- Details
- By Levi Rickert
In a letter addressed to President Joe Biden, dated just two days before the 134th anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre, Four Directions Native Vote called on the president to rescind the Medals of Honor awarded to members of the U.S. 7th Cavalry involved in the massacre.
The letter, co-authored by Oliver and Barbra Semans, revisits the tragic events of December 29, 1890, when Chief Spotted Elk (also known as Chief Big Foot) and more than 300 unarmed Lakota men, women, and children were brutally killed at Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
For decades after the massacre, the horrific events were misleadingly referred to as the "Battle at Wounded Knee." In an appalling act, 20 members of the 7th Cavalry were awarded the Medal of Honor for their involvement in what was clearly a massacre, not a battle.
The Semans reminded President Biden of the condemnation voiced by General Nelson A. Miles, who described the soldiers’ actions at Wounded Knee as “the most abominable criminal military blunder and a horrible massacre of women and children.”
They also highlighted President Biden’s prior stance on the issue. During his 2020 presidential campaign, then-candidate Biden expressed support for rescinding the Medals of Honor. In a letter to Four Directions Native Vote, dated January 15, 2020, Biden unequivocally condemned the awards, stating:
Four Directions Native Vote: “Do you support the revocation of the Medals of Honor for the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre?”
Vice President Biden: “Yes. The Congressional Medal of Honor is our Nation’s highest award for gallantry in combat, in defense of our Nation’s highest ideals and principles. That this medal was awarded for the massacre of hundreds of unarmed Native Americans, including women and children, is abhorrent to those very ideals and lessens what the award represents in integrity and personal sacrifice for all others who have received it.”
In their current letter, the Semans emphasized that their efforts are not about rewriting history but about seeking justice and ensuring historical accuracy. “We are asking you to acknowledge the events of December 29, 1890, as they actually happened,” they wrote.
The Semans also pointed out that President Biden has the authority to revoke the Medals of Honor awarded for the Wounded Knee Massacre. They cited legislation and correspondence from members of Congress confirming that the president holds this power.
Their letter concluded with a heartfelt plea: “Mr. President, on behalf of the descendants of the Wounded Knee Massacre, and on behalf of all the Lakota people, we implore you to do what is right and just and remove the medals. Only then can the healing process for those Descendants whose relatives survived and those who died at Wounded Knee.”
The call to rescind these Medals of Honor aligns with a growing movement to rectify historical injustices and acknowledge the truth of what transpired at Wounded Knee—a massacre that remains a deeply painful symbol for Native communities.
Four Directions Native Vote is a Native American advocacy organization based on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. The Semans co-founded the Four Directions Native Vote.
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