On December 29, 1890, five hundred troops of the US 7th Calvary, supported by guns capable of repeating fire, surrounded an encampment of Lakota Sioux. In one of the most brutal massacres in Native American history, more than 300 Lakotas–including women and children–were shot and killed. Of the 190 that escaped, most died of exposure to the elements.
As a Lakota ritual of healing, prayers are offered to the four winds. First to the East, from whence the new day is born; then to the South, which sends the warm breeze which gives a feeling of comfort; next to the West, which ends the day and brings rest; and finally to the North, the Mother of winter whose sharp air awakens a time of preparation for the long days ahead.
The Tower of the Four Winds was constructed as a monument to Black Elk, a mystical medicine man who was one of the few survivors of the Battle of Wounded Knee.
The Battle of Wounded Knee stands as one of the worst acts of aggression against Native Americans in U.S. history.
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