AmaMelika Omdabu—Ukuphela Kwenkathi
UBANI ongakayiboni ifilimu ephathelene nama-cowboy namaNdiya? Emhlabeni wonke abantu baye bezwa ngoWyatt Earp, uBuffalo Bill, noLone Ranger nangamaNdiya uGeronimo, uSitting Bull, uCrazy Horse, nangeNduna uJoseph, kanye nabanye abaningi. Kodwa ziye zaba neqiniso kangakanani izindaba zaseHollywood? Futhi izindaba zakhona ziye zangawabandlulula kangakanani amaNdiya?
Indaba yokunqotshwa kwamaMelika Omdabu aseNyakatho (amaNdiya) abeLungu iphakamisa imibuzo.a Ingabe izincwadi zomlando ziye zangawabandlulula amaNdiya? Ingabe zikhona izifundo ezingafundwa ngokuhaha, ukucindezela, ukucwasana kobuhlanga, nonya? Liyini iqiniso ngalokho okuthiwa ama-cowboy namaNdiya?
Ukuma Kokugcina KukaCuster Nesibhicongo SaseWounded Knee
Ngonyaka ka-1876, inyanga uSitting Bull yaseLakota (enye yezigceme ezintathu eziyinhloko zamaSioux) yayingumholi empini edumile yaseMfuleni iLittle Bighorn, eMontana. Njengoba ayenamasosha angu-650, uSigaxa-mabhande “uLong Hair” Custer wayecabanga ukuthi angawahlula kalula amaqhawe angu-1000 amaSioux namaCheyenne. Lona kwakuwumcabango oyiphutha kakhulu. Kungenzeka wayebhekene neqembu lamaqhawe amaMelika Omdabu elikhulu kunawo wonke ake abuthwa—elingaba ngu-3000.
UCuster wahlukanisa iButho lakhe leziNkweli Zamahhashi lesi-7 laba amaqembu amathathu. Ngaphandle kokulindela ukusekelwa yilawa amanye maqembu amabili, iqembu lakhe lahlasela ingxenye yekamu lamaNdiya ayecabanga ukuthi yayingavikelekile. Eholwa izinduna uCrazy Horse, uGall, noSitting Bull, amaNdiya aqothula uCuster neqembu lakhe lamasosha angaba ngu-225. Kwakuwukunqoba kwesikhashana kwezizwe zamaNdiya kodwa kwaba ukwehlulwa okubuhlungu kweButho lase-United States. Nokho, ukuziphindiselela ngesihluku kwakuyofika eminyakeni engu-14 kamuva.
Ekugcineni, uSitting Bull wacela umaluju, njengoba athenjiswa intethelelo. Kunalokho, wavalelwa okwesikhashana eFort Randall, esiFundazweni saseDakota. Lapho esegugile, wavela phambi komphakathi embukisweni kaBuffalo Bill owawujikeleza entshonalanga yeMelika ezikhathini zakudala. Lomholi owayedumile wayesephelelwe udumo ayeke waba nalo njengenyanga enethonya.
Ngo-1890, uSitting Bull (igama laseLakota, uTatanka Iyotake) wabulawa ngokudutshulwa amaphoyisa angamaNdiya ayethunywe ukuba azombopha. Wabulawa ama-“Metal Breast” (abantu abanezimendlela zamaphoyisa) angamaSioux, uSigaxamabhande uBull Head noSayitsheni uRed Tomahawk.
Ngawo lowo nyaka, ekugcineni ukumelana kwamaNdiya nokubuswa abamhlophe kwanqotshwa esibhicongweni saseMfudlaneni iWounded Knee eGreat Plains yaseMelika. Lapho, abesilisa, abesifazane, nabantwana abangamaSioux abangaba ngu-320 babulawa amasosha kahulumeni ngombayimbayi abadubula ngokushesha bohlobo lwe-Hotchkiss. Lamasosha aziqhenya ngokuthi lokhu kwakuwukubuyiswa kwezinduku ngokubulawa kwabangane bawo, uCuster namasosha akhe, ezinkalweni ezimalungana noMfula iLittle Bighorn. Zaphela kanjalo-ke izimpi nezinxushunxushu zeminyaka engaphezu kuka-200 ezazibheduka njalo phakathi kwabafuduki baseMelika ababehlasela nezizwe eziyizakhamuzi ezazivinjezelwe.
Kodwa kwenzeka kanjani ngempela ukuba amaMelika Omdabu ahlale eNyakatho Melika? Ayephila kanjani ngaphambi kokuba abamhlophe balubhade eNyakatho Melika?b Yini eyaholela ekuhlulweni nasekuthotshisweni kwawo ekugcineni? Futhi siyini isimo samaNdiya njengamanje ezweni eselibuswa izizukulwane zabafuduki bokuqala abangabeLungu? Lemibuzo kanye neminye izophendulwa ezihlokweni ezilandelayo.
[Imibhalo yaphansi]
a Nakuba abanye sebekhetha igama elithi “UmMelika Womdabu,” elithi “iNdiya” nalo lisasetshenziswa kakhulu ezincwadini eziningi. Sizowasebenzisa ngokushintshana lamagama. Elithi “iNdiya” yigama elingafanele uColumbus aliqamba abomdabu, ecabanga ukuthi wayesefike eNdiya lapho efika ezweni manje elaziwa ngokuthi iWest Indies.
b Kulezi zihloko sikhuluma kuphela ngamaNdiya aseNyakatho Melika. AmaNdiya aseMexico, aseMelika Ephakathi, nawaseNingizimu Melika—ama-Aztec, amaMaya, ama-Inca, ama-Olmec, namanye—ayocatshangelwa esikhathini esizayo kulomagazini.
[Isithombe ekhasini 3]
Ukungcwatshwa kwabafileyo eWounded Knee
[Umthombo]
Montana Historical Society