Deception as a theme in Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee
... result, they often had no way of verifying that the paper they signed included the correct terms of their agreement and were surprised when they found out later that the treaty included additional terms. When the government could not get the desired land by diplomacy, it often ignored past treaties and took the land by force. For example, at one point, a number of Native-American tribes came to a council with U.S. commissioners to talk about building additional transportation routes through tribal lands. However, during this council, a regiment of Army infantry arrives, and the Native-American assembly realizes ‘‘that the United States government intended to open a road through the Powder River country regardless of the treaty.’’ Brown reports that Red Cloud stated in the council: “Great Father sends us presents and wants new road. But White Chief goes with soldiers to steal road before Indian says yes or no!’’ In addition to treaty violations, Americans also made false promises, such as agreeing to keep the peace when they had no intention of doing so. One of the best examples of this deception is the massacre of Cheyennes at Sand Creek. Major Scott J. Anthony tells the Cheyennes that if they return to their village at Sand Creek, they will be safe. Anthony arranges it so that two additional men, known to be peaceful, go to the village in an attempt to “lull the Indians into a sense of...