What is Dee Brown's thesis in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and how does he support it?

Dee Brown offers a new and heart-wrenching view of the settlement of the American West. The thesis is in the book's subtitle—Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West. The book covers the West from 1860 to 1890 from the view of the American Indian. Brown argues that previous histories of the West focused on the fur traders, gamblers, cowboys, cavalrymen, homesteaders, and other colorful characters. "Only occasionally was the voice of an Indian heard," Brown writes. In his important book, Brown revolutionizes the history of the West by giving the Indian his voice.

It was not easy for Brown to uncover their words. There were some late-nineteenth-century interviews with Indian survivors of the Indian Wars, but many of them are dubious because of poor interpreters or the Indians' reluctance to speak freely.

Therefore, Brown relies on the histories of the formal meetings between Indians and white men. Indian leaders spoke honestly during these meetings, and their words were recorded. The author uses these words to "fashion a narrative of the conquest of the American West as the victims experienced it."

Dee Brown's very successful and poignant book was made into a film in 2007.

In his book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West, we can actually find author Dee Brown's thesis clearly stated in the introduction. In the introduction, he states that many myths were generated about conquering the American West, and these myths were spoken by folks such as "fur traders, mountain men, steamboat pilots, goldseekers, gamblers," etc. These myths have helped generate the vast number of history books that have been written on the subject. The one voice on the subject that hasn't been heard is that of the American Indian, or as he phrases it, "Only occasionally was the voice of an Indian heard, and then more often than not it was recorded by the pen of a white man." Hence, we can see his main purpose is to express the voice of the American Indian.

But Brown continues from there to speak of all the ways in which the Indians' voices were recorded, though not always accurately, during the conquest of the West. For example, their voices were recorded through interviews for newspapers and through interpreters translating as they spoke in public meetings. He importantly notes, "Most Indian leaders spoke freely and candidly in councils with white officials, and as they became more sophisticated in such matters during the 1870s and 1880s, they demanded the right to choose their own interpreters and recorders." He further states that in writing this book, he used "all of these sources of almost forgotten oral history," and he did so in order to capture the "conquest of the American West as the victims experienced it" and to give readers a "clearer understanding of what the American Indian is, by knowing what he was."

Hence, we can expand our point above to say that his purpose is to capture the American Indian's voice in order to give the reader a better understanding of the Native American by looking at who the Indian was prior to and during the conquest. So, yes, while painting the atrocities of how the Native Americans were treated is a part of his purpose, it's definitely not his main purpose; that's more of a secondary point. His primary point is to express the voice of the Indian in order to show who he is.

One example that illustrates his main message can be seen in his recording of the voice of Maneulito, chief of the Navajos. For years, Maneulito led warriors in a resistance against the US military, which planned to force the Navajo people to relocate from what is now Arizona to Bosque Redondo, New Mexico, a relocation that became known as the Long Walk. Brown records Maneulito as saying he refuses to leave "My God and my mother ... I was born here. I shall remain. I have nothing to lose but my life ... I have never done anything wrong to the Americans or the Mexicans. I have never robbed. If I am killed, innocent blood will be shed." ("Chapter Two: The Long Walk of the Navahos") Through this speech alone, we can hear the devotion, the eloquence, and the heart and mind that Brown is trying to capture.

What is Dee Brown's writing style in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee?

Brown combines third person omniscient narration with first-person commentary, allowing him to present both factual information and personal reactions to the events described in the book. The third-person narrative is presented in standard English; quotes from real people reflect educational levels, familiarity with the language, and the deep emotions coming out of the situations. In pleading with the Commissioner, Red Cloud summarized his concerns and requests.

We are but a handful, and you are a great and powerful nation. You make all the ammunition; all I ask is enough for my people to kill game. The Great Spirit has made all things that I have in my country wild...I have eyes; I see all you whites, what you are doing, raising stock, and so forth. I know I will have to come to that in a few years myself;

Figurative language is present primarily as used by one side to describe the other. Brown tells of Sitting Bull's vision, explaining that Sitting Bull told of

soldiers falling like grasshoppers, with their heads down and their hats falling off...Because the white men had no ears and would not listen, Wakantanka the Great Spirit was giving these soldiers to the Indians to be killed.

Most of the text is presented in very literal language, using straightforward vocabulary to describe the actions and reactions and misunderstandings that complicated the negotiations at every step. Symbolism is not extensively used; some irony is present in comments such as the story of the banner in the church where the injured were taken after the battle at Wounded Knee. "Across the chancel front above the pulpit was strung a crudely lettered banner: PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TO MEN."