The Dark History Carved in Stone: Unveiling the Truth Behind Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore, an iconic American monument, attracts millions annually to South Dakota's Black Hills. But behind the colossal facade lies a dark history of broken treaties, cultural desecration, and the displacement of Native American people. This is the story of the Six Grandfathers Mountain, forever altered, and the legacy of injustice it represents.

A Mountain Sacred to the Lakota

For over 10,000 years, the Black Hills have been home to Native American tribes, holding profound spiritual significance, especially for the Lakota people. As the western branch of the Sioux Nation, the Lakota considered the Black Hills a sacred place of origin. They named one of its prominent peaks the Six Grandfathers Mountain, honoring their directional spirits.

Broken Promises and Stolen Land

The westward expansion of white settlers in the 1800s brought conflict and violated treaties. The 1868 Treaty at Fort Laramie initially recognized the Sioux Nation's ownership of a vast territory, including the Black Hills. In exchange, the Lakota were to allow safe passage for US travelers. However, this treaty also included assimilation policies, pressuring the Lakota to abandon their traditional ways of life.

• Hunting to farming
• Nomadic lifestyle to settled existence
• Traditional clothing to US-provided garments

This fragile agreement shattered just seven years later with the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. Miners flooded the area, the US military intervened, and legislation was passed to illegally seize the land from the Lakota.

The Carving of a Monument and a Legacy of Anti-Indigenous Sentiment

Decades later, work began on Mount Rushmore, led by Gutzon Borglum, a sculptor with ties to the KKK. Despite suggestions to include Western figures like Lakota Chief Red Cloud, Borglum chose to immortalize his own heroes – presidents with complex and often brutal legacies regarding Native Americans.

• George Washington: Known as "Town Destroyer" by the Iroquois Confederacy for ordering military campaigns that destroyed their villages.
• Theodore Roosevelt: Championed forced assimilation and expressed deeply prejudiced views against Native Americans.

The monument, left unfinished after Borglum's death in 1941, became a symbol of desecration for the Lakota people. The presidents carved into the rock represented policies and attitudes that had caused immense suffering and injustice to Indigenous communities.

A Fight for Justice and the Unwavering Claim to the Black Hills

In 1980, the Supreme Court acknowledged the unlawful seizure of the Black Hills and awarded the Sioux Nation compensation, which has since grown to over a billion dollars. However, the Sioux Nation has steadfastly refused to accept the money, maintaining that the Black Hills were never for sale.

The Future of Mount Rushmore: A Contested Landscape

The question of what should happen to Mount Rushmore remains a complex and divisive issue. Some advocate for its removal, while others defend it as a patriotic symbol and economic driver for South Dakota. Many Lakota people call for the honoring of the 1868 Treaty and the return of federally controlled lands to their tribal communities. Co-management of the Black Hills between the Lakota and the US has also been proposed.

While there are currently no plans for change, the story of Mount Rushmore serves as a reminder of the broken promises and ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous nations. The fight for treaty rights and the preservation of cultural heritage continues, echoing through generations.

Even if untouched, the faces carved into the Six Grandfathers Mountain are expected to remain for thousands of years, a constant reminder of this complex and painful history.