ALEKSANDRA ZIOLKOWSKA-BOEHM
OPEN WOUNDS - A NATIVE
AMERICAN HERITAGE
Copyright
© 2009 by Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm
Cover Design by Michael M.
Michalak
Based on the Polish edition,
ISBN 978-83-7167-556-0
Otwarta
rana Ameryki, Wydawnictwo DEBIT sp.j., Bielsko Biala 2007
Nemsi Books - rev. 08/25/2009
Published in Pierpont, South Dakota
ISBN: 978-0-9821427-5-2
Foreword: Radosław Palonka
Acknowledgements
The publisher and author wish
to acknowledge with thanks the support of
Homer Flute - member of the
Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, Chief Executive
Officer/Trustee of the SCMD
Trust, a Native American nonprofit organization.
Photographs by: Aleksandra
Ziolkowska-Boehm, Norman Boehm, Bill Groethe, Michelle Bishop,
Andrzej Bernat (Author’s back
cover photo)
Special thanks to:
National Archives Collection,
College Park, Maryland
Crazy Horse Memorial, South
Dakota
Oklahoma Today
The Morning Star, Volume 46
Number 4 Fall 2008
AnthroNotes, Volume 25 Number 1 Spring 2004
Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm’s book portrays the
current status and outlook of the American Indians. Resulting from 10 years of
research and visits to Indian lands, the book was inspired by the writer’s
great uncle Korczak Ziolkowski, sculptor of the Crazy Horse mountain carving in
the Black Hills of South Dakota.
The author provides a broad spectrum of Indian
history, culture, traditions, subjugation, suffering, reservation poverty,
failed government policies, education, emergence and the portent of a future of
well-deserved dignity, respect and beginning signs of success. Personal
interviews with members of the Apache, Chickasaw, Kiowa and Northern Cheyenne
Nations add a potent insight into Indian feelings and opinions. Clearly evident
throughout the book is Ziolkowska-Boehm’s admiration and esteem for American
Indians, particularly for the pride they exhibit after suffering a “heritage of
open wounds” over many years.
*
ENDORSEMENTS and
REVIEWS:
I was intrigued by Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm’s observations of
American history, Native Americans, and Indian country. The fact that they are
the views of a well-educated European with a well-developed interest in such
subjects, rather than of a scholarly expert or an American insider, Indian or
not, adds another dimension of interest to them. .... John R. Alley, PhD, Utah State University
.
Aleksandra
Ziolkowska-Boehm takes us across the United States, visiting Indian Country,
with insight and compassion, raising many issues along the way with the eye of
a traveler from overseas (the book first appeared in Poland). Few people in
this country know that the first craftsmen at Jamestown were from Poland, or
that the family of Polish ancestry (relatives of hers) are carving a huge
memorial to Crazy Horse in South Dakota. The book includes a number of
wide-ranging interviews with people who are well known in Indian Country. This
book provides fascinating reading from fresh perspectives. The interview with
Rod Trahan is one of the most enlightening slices of reservation reality I have
read in a long time. .... Bruce E.
Johansen, PhD, University of Nebraska
.
Good reading not only for lovers of books on Indians. It describes the
history and rich culture of the indigenous peoples of America against their
current situation in American society. The author tries to eradicate
stereotypes, makes readers aware of Indian contributions to the history of the
United States and, at the same time, emphasizes difficulties they are forced to
cope with in order to preserve their autonomy and cultivate old traditions.
What plays a significant role is the autobiographical aspect which explains the
author’s personal commitment in Indians lives. .... Wydawnictwo DEBIT, Bielsko Biala, Poland
.
As always, it is very well written. ....
Zbigniew Brzezinski, PhD, Author, National Security Adviser to President Jimmy Carter
Zbigniew Brzezinski, PhD, Author, National Security Adviser to President Jimmy Carter
.
