We are standing in the central gallery of the National Museum of American Indians exhibition titled americans. This explores the nature of the American Peoples relationship with American Indians. Its based on the premise that most American People think they have nothing to do with American Indians and that American Indians have nothing to do with them. We usually exact opposite is true. Americans and American Indians share a deeply in tangled history. This shaped United States of america, and had a profound and Lasting Impact on American National consciousness and popular culture. When standing in the central gallery, which we call indians everywhere you this large gallery is covered floor to ceiling with images. This imagery is pervasive in americans lives. Most American People are conscious that anywhere you look you will find imagery of American Indians. We are offering that this imagery exists as evidence of the deeply entangled history that americans and American Indians share. In exploring the history that lies behind this imagery, we explored three events, the story of pocahontas, the trail of tears, and the battle of little bighorn. Today we are going to explore the battle of the little bighorn. C18 sunday six battle was fought between u. S. Cavalry and an alliance of tribes. It resulted in the death of general George Armstrong custer, who was a civil war hero, and in the death of almost 300 cavalry men. This was the most shocking event of the late 19th century. Within less than 10 years, warriors who were reviled by americans become a symbol of the United States of america. We explore how it is that the battle of little bighorn remained immensely important in the consciousness of americans for over a century, and we explore exactly how it is that imagery of the plane indian warrior in as the stereo typical American Indian and also as a symbol of the United States. All of this to say they will be exploring how the indian warrior was used to justify manifest destiny. Our gallery, which explores the battle of the little bighorn, is divided into two halves. We look at concepts of warfare and what the battle little bighorn was about from their perspective. We look at how it is the americans responded to the battle and how out of this battle emerged the image of the plane indian warrior. There were three immediate factors. One of them was the fact that at this time the u. S. Army is rounding up indians and confining them to reservations. The other thing thats happening is the black hills are being flooded by prospectors and minors. There is new that there is gold in the black hills. President grandsons in a military expedition. He sends this military expedition into the black hills to confirm whether or not theres gold fair. The issue is in the fort laramie treaty, political sovereignty over the black hills was clearly acknowledged. Beyond that the black hills are sacred to the lakota people. The respect and preservation is of a paramount importance. And how concept of leadership fit in to a value system. For a man to distinguish himself as a leader in society, he not only had to exhibit bravery, but he also had to exemplify certain virtues, for example wisdom, fortitude, generosity. These values had to be acknowledged in him and seen in him by others for him to be respected as a leader. In our exploration into concepts of warfare, we have a blowup of unvarnished view of the battle. This ledger drawing behind me was created by a veteran of the battle with red horse. It clearly gets across the brutality of the battle. On the other side of the gallery, we have a muslim paid by another patent a muzzle in a muslin painted by another. It celebrates the lakota virtues and ways of living in the world. Next we are going to look at that muslin painting. This man this painting was painted by a man name strike. He fled up into canada with sitting bull, stayed with sitting bull for four years, at the time this was a Major International incident. The United States wanted sitting bull back in the United States on a reservation. Eventually sitting bull and cattle returned to the United States. Sitting bull was killed by Lakota Tribal police. When he was killed, strike the kettle was with him. Sitting bull was surrounded by his friends trying to protect him. He went on to paint this muzzlingmuslin. Its unique because of its size. The other thing is it does not represent one single event, which is usually what these paintings do. The museum brought up a lifesize photograph of this to work with elders to try to understand what going on in this painting. What they say what they think is going on is that a series of preparations leading up to a ceremony or an event is probably taking place. They point out pairs of pipes and the stems are close together, signifying a ceremony is about to take place. They point out that there are two pairs of wants. These are used in the ceremony, which very loosely translated is a relation ceremony. Its a ceremony in which an individual will adopt a nonkin member of the drive of the tribe and establishes relationship with that person. What the people pointed out is many women are depicted. Perhaps women are being honored. They are saying the event that might be taking place is either a ceremony or womans coming of age ceremony. They say that both of these events and in what is known as a giveaway. They interpret the scene in the upper righthand corner as a giveaway. On the one side are four teepees with a woman standing in front of each. And in the center are horses loaded down with trappings. They are saying these are going to be gifts given away to tribal