Entire generations of Americans have grown up believing in the myth of
valiant settlers facing overwhelming odds in their struggle to tame the wild
frontier and subdue savage and ignorant Indians. Through the deliberate
dissemination of nationalist propaganda and outright lies we have been able to
bury the truth of our abhorrent treatment of the Native Americans. My
grandmother, an otherwise intelligent and well-educated woman, was taught that
the Indians killed off all of the buffalo, not the buffalo hunters. She still
believes this, even in the face of evidence to the contrary. Recent generations
have grown up with cartoons, movies, and television shows such as F
Troop that showed Indians as either stupid or “cunning,” never intelligent;
cruel, evil, and savage, never civilized; godless heathens, never a deeply
spiritual people.
From the Heart, by Lee Miller, is one of several recent efforts to
present a more balanced history. Championed by Kevin Costner, Miller has
produced a deeply moving work, having written the Costner-produced PBS series
500 Nations. In fact, From the Heart makes an excellent
companion volume for 500 Nations, as many of the quotes used for the
show are directly from the book.
From the Heart is a collection of quotes, mostly from Native
Americans, but also from politicians, military officials, Indian agents,
clergy, and settlers, strung together with just enough narrative from the
author to produce a cohesive time line of events in 10 different regions of
North America. Miller does well to allow the voices of the past to tell the
tale; her own dry prose could never match the beauty, honesty, and eloquence of
those she quotes.
From the Heart is a difficult book for the involved reader. It often
enrages and shames the reader, but occasionally uplifts as well. Several themes
are constant. The role of organized religion in this genocide is detailed
throughout. Again and again the Indians are dumbfounded as to how a people who
present themselves as friends could possibly be so unjust. Disease,
particularly previously unknown pathogens such as smallpox and measles, is also
a constant theme. Untold millions were wiped out by these imported plagues. The
Indians’ desire to live in peace and harmony is also a recurring theme.
The book serves as a kind of Bartlett’s Quotations for the Native
American. Virtually every Indian personage of note is quoted, as well. For
those inspired to dig deeper into this subject, Miller includes extensive notes
and lists of source material. Though not without flaws and valuable as a
history, there is no doubt as to the importance of this work. From the
Heart can also help us understand how and what we have become as a
people.
There has been much hand-wringing over the spectre of organized domestic
terrorism. “Things like that don’t happen here,” we tell ourselves. We agonize
over ethnic cleansing in the Balkans and in Africa. We bemoan the loss of
rainforests and other natural habitats, forgetting our own transgressions. From
the moment Columbus “discovered” the Americas, the Europeans and then the
Americans have engaged in the most effective and systematic terrorism, ethnic
cleansing, and destruction of natural habitat the world has ever known. Fifty
years after the end of World War II, editorials question whether the Germans
have made sufficient reparations for the Holocaust. The phrase “never again”
has taken on a special significance and spurred the world to action.
Perhaps it is time to begin addressing our own evil. The Australians
recently granted huge tracts of land to the aborigines as reparations for
Australian frontier abuses. From the Heart demands that we, as
Americans, ask ourselves, “what next?” Our willingness to accept the truth may
well shape our future as a people. – John Avignone
This article appears in July 7 • 1995 and July 7 • 1995 (Cover).