Land Ownership Claims Reduced to a Question: Can a Property Be Reclaimed Twice?, with Mount Rushmore as a Focal Point and the Contemporary #LandBack Campaign Highlighted
In the heart of South Dakota lies a region known as the Black Hills, a place steeped in history, controversy, and deep cultural significance for the Lakota Sioux. The #LandBack movement serves as a call to reconsider justice in a world where history cannot be undone, but the future is still unwritten.
The Black Hills, or Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe to the Lakota, hold profound spiritual importance. However, the U.S. government's violation of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, which guaranteed the Lakota exclusive rights to the land, led to the carving of Mount Rushmore into the Black Hills between 1927 and 1941. This act, seen as a betrayal and dispossession, deeply offended the spiritual and cultural values of the Lakota and other tribes who considered the area a central place of worship and gathering.
The construction of Mount Rushmore and its naming, which replaced a Lakota name, symbolized further erasure of indigenous identity. The sculptor Gutzon Borglum, known for his ties to controversial monuments, added another layer to the contested symbolism of Mount Rushmore.
The Lakota and other Native American activists have long protested this ongoing injustice. In 1970, 23 Native activists climbed Mount Rushmore demanding recognition of treaty rights and the return of the land to the Sioux.
The Lakota have brought their land dispute over the Black Hills to the U.S. Supreme Court, but they have refused the monetary compensation offered, continuing to insist on the return of the land itself. The Black Hills Fund, which holds the compensation money, is now worth over a billion dollars.
As attitudes about land ownership and Indigenous rights shift, especially among younger generations, schools, museums, and activists are working to bring hidden stories to light about the Black Hills. Many Americans are learning about the true history of Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills for the first time.
The Black Hills are dotted with symbols of both loss and resilience. Annual protests and cultural expressions stand as testaments to the Lakota's persistence in seeking justice. The future of the Black Hills remains a story yet to be written, one that requires acknowledgement of past wrongs and a commitment to righting them.
Justice for the Lakota means the return of the land and the right to manage it according to their traditions. As the world rethinks justice, the Black Hills stand as a reminder of the importance of honouring treaties and respecting indigenous rights.
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