Stories about the White Man

Confession from Hehaka Sapa, also known as Black Elk Chief of the Sioux Oglala regarding the White
man :“The Wasichi seat us in these square rooms , that they called dwellings. Our power died and we are
dying, because our power was defeated. Look at us children and to understand what happen to us. When
we still had power, boys became men at the age of twelve or thirteen. But now they become much too late
men. This is it and we cannot change anything. We are trapped at war and we stay here and we wait our
faith. But there is another life beside this one.”1

Elizabeth Nuage was an old Native American woman, of the Wintu tribe, among the few surviving tribes
from North California: “The White Men never care about the land, or about the deer, or about the bears.
When Indian killed a creature they did it to eat its flesh. When we look for roots, we dug small holes in
the earth. When we set fire to the grass, we did so to get rid of the locust. We shook the tree with care
even the pin for its fruit. We did not tear the tree so they could fall to the ground. We only used the wood
that was already dead. But the White Men would dig the land to much, they would knock the tree to the
ground, they would kill everything. The Tree would tell the:” Do not do this to me. Do not torment me.
Do not hurt me.” But they would knock them to the ground and cut them to pieces. They cut the tree with
saws. This made the trees suffer. The Indians did not hurt nor did they torment anyone, but the White
Men would destroy everything. They would blow up the stone; they would shatter it and then waste the
land. The Stone would say: “Do not do this to me. Do not hurt me.” But the White Men Did not cares.
When the Indians would use rocks, they would use a few round boulders for a fire pit.

Why would The Earth Spirit love the White Men?! Everything that the White Men would touch it turned
to pain and sorrow.”2

S-a spus de multe ori, si timpul a confirmat-o, din pacate, ca istoria s-a scris, in cea mai mare parte a ei, in urma
razboaielor si a ciocnirilor violente dintre civilizatii. O axioma simpla si cinica a evolutiei, in care cei mai slabi au
fost intotdeauna asimilati sau exterminati de cei mai puternici si, in care, justetea actiunilor a fost transata prin forta
armelor de partea invingatorilor.

Probabil ca pentru multi dintre cei care citesc acest articol, conflictul dintre pieile rosii (nativii nord-americani) si
grupurile de colonisti europeni metamorfozati in cowboy, inca mai reprezinta acel element tipic filmelor western
sau al romanelor de aventuri scrise de Karl May sau James Fenimore Cooper. In fond, o intreaga literatura
sprijinita, mai tarziu, de grandioasele productii hollywoodiene, avea sa ajute la formarea imaginii idilice a unui Vest
Salbatic bantuit de grupuri de pistolari rebeli aflati vesnic in conflict cu autoritatile si cu sangeroasele triburi de
indieni, de atacuri asupra diligentelor si de spectaculoasele curse dupa aur.

Realitatea este insa alta. Dincolo de pitorescul Wild West-ului comercial se afla unul dintre cele mai tragice si mai
controversate episoade din intreaga istorie a teritoriilor nord-americane. Un episod in care nici timpul, nici
mistificarile si nici macar otelul armelor nu au putut sterge din memoria colectiva tabloul masacrelor comise, de cele
mai multe ori, in numele civilizatiei.

1
Piatra Bizonului,171
2
Piatra Bizonului .,159,160
It has been said many, many times that history is mostly written blood, in conflict and war
between different civilizations. And unfortunately this is the sad truth. Where in many case the
weak civilization is assimilated or even destroyed by the more powerful one.

For many people the struggle between the Native Americans also known as “red skins” and the
European colonist , that later became “cowboys”, still represent that typical western genre that is
depicted in movies or novels written by authors such as Karl May or James Fenimore Cooper.
The grand productions of Hollywood offers an idyllic image of the Wild West, one filled with
gun slinging rebels that are in constant conflict with authorities and then there are the blood
hungry Indians that are always attacking the pioneers.

Really is anything but this. If we look past the commercialized wild West we can see one of the
most tragic and controversial episode of history from North America. A part of history that no
matter how much time passes cannot eras the uncountable crimes done in the name of
civilization.