members. They also suggest all of the symbols underneath the horses represent headdresses. These headdresses will be given to prominent members of the community. What the people say are going on here is not only strike the kettle with painting a way of life as it existed before the reservation period, but that hes also representing everything that is important to the lakota. He is representing lakota spirituality, the importance of kin relationships. Representing the important of generosity as a cultural value. Strike the kettle was a veteran of the battle of little bighorn. He knew that the battle of the little bighorn, as well as all other battles in the late 19 century, they were fought from the perspective because their entire way of life was under assault. Once they were to be confined to reservations, the United States government was determined to prohibit religious ceremonies. They were determined to force look coated stop living their traditional way of lives, to become farmers, to adopt christianity, to send their children to schools, which meant to for bid them from speaking their own languages. Everything that was under assault and everything that was of intense importance to the people the lakota people. This eagle feather headdress is placed right in the center of our gallery. We worked with the lakota elder to interpret the headdress. Duane is a direct descendent of a veteran of the battle. And he is also an educator. As he explained to us, eagle feather headdresses, which had become an iconic american it drip american image, eagle feather headdresses were worn by very few lakota men. They were worn by men who, once again, had to exhibit certain lakota virtues. As duane explained, when men wore an eagle feather headdress, he would only have the best interest of his society in mind when he was wearing it. Each eagle feather that is on the headrest was gifted to the man. And it was gifted to acknowledge some deed he performed. That deed could be a small as sharings ones food sharing ones food with somebody or saving some of life during battle. Each eagle feather represents a moment in what that particular individual was honored by his community. For a man to have an eagle heather that eagle feather headdress, that means he was somebody who was revered and respected within his own society by his own people. While eagle feather headdresses are closely associated with indian warriors and lakota warriors, they are not the only style of headdress that lakota men wore. While this style of headdress would have been worn by some individuals in the battle, and we know this from lakotas own depictions of the battle, we do know that there were lakota men who did where the eagle feather headdress in the battle of little bighorn. It was by no means worn by a great number of men. The other objects are objects that are associated with men. They are wore shirts and shields. The shirts are showing the prides leader the pride leaders had in themselves. They are exclusively decorated with porcupine quills, with horse hair ornaments. We are explaining that the imagery on the shield represents the spiritual being who protects warriors during battle and provide them with power. We are making the point that in the belief system, a spiritual being will only come and help the warrior if that warrior is deemed worthy. You are getting the idea that in lakota society, an individual always has to be able to demonstrate and prove their worthiness. The two sections of our gallery are divided by a curtain, which is covered with imagery of newspaper coverage in the battle of little bighorn. We are interested with the fact that the new spread rapidly, and it spread rapidly throughout the entire country and throughout the entire country as americans were celebrating the centennial of the United States. This devastating news came just as americans throughout the country were sharing in jubilation. Three things made the spread of the news possible. It was telegraph, the fact that they were, for the first time in history of the country, when a major event occurred, newspapers virtually in every territory in every city, and every town. It is also at this time newspapers have started using headlines and of course sensational headlines. All americans are caught up at the same time and news of this devastating defeat is seared interNational Consciousness literally within a few short weeks. This is the period when the United States army is trying to confine American Indians throughout the country on to reservations. Its a period when there are still ongoing battles and skirmishes. Its also a period when the country is feeling very confident that its westward expansionism is virtually achieved in the country is going to be moving forward. The battle for little bighorn was not, by any means, the first utter defeat of u. S. Cavalry officers. But it was the first time there was such a huge defeat that could be telegraphed literally throughout the country and that all americans would understand what had happened from an American Perspective at the same time. The American People want to know the names of the officers who died, they want to know their biographies, the names of the enlisted men. Then they want to know exactly how the battle occurred. They want to see a map of where it occurred, where the soldiers were, where the indians were, then they want to know if any blunders occurred. At no time does there ever seemed to be any interest in understanding the battle from the lakota perspective, or how this battle impacted the lakota. As far as americans were concerned, lakotas were competing whispered that can