... of the time. I never had a ne dress. Once a year e ould persuade somebody to drive us to the Catholic mission for a basement rummage sale. Sometimes e found something there to put on our feet before it got cold, and maybe a second-hand blouse or skirt. That as all e could afford.Marys mother and grandmother are Catholics and grandma and just as her doughter has and ould have done she tries to raise their grandchildren as hites, because like her doughter she thinks that is the only ay for them to get ahead and lead a satisfying life. So she doesnt teach them the traditional ay of life or the Sioux-language. If Mary ants to hear the old tales of arriors and spirits she goes to some relative traditional Indians like Elsie Flood, a niece of grandma and a strong turtle oman. She has a big influence upon Mary. In 1976 she is found beaten to death in her home. Her death never has never been investigated.Like all Indian children Mary Cro Dog is sent to a boarding school and like all Indian children she hates it.i...s p.29. Although the old tiyospaye has been destroyed, in the traditional Sioux families, especially in those here there is no drinking, the child is never left alone. It is alays surrounded by relatives, carried around, enveloped in armth. It is treated ith the respect due to any human being, even a small one. It is seldom forced to do anything against its ill, seldom screamed at, and never beaten. That much, at least, is left of the old family group among full-bloods. And then suddenly a bus or car arrives, full of strangers, usually hite strangers, ho yank the child out of the arms of those ho love it, taking it screaming to the boarding school. The only ord I can thing of for hat is done to these children is kidnapping. Even no, in a good school, there is impersonality instead of close human contact a sterile, cold atmosphere, an unfamiliar routine, language problems, and above all the maza-skan-skan, that damn clock - hite mans time as opposed to Indian time, hich is natural time. Like eating hen you are hungry and sleeping hen you are tired, not hen that damn clock says you must.Premature Mary quits school and then spends her time in reservation tons. hen she is fourteen or fifteen she is forcefully raped by a good-looking young man, ho is about tice her eight and a foot taller than she.Together ith friends she gets drunk and high and together ith them she steals in storeshops. At that time she doesnt have any aims in her life. She leads a ild and restless life ith her friends until she gets to kno the American Indian Movement AIM at a poo at Cro Dogs place after a Sun Dance in 1971. There she also sees Leonard Cro Dog the first time, ho holds an emotional, impressionable speech. After Mary joins AIM she stops drinking.She gets married to an AIM member but the marriage soon breaks up. Birth control is against the Indians belief and so her husband leaves her pregnant.As a member of AIM Mary takes part in a huge protest march. Lots of caravans, each lead by a spiritual leader or a medicine man ith his sacred pipe, go to ashington.i...s p.84. Our caravan started from ounded Knee. This had a special symbolic meaning for us Sioux, making us feel as if the ghosts of all the oman and children murdered there by the Seventh Cavalry ere rising out of their mass grave to go ith us.The Indians ant to organise a peaceful march on ashington to dra the attention of hites to their problems. Despite of their intention they take over the Bureau of Indian Affairs BIA - building and stay there for a eek. They formulate tenty Indian demands, but these ere all rejected. The police, ho surrounds the BIA-building, gives ultimatums to evacuate it, but the Indians, ho are all determined to fight and die for their culture, ignore them and prepare themselves for a fight. Also Mary Cro Dog is ready to fight and die in order to keep the old Indian tradition and customs alive.Finally a compromise beteen the government and the AIM-Indians is reached, although the Indians cant achieve their aims.i...s p.91. The government said they could not go on negotiating during Election eek, but they ould appoint to high administration officials to seriously consider our tenty demands. Our expenses to get home ould be paid. Nobody ould be prosecuted. Of course, our tenty points of vie, nothing had been achieved. As usual e had bickered among ourselves. But morally it had been a great victory. e had faced hite America collectively, not as individual tribes. e had stood up to the government and gone through our baptism of fire. e had not run. As Russel Means put it, it had been a helluva smoke signal!For Mary Cro Dog the happenings at ounded Knee in 1973 started in Rapid City. hen she is pregnant in her eighth month she takes part there in a demonstration of the Sioux against the racism for hich the city has become notorious. During the demonstrations at Rapid City a lot of Indian get arrested. hile fights beteen Indians and hites break out in Rapid City streets and bars, a Sioux by the name of esley Bad Heart Bull is stabbed to death by a hite man in front of a saloon in Buffalo Gap, a small hamlet not far from Rapid City.The case is tried in Custer and upon Custer converge many AIM end OSCRO people to see justice done. In the early February 1973 they arrive in Custer, elcomed by a huge sign for the tourists ELCOME TO CUSTER - THE TON ITH THE GUNSMOKE FLAVOUR, on another billboard stands SEE THE PAGEANT, HO THE EST AS ON!.hen the Indians come to kno, that the murderer of esley Bad Heart Bull is only indicted for second-degree manslaughter and probably ould go free, everyone is shocked and angry of not seeing justice done and so a fight breaks out, hich lasts from morning until midafternoon. Many Indians, among them Marys sister Barbara, are arrested, but not Mary. She leaves Custer to go back to Rapid City.The AIM members dont have much time to rest because the OSCRO people in Pine Ridge need help against ilsonas goons. But hen the caravans arrive there, everything seems to be all right and peaceful again. So they dont kno ho to react - there is still no definite plan for hat to do. First they all assume that they ould organise a march to Pine Ridge ton, the administrative centre of the reservation, the seat of ilsons and the governments poer. But upon mature consideration the AIM people decide to go to ounded Knee, because Pine Ridge is garrisoned by ilsons goon, the marshals and the FBI and they dont ant to be slaughtered by them.On the 27th of February 1973 they arrive at ounded Knee and begin to prepare the place for a fight.i...s p.127. Our message to the government as Come and discuss our demands or kill us.Mary Cro Dog decides to give birth to her baby at ounded Knee in the natural ay, because she neither ants to loose her child, nor be sterilised after delivery, like it has happened to her sister Barbara and to many other Indian-omen. Moreover she doesnt ant a hite doctor touch her.The to thousa...
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