But the land was already claimed by a people when the cowboy came and when the soldiers came.
The story of the American Indian is in a lot of ways a story of tragedy,
like that day at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
Big Foot was an Indian chief
Of the Minneconjou band,
A band of Minneconjou Sioux
From South Dakota land.
Big Foot said to Custer,
"Stay away from Crazy Horse."
But Custer crossed into Sioux land,
And he never came back across.
Then Big Foot led his people
To a place called Wounded Knee,
And they found themselves surrounded
By the 7th Cavalry.
Big chief Big Foot,
Rise up from your bed,
Minneconjou babies cry
For their mothers lying dead.
Big Foot was down with a fever
When he reached Wounded Knee;
And his people all were prisoners
Of the 7th Cavalry.
Two hundred women and children
And another hundred men
Raised up a white flag of peace,
But peace did not begin.
An accidental gunshot
And Big Foot was first to die;
And over the noise of the rifles
You could hear the babies cry.
Big chief Big Foot,
It's good that you can't see
Revenge is being wrought
By Custer's 7th Cavalry.
Then smoke hung over the canyon
On that cold December day.
All was death and dying
Around where Big Foot lay.
Farther on up the canyon
Some had tried to run and hide;
But death showed no favorites,
Women, men, and children died.
One side called it a "massacre,"
The other a "victory,"
But the white flag is still waving
Today at Wounded Knee.
Big chief Big Foot,
Your Minneconjou band
Is more than remembered here
In South Dakota land.