the peaceful group was gunned down by the 7th Cavalry after surrendering by Wounded Knee Creek near the Pine Ridge Agency."

Get the Story:
Jodi Rave: Couple remind drivers, pedestrians of Wounded Knee (The Missoulian 12/30)