Wounded Knee 1973: A Personal Account

by Stanley David Lyman, Alvin M. Josephy Jr. (Foreword), Floyd A. O'Neil (Editor)

Stanley Lyman, who was the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) superintendent at the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1973, gives an inside view of what happened when the American Indian Movement (AIM) activists occupied the village of Wounded Knee. Close to the action, he recorded it with unusual candor, directing his sorrow, frustration, and occasional anger to all parties involved—the Tribal Council, the Justice Department, the BIA, FBI, and AIM. His account of the besiegers and besieged reveals a well-meaning and intelligent man forced by dramatic events to reevaluate some long-cherished assumptions. It deserves to be read and studied in any attempt to understand fully Wounded Knee II.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Native American, Crime

196 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1991

Reviews

[mfedsf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I read this book at exactly the right time.

25 years ago, I read many accounts of the 1973 event, mostly from the AIM perspective. Later, I came across a used copy of Lyman’s account and just never read it.

The older me has more empathy for the struggles of someone trying to make change from within the system. Lyman’s NY Times interview on May 12, 1973 seems to show a balanced perspective that was sometimes missing throughout the rest of the narrative when he couldn’t fathom why the “insurgents” didn’t just conform to the US model of elected governance and work for change from within.

[Aaron Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have to say I rather enjoyed this book. I remember when I was a kid hearing about this and also about AIM. After all this time I finally get a chance to read a first hand account of what went on there. There is one truth that came out of this affair and it is that nobody really won anything. I could only imagine what would of happened if it happened today, I am sure it would be a far greater disaster.