Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre was the killing of hundreds of Lakota people by U.S.
The Wounded Knee Massacre occurred on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek in southwestern South Dakota, when U.S. Army troops from the 7th Cavalry killed hundreds of Lakota people, including many women and children. The event, also known historically as the Battle of Wounded Knee, is now widely recognized as a massacre and marked a violent endpoint in the U.S. Army’s campaigns against Plains Indians. It remains a significant episode in Native American history and memory.
Background
The massacre took place during a period of increasing federal pressure on Lakota communities, fueled by U.S. officials' fears of the Ghost Dance religious movement. Chief Big Foot's band was intercepted while traveling toward the Pine Ridge Reservation and was encamped near Wounded Knee Creek.
The massacre
During efforts to disarm the Lakota, a shot was fired and soldiers opened fire with rifles and artillery. The violence lasted a short time but caused heavy casualties among Lakota men, women, and children.
Casualties and interpretation
Modern sources commonly estimate Lakota deaths at roughly 150–300, while about 25 soldiers were killed. Although it was long referred to by the U.S. Army as a battle, it is now generally described as a massacre.
Legacy
Wounded Knee became a lasting symbol of U.S. government violence against Indigenous peoples. It also remained central to later Native American political and cultural movements, including the 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee.
Key facts
- The massacre occurred on December 29, 1890, when U.S. Army troops from the 7th Cavalry killed hundreds of Lakota people, including women and children.
- Estimates of Lakota deaths range from about 150 to 300, while about 25 U.S. soldiers died, many from friendly fire.
- The event is widely regarded as one of the final major violent episodes of the Plains Indians wars.
- Wounded Knee later became an important symbol in Native American remembrance and activism.
The massacre is relevant to Canadian readers as part of the wider history of Indigenous-settler conflict in North America and as a reference point in comparative studies of Indigenous rights, memory, and U.S.-Canadian frontier policy.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Wounded Knee Massacre happen?
Who was involved in the massacre?
How many people died at Wounded Knee?
Why is it called a massacre instead of a battle?
What was the Ghost Dance connection?
Why is Wounded Knee historically important?
References
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — https://www.britannica.com/event/Wounded-Knee-MassacreSupports: Date, location, participant groups, and interpretation as a massacre.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — https://www.britannica.com/place/Wounded-Knee?anchor=ref30798Supports: Wounded Knee location and the 1890 massacre context.
- Library of Congress — https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/native-american/disaster-at-wounded-knee/Supports: Ghost Dance context, sequence of events, and remembrance significance.
- HISTORY — https://www.history.com/articles/wounded-knee-massacre-factsSupports: General casualty estimates, context, and historical significance.
- Encyclopedia of the Great Plains — https://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.war.056.htmlSupports: Death toll range, Lakota victims, and background of the intercepted band.
- PBS — https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/american-oz-lakota-ghost-dance-massacre-wounded-knee/Supports: Burial account and victim breakdown by men, women, and children.