The book is the result of curiosity of the Indian world, and a try to
understand the problems that are facing modern Indians. The author does not
stop with a critique of the current situation but tries to look for the recipe
for resolution and salvation. Her attempts are shown in the second part of the
book by interviews with authors who know about Indians, as well as with Indians
of several Nations. Giving voice to the Indians is for sure a great attribute
of her book. Not minimized is the negative involvement of the American
government and its policies whom the author blames for the current situation.
Also, she blames the often mistaken writing/reporting by American writers.
.... Radoslaw Palonka, PhD, Jagiellonian University, Krakow
.... Radoslaw Palonka, PhD, Jagiellonian University, Krakow
.
Spending part of my life growing up on the Cass Lake Indian reservation
and being of Cree decent, I can appreciate the message and the plight of our
people contained in this book. My grandmother who was a Native Medicine Woman
taught me many things growing up. Many things have been lost in our culture,
which I have tried to teach my grandchildren, but I am also painfully aware of
the stigma that goes along with claiming our heritage. My hope is that one day
books like this will assist in peoples understanding of the hardships that the
Indian people have faced in the past as well as present day, so that we many
all live together with compassion towards one another.
.... Angela Baldwin, South Dakota
.... Angela Baldwin, South Dakota
.
I found the book really beautifully written, touching, absorbing and
scholarly. The personal connection made it even more interesting. ....
Audrey Ronning Topping, Scarsdale, New York, photojournalist, author of books
about China and Tibet
.
In a memorable line almost worth the book by itself, Aleksandra
Ziolkowska-Boehm has written, "Only in America can a person sculpt a
mountain." Her great-uncle, Korczak Ziolkowski, "a Polish orphan from
Boston," began the colossal memorial to near-legendary Sioux chieftain
Crazy Horse in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Ziolkowski had a more famous
predecessor. Also in the craggy Black Hills, Gutzon Borglum, an Idaho sculptor
of Danish descent, carved into Mount Rushmore the images of Washington,
Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt; and earlier, on Stone Mountain in
Georgia, the marching figures of Robert E. Lee and his Confederates. For
Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm, however, the enormous sculpture of Crazy Horse is the
starting point for a moving lament, framed by human faces from the land, about
the conditions under which Native Americans, whose cultural and tribal lands
were ravaged by settlers from abroad. Europeans, she observes strikingly,
nevertheless adopted into their own culture some tribal laws and traditions
from "Indians" who now live theoretically autonomous lives but in
reality are wards of their conquerors--the most open of wounds.
.... Stanley Weintraub, Professor, author, biographer & historian
.... Stanley Weintraub, Professor, author, biographer & historian
.
Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm has done a
thorough job of sharply focusing on the plight of the Native American in the
U.S. and, indeed, it is a sad state of affairs.
.... Wash Gjebre, Greensburg, Pennsylvania, retired
"Post-Gazette"staff writer
.
It’s sad but true that our society hasn’t even begun to realize
what harm has been done to the Native Americans starting at the beginning of
the European colonization here. Aleksandra’s book will be a big help, I think,
for educating the American public.
….Robert Ackerman, Forest Conservationist,
New Alexandria, Pennsylvania .
The book „Open Wounds” depicts many of the past and present problems
facing Native Americans as minorities in their own country, where bias, envy
and jealousies are still strong influences among the Indian people, as
portrayed in the author’s story about Crazy Horse being betrayed by his own
people. This still happens today. Many non-Indians are misinformed about
Indians and reservations because their only source of information comes from
fictional movies and books. This leads to false perceptions that stereotype
Indians reservations as the typical Indian camp with teepees and the Indians as
the typical “hang around the fort Indian” waiting for the handout from
government. These fictional movies and books do more harm to the Indian’s
dignity by categorizing him as a lazy alcoholic with no ambition. In reality,
all nationalities have a percentage of their people that fit in this particular
category. Government run Indian schools have been both positive and negative
the positive is that the schools have educated many of our Indian youth and
gave them hope for a future, but the negative aspect is that the government run
Indian schools deprived the Indian youths of their cultural heritage and
ancestral language. This book outlines the tragic obstacles encountered by
sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski while carving the statue of the Lakota Sioux war
chief Crazy Horse. The sculptor experienced many similar situations that
parallels the Indians’ situation.
