Dennis Spilchuk Poet Verse

Notes About The Poem

Black Hills Legacy

Black Hills Legacy

In the vaults of the U.S. government
Sits a cache of money gathering interest.
But money cannot buy the hearts of a people
In exchange for land and legacy
For breaking the Laramie Treaty.

The Black Hills have been stripped
Of wealth beyond imagination,
A mere pittance in repayment
For stealing without consequence—
An insult to the Sioux Nation people.

“Return the land to its rightful owners,
Compensate the victims for your crimes of plunder,
And respect their existence, their heritage, and their plight.
Free your children of the shame you have inflicted;
Don’t let greed fester in your hearts any longer.
Now is the time; make the wrong right!”
                             ***

Notes:
1) Laramie Treaty (1868): The Laramie Treaty of 1868 established the “Great Sioux Reservation,” which included ownership of the Black Hills located in present-day South Dakota, U.S.A.

2) Indian Appropriations Act of 1876: The Indian Appropriations Act of 1876 was called “Sell or Starve” by the Sioux. The Act cut off rations for the Sioux until they ceased hostilities and relinquished the Black Hills to the government of the United States.

3) Agreement of 1877: The Agreement of 1877 allowed the U.S. government to officially (and forcefully) take away the Black Hills and relocate the Sioux onto Indian reservations. The lands were then opened to settlement and mining without negotiating with the First Nations people.
   There is no record of the transaction of the Sioux selling the land to the United States government.

4) United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians (1980): In 1980, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills had been illegally taken and that the Sioux should be compensated with a sum of $105 million for the Black Hills plus an additional $44 million for the land outside the Black Hills.
   The Sioux Nation refused the payment and demanded that their lands be returned. They say the land is not for sale.

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Tom Cunningham July 24, 2021 at 11:21 AM When I was researching for my poem about Wounded Knee, I came across that piece about the Black Hills and how the Native Americans were forced out of their homelands. What angered me too Dennis was how the slaughter of buffaloes was encouraged to cut off their food supply making them dependant on handouts from the government and forcing them onto reservations so they could be monitored. Typical government response, offer money in the hope they will fade away. Tom Dennis Spilchuk July 25, 2021 at 5:26 AM The irony is that the Black Hills still belong to the Sioux. In fact, most of the treaties signed between the American government and the Native Americans were under duress which brings into question their legitimacy today. Thank you for leaving a caring comment.