James Giago Davies. Photo from Native Sun News

Nothing political changes overnight
How deep do the roots of corruption grow?
By James Giago Davies
www.nsweekly.com

Events happened in the 19th Century, beyond the war Lakota fought against the U.S. military, beyond even being rounded up and penned on desolate reservations, events that deeply resonate in our Lakota circumstance today. During the latter decades of the 19th Century, the country was recovering from a bloody civil war, and since the Wasicu had been perfectly willing to fight and kill each other in record numbers, fat chance there would be a sweeping social conscience regarding Indians.

Yes, in 1862 Lincoln had ordered the execution of “thirty-eight Indians and half breeds,” but he had commuted the death sentence of 87 percent of them, as he would eventually start commuting the death sentences of 95 percent of soldiers in the Civil War, and if you really want to place his act in a reasonable historical perspective, if you want to fairly weigh his sense of justice and compassion—imagine what would have happened had Lincoln lost the 1860 election. Imagine what kind of future the Lakota would have had in a country where Black folks were still held in human bondage.

Besides, had Lincoln commuted all 303 condemned Dakota, some crazy nut probably would have assassinated him, not that Lincoln was the kind of president any person would want to assassinate, but a president can be assassinated, so history shows us.

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(James Giago Davies can be reached at skindiesel@msn.com)

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