Homer
Flute, Apache, Trustee/CEO Sand Creek Massacre Descendants Trust, Anandarko,
Oklahoma
.
“This is a complex history of the treatment and lives of Native
Americans ever since the land was discovered. It contains a wealth of
information the author gathered over many years from interviews, research,
histories, and interviews with Native Americans or those who worked closely
with them.
The plight of the Indians was caused by the American government in their
treatment and disregard for their culture. People were routed to the wastelands
of the continent; given reservations which the Government would withdraw if
they wanted that piece of land. These reservations are usually remote areas,
where the Indians received little support for housing, education or work.
Consequently, many resorted to liquor or drugs. Today, there is hope for some
tribes, with their casinos bringing in much-needed money. But not all tribes
are so lucky. They still live without hope or inspiration.
From the early 1900s children were taken from their parents and schooled
in American special schools, forcing them to speak only English and punished
for any Indian rituals the children would observe. Many of these children ran
away, wishing to retain their heritage. Others assimilated, went to college and
returned to the reservation, with plans of improving the health and education
of the reservation Indians. Some of course, disclaimed their heritage and
joined the American society. Today these schools still exist, but more emphasis
is now on retaining their language and culture.
The personal adventures of the author bring life to this history.
Korczak Ziolkowski is a relative of Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm and she
provides a history of that undertaking. The sculpture of Crazy Horse in the
Black Hills of South Dakota will be ten times larger than the presidents’ heads
on Mt. Rushmore. Today, the construction continues, under the supervision of
Korczak’s wife, Ruth and her children. No government funds are provided,
rather, funding comes from donations by project supporters around the country.
A chapter is dedicated to the Indian Code Talkers during World War II.
They developed codes from the Indian language that were used in Europe and the
Pacific. Philip Johnson, the son of Protestant missionaries, who grew up on a
Navaho reservation, approached General Vogel with the idea of the Navaho
language code. With twenty-nine Indians, a dictionary code was created which
was successfully used in war areas.
The efforts of Ziolkowska-Boehm in compiling this information is to be
highly commended”.
Florence W. Clowes, POLISH
AMERICAN JOURNAl, Boston, NY, April 2010
.
“Aleksandra
Ziolkowska-Boehm, author of Open Wounds
reveals her perspective on Native Americans and Indian Reservations in this
potpourri of stories, interviews and observations. The fact that she is a Native of Poland and
received her Ph.D. from Warsaw University makes the book in the words of John R. Alley of Utah State University ring
true:
“I was
intrigued by Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm’s observations of American history,
Native Americans and Indian country,” he observes. “The fact that they are the views of a
well-educated European with a well-developed interest in such subjects…. adds
another dimension of interest to them.”
Dr.
Ziolkowska writes with compassion and passion when it comes to Native American
issues. That developed in part because
it was her great-uncle, Korczak Ziolkowski, who began the monumental sculpture
of Crazy Horse in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Whether
reading about her great uncle’s lifelong desire to honor Crazy Horse, or
learning about the Code Talkers of World War ll, you will find Dr. Ziolkowska’s
book informative, lively and packed full of interesting information.
Finally you
will find her chapter on St. Labre Indian School to be informative and
reflective of her unique perspective.
Several of her interviews in the book are with people either formerly or
currently affiliated with St. Labre”.
Larry Cunningham, Open Wounds, THE
MORNING STAR, April 2010
.
“Ziolkowska-Boehm
is a popular Polish writer with a gift for empathy and praiseworthy
industriousness. Her books are numerous. By an accident of life she encountered
American Indians and decided to dig deeper. The result is a very readable
account of their plight and tragedy. While the tragedy is irreversible; it is
good to see a book that gently lectures the winners. Ziolkowska-Boehm's book
makes us reflect on the injustices of life and fate, perhaps prompting us to do
a few things to remedy them”. E.T., SARMATIAN REVIEW, April 2010
.