lakotas were impeding westward expansion. We are looking at how a national shock, the battle of little bighorn, became a national myth, the winning of the frontier where the settling of the west. We are looking at how both the news of the battle and the imagery of the indian warrior literally rode a wave of technology from 1876 into the 20th century. We begin with the telegraph and the spread of the news of the battle via telegraph and newspaper offices and that we look at the wild west show. The wild west the wild west show phenomenon took off in 1883. This is only seven years after the battle. It with the wild west show you get the romanticization of westward expansionism. The wild west shows coincided with the commercialization of entertainment in the United States, in other words, with the emergence of an entertainment industry. Meeting the wild west shows had professional promoters who are in touch with theater managers throughout the country so they could have their wild west shows shown throughout the country. In order to do this they had to have investors, backers who would help provide funds upfront so they could travel and importantly so they could advertise them. These shows really were an Investment Opportunity for the entrepreneurs like buffalo bill and for their backers. The thing is they were these equestrian extravaganzas that very often included reenactment of the battle of little bighorn. Quite often these reenactments were the finale of the battle. Wild west shows were advertised through huge color posters that were created through the latest printing technology. These posters combined many bold colors. They were arguably the most advanced form of Mass Communication in the late 19th century. Invariably wild west posters depicted plain indian warriors, wearing buckskin and an eagle feathered headdress intent on murdering pioneers. Just as newspapers seared news of the battle into the consciousness of americans, the wild west shows and the posters in particular feared the image of the plane seared the image of the plain indian warrior into the National Consciousness and popular culture. With them, they are shaping americas sense of history. In these shows, which are now, just seven years after the battle, at this point the shows and these reenactments become rousing fun. Plain indian warriors are being presented as valley and formidable foes. The are being presented as a foil to justify manifest destiny. Which, from an American Point of view, necessitated confining American Indians and subjugating American Indians. While the wild with shows are still ongoing. The image of the plain indian warrior moved into the 20th century with the latest technological investment. In the battle of little bighorn is portrayed in silent films and in talkies all throughout the heyday of hollywood and 1940s and 30s, technicolor period of the 50s. Well into the counterculture films. With the silent films in 1925, there is a film considered one of the great epics of the silent era. In this movie its made clear in the written dialogue that plain indian warriors in particular were impeding the advancement of white men. This storyline of American Indians standing in the way of progress continues to be told throughout the golden age of hollywood, and even in the counterculture films. The counterculture films even begin to reflect a little bit more. A little bit more what was actually going on in the west. Native people are still being portrayed there are no other people in the world that really others insist on locking them into a certain time. With the battle for little bighorn, with a wild west shows, and with the Motion Picture industry, you are getting images or an image of the plain indian warrior that a stereotypical and always frozen in time. With it all, American Indians, plain indian warriors are being presented always as formidable foes. This is carried on and used by high schools and colleges across the country with their sports mascots. Its carried on in the u. S. Military who named helicopters and weapons after American Indian tribes. People might think they are being honorific. The point is, and the aim of the show, is to get across that there was a history that lies behind this imagery. And this imagery was created and perpetuated as a foil to justify manifest destiny, and to justify confining indians to reservations and subjugating them. Weve titled the section, who really was in the battle of little bighorn . Its complicated. There seems to be a backandforth. It seems the lakota wasnt a battle, but they are confined to reservations. But then they emerge almost as celebrities and as a symbol of america. Who did win the battle . For us, where this rests is with the fact that the lakota continue to fight to this day for the restoration of the black hills. After the battle of little bighorn in 1877 the United States unilaterally took control of the black hills. The black hills that were acknowledged in sovereign lakota territory in the treaty of fort laramie. Ever since that happened, ever since 1877 lakota has been trying, they have been fighting to get control of the black hills. Their fight for the black hills made it to the supreme court. In the 1880s the United States a print that yes the United States of america did illegally seize the black hills. They do not order the United States to return the land, they ordered for the lakota to be financially compensated. To this day the lakota has not accepted this money, because the black hills remain important to their religious belief, their religious ceremonies. Because this is an ongoing history that has yet to be played out