"I am not sure if there
is any other country in Europe, where Indians are hold in a such unique esteem
as in Poland. And when we add family connections with Korczak Ziolkowski, there
is no surprise that Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm has decided to bring up that
topic. This is not only great piece of Indians’ story, this is a great piece of
literature".
Michal
Sikorski, former editor-in-chief of "International
Relations" Monthly (Poland), December 27, 2010
"Open Wounds" will bring much needed awareness to the
many challenges still facing our Native Americans”. Jesse
Flis, Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians
.
“Aleksandra
is a warm and genuine person with a flair for painting an accurate and detailed
picture in your mind of many varied subjects she writes about”.
Rod Trahan, Montana
.
"Many books have been written about the history and cultures of
Native American tribes. However, I know of no book until OPEN WOUNDS - A NATIVE
AMERICAN HERITAGE that broadly portrays significant aspects of Native American
history, cultural treatment, subjugation, suffering, failed education, etc.
that has resulted in the subdued outlook for their future. With the advent of
casino ownership, a minor number of tribes have obtained a degree of success
financially and culturally giving their people an independence. But casinos
only thrive in the populated areas. Tribes located in the remote Northern
plains and Southwest desert areas do not have the opportunity to successfully
operate a casino. These Indians people continue to suffer from lack of work
(unemployment as high as 80%) shortages of food, health and dental services and
educational facilities. The author's sadness for the circumstances of these
original Americans will envelop the reader and cause a tear or two to flow in
compassion for them".
Frank Appleton, BARNES & NOBLE
Frank Appleton, BARNES & NOBLE
.
“Always interested in the history and treatment of Native
Americans, I found that Aleksandra Ziolkowska Boehm's book provided a rare and
compelling insight into the outcome of ill conceived policies by the Federal
Government. Native Americans have been relegated to second class citizenship in
their own country. What a shame!” Peter Clark, BARNES & NOBLE
.
"The sad story and mistreatment of Native Americans has been well
documented. But the result thereof in the current outlook for them has not...
until now when Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm's OPEN WOUNDS - A NATIVE AMERICAN
HERITAGE succinctly discloses in broad terms what has happened to them. An one
example, many believe Indians are now well off because of income from casinos.
Few realize that those tribes forced onto barren and distant reservation have
not. The remote tribes have no casino or other sources of income, and some
suffer unemployment rates up to 80% (Sioux Pine Ridge Reservation for example).
Even worse treatment of Indian people has offered little, if any, opportunities
for them to gain financial security. They are unable to even help themselves by
use of financial aide from the wealthy tribes because state governments only
allow the wealthier tribes to invest within the state the casinos are located.
The list of problems goes on: health, education, welfare etc. The status of
Native Americans is a gross blemish on the reputation of the U.S. in the eyes
of the world. It is wonderful to have read such a book disclosing the true
status of America's Indian people".
Carl Oberly, BORDERS, September 2010
.
"OPEN WOUNDS - A NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE by Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm presents a new and better understanding for the feelings of Native Americans and their hopes for a better future. The author uses a mechanism of broadly defining how the years of mistreatment at the hands of the Federal Government' and its misguided policies has resulted in despondency and despair. In another method of revelation, the author provides a series of interviews with real American Indians from the Apache, Chickasaw, Kiowa and Northern Cheyenne Nations. These are tribal representatives that speak with first hand knowledge of their peoples' treatment, the obstacles they themselves and others face and how they (but not all) have overcome the obstacles to achieve independence and even success. Through these interviews, the author manages to place the reader into the Indian's position and then to be able to experience their reactions, feelings and hopes. Every American would do well to read this book as it reveals another part of American's sad history where a minority was and continues to be mistreated".
Alicia Montgomery, GOOGLE BOOKS
Carl Oberly, BORDERS, September 2010
.
"OPEN WOUNDS - A NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE by Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm presents a new and better understanding for the feelings of Native Americans and their hopes for a better future. The author uses a mechanism of broadly defining how the years of mistreatment at the hands of the Federal Government' and its misguided policies has resulted in despondency and despair. In another method of revelation, the author provides a series of interviews with real American Indians from the Apache, Chickasaw, Kiowa and Northern Cheyenne Nations. These are tribal representatives that speak with first hand knowledge of their peoples' treatment, the obstacles they themselves and others face and how they (but not all) have overcome the obstacles to achieve independence and even success. Through these interviews, the author manages to place the reader into the Indian's position and then to be able to experience their reactions, feelings and hopes. Every American would do well to read this book as it reveals another part of American's sad history where a minority was and continues to be mistreated".
Alicia Montgomery, GOOGLE BOOKS
.
It is a unique book - very informative and written with beautiful style.
I have learned a lot about the current situation of Native Americans, that I
never realized before. I wish we could do something more effective for them, to
give them some perspectives in life, opportunities, particularly those to earn
a living.
We owe Native Americans living on the remote reservations continue to live in poverty, ignored for years by the Federal Government. Our government always seems to be involved in other places and other countries business, not our own. Truly Open Wounds are still there.
We owe Native Americans living on the remote reservations continue to live in poverty, ignored for years by the Federal Government. Our government always seems to be involved in other places and other countries business, not our own. Truly Open Wounds are still there.
Bill Adams, Amazon
This is the most comprehensive and totally honest description of the
plight of Native Americans, or properly stated, INDIANS, that I have ever read.
There is a consistent thread teeing events & their consequences.
I did think the book was expensive for a soft cover.
Amazon is the place where even obscure or O.O.D. books can be found.
Keep The Faith!!
I did think the book was expensive for a soft cover.
Amazon is the place where even obscure or O.O.D. books can be found.
Keep The Faith!!
Gidier, Amazon
.
Who
would you rather be in your childhood: a cowboy or an Indian? It was always
cooler to be the good guy the hero, the victors just like in a movie, wasn’t
it? It is confirmed by a Chickasaw Indian, who the author conducted an
interview with, that no child has even wanted and still does not want to be an
Indian. Because in the movies it was cowboys who won, and the Indians who lost.
The image of a blood-thirsty Native American, robbing the trains and attacking
white settlers, copied over the centuries in the US, was finally brought homes
thanks to western movies. And what is our knowledge about the native
inhabitants of North America? About their life at the beginning of
colonization, about the times of brutal expansion to the West, about their
contemporary life? In the majority, it is based on what the television and the
cinema provide us with and these are usually only a few useful pieces of
information, because the issue of the American Indians does not belong to the
popular one. However, even if we are willing to learn more, even full of good
intentions, we can easily become tendentious, and as a result create an image
of the Native Americans similar to our Polish Cepelia (Folklore and Artistic
Manufacturing Center), surrender to our emotions, look from a perspective that
is far from an objective one. That is why the book by Aleksandra
Ziolkowska-Boehm is so important and so special. The author examined the
subject not only with passion and curiosity of a traveler, but also with a
journalistic professionalism. That is why her work allows us to see the life of
the Native Americans without the blind admiration that covers the mistakes made
by themselves. Their life is analyzed from different perspectives their own,
the whites, and the historic, economic and cultural one. Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm
does not feel satisfied with only one answer, avoids Sunday tourist
simplicities, bores into the topic, conducts interviews, which we will find in
the book partly as a whole, partly in a form of anecdotes and paraphrases. She
allows us to enter the world of reservations, casinos, Indian princesses, great
chiefs and ordinary people. She refutes the myths, reveals the crimes, analyzes
the behind the scenes of battles, e.g. she writes about the Native American
wind-talkers a phenomenon the US have only recently learned about. She makes
the reader realize, how tremendous was the participation of the American
Indians in the creation of the United States and what the cost of the
civilization progress were. For us, the Poles, the book would be especially
interesting because of the lives of our country man Korczak Ziolkowski, who
participated in building of the sculpture of four American presidents, but
whose greatest work is the statue of Crazy Horse (the sculpture is being
continued by the family of the artist). Surely, careful readers will not miss
an interesting piece of information about what links Polish tar-makers,
Pocahontas and the first strike of the history of American working unions. It
will be difficult to close Americas Open Wound and put it back on the shelf
just like that the American Indians are still a living history, the present and
the future of the United States. And ours too as descendants of the European
colonists (and then immigrants) and as a humankind.
Blazej Bierczynski, Dancing with the Indians, ANGUS AND ROBERTSON 15/01/2012
Blazej Bierczynski, Dancing with the Indians, ANGUS AND ROBERTSON 15/01/2012
.
I do admire your writing a great deal – it is as if you are
speaking to the reader. And I do review
a great many any books
Florence Clowes, Vero Beach, Florida,
11/22/2013
“To the best of my knowledge, Aleksandra
Ziolkowska-Boehm has written the first book that tells a story of the current
status of Native Americans and their outlook for the future. Subjected to
unbelievable cruelty of encroaching settlers as well as the military, the
Indians have survived while subjected to the ineffective government policies
and broken treaties causing disastrous loss of land and resources and loss of
dignity and pride. The author most realistically has portrayed the plight of
the Indians through interviews with Apache, Chickasaw, Kiowa and Northern
Cheyenne tribal members. By doing this, she has provided their side of the
dismal picture basis their perspective. The Indians have made an historic
effort just for survival that has diminished their numbers, but surprisingly,
their struggle has reversed this trend. Still, as Ziolkowska-Boehm claims, much
needs to be done, and the Federal Government should be at the forefront in this
effort”.
Hannah Delgado, Plight of American Indians –
Also From Their Perspective, Amazon.com
“Open Wounds A Native American Heritage is a remarkable story and
worthy of reading by all Americans. Much has been written of the noble Indian
heroes and people, their bravery and defiance to a subjugation that turned into
decades of mistreatment and elimination of opportunity to live lives of honor
and dignity. Federal Government policies had taken their pride away, and only
through their own efforts and those of a few concerned citizens and
missionaries have Indians managed to a degree to overcome their misfortune.
From her interviews, the author has solicited real opinions that Indians must
make a more positive effort to help themselves. Many Americans believe that the
gambling riches from casino ownership benefit all tribes. They do not! Only those
casinos located in heavily populated areas are money makers, and state laws
prohibit those fortunate tribal owners from investment outside the state. Here
is another example of where misguided policies do not permit Indians to help
themselves even though they have tried this strategy. ”
Michele Hoening,
Google
“After reading Open Wounds, I could not help but
thinking of a “scenario” where a novice card player (the Indians) is pitted
against a smooth, crafty, professional and very skilled player (Federal
Government) who literally could deal his
opponent a “hand” that held cards of no value. The Indians had no chance to win
against the “card shark” they faced, a point the author makes early in the
book. Virtually every act of the Federal Government in dealing with Indians was
misguided, did not work, was not monitored, was not improved upon and resulted
in a race of people losing their dignity, pride and a desire to better
themselves. They became chattels of the government. To some extent, this
condition still exists today because opportunity for employment is minimal on
many reservations particularly the remote ones. What were the “bad cards” dealt
to the Indians? They are too numerous to mention here, but for sure the list is
longę.”
John Knowles, The
Indians had no chance to win, Amazon, 1 July, 2014
As Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm has recommended and
supported by her Indian interviewees, the most positive act the American
Federal Government could take would be to “outsource” to the neediest tribes
(those on the northern plains and desert areas). The chance to work, earn a
living, feed, clothe and house one’s family would be a tremendous moral boost
for the Indians. As "Open Wounds..." clearly discusses, and as
Korczak Ziolkowski (the author’s great uncle) stated “the treatment of the
American Indian is the blackest mark on the escutcheon of the American nation’s
history”. Truer words were never spoken and still they are ignored by every
administration that takes office. The treatment of the Indian led them into a
life of handout takers. Pride and honor under this circumstance had
disappeared. Granted, thanks to improved education, many have escaped the
strangulation, but the majority of Indians have not. Just think, less than 1%
of the Indian population have college degrees. This is a sad statistic!
This book should be read to learn the whole
story!
Ted Spears, Trove, Australia,
July2, 2014
