Custer's "Last Flag" sells for $2.2 million

[cory777]

Source: Associated Press

The only U.S. flag not captured or lost during George Armstrong Custer's Last Stand at the Battle of Little Bighorn in southeastern Montana sold at auction Friday for $2.2 million.

The buyer was identified by the auction house Sotheby's in New York as an American private collector. Frayed, torn, and with possible bloodstains, the flag had been valued before its sale at up to $5 million.

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Custer and more than 200 troopers were massacred by Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne warriors in the infamous 1876 battle. Of the five guidons carried by Custer's battalion only one was immediately recovered, from beneath the body of a fallen trooper.

And while Custer's reputation has risen and fallen over the years -- once considered a hero, he's regarded by some contemporary scholars as an inept leader and savage American Indian killer -- the guidon has emerged as the stuff of legend.

Read more: http://www.salon.com/news/us_military/index.html?story=/news/feature/2010/12/10/us_custer_s_last_flag

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Activist News http://activistnews.blogspot.com/



Chief Spotted Elk (Wounded Knee)

[PatrynXX]

1. Shoulda burned it or given it to the native americans to do with what they please

hope the $2 million goes directly to the Native Americans

[Faygo Kid]

7. The Detroit Institute of Arts will use the $$ to build its Native American collection.

Sounds like a pretty good idea to me. They bought the flag for $54 in the 1890s. Nice appreciation. Great museum. http://www.dia.org/art/

[Creative]

20. "To do with what they please"

Why would you want to do something like that? They may have won that battle, but they lost the war.

Furthermore, assuming the flag was purchased by someone who was born in America, it is owned by a native American.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Custer was a war criminal

.

[No Elephants]

3. I hope a First American bought it.

[boppers]

4. Clarification, please.

http://www.google.com/search?aq=f&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=First+American

[dipsydoodle]

6. I would take that to mean

native American who hopefully will ceremoniously burn it.

[madokie]

5. Screw Custer and his horse too

On a failed mission to kill untold numbers of our Native people he and his "troops" were ground into the ground. I remember reading about this payback as a kid in school surrounded by my Cherokee classmates and on that day found an admiration. Not for Custer but for the Native American.

Custer was a war criminal and met a fitting end.

[Ikonoklast]

10. You need to change your avatar, then.

Unless you feel history will treat you differently.

[madokie]

11. One thing is I don't think history will treat me any different

My avatar is in solidarity with my brother and sister Vets who were used, abused and thrown away and will stay that way. thank you

The kids of Iraqistan of today are my brothers and sisters too

[ileus]

8. What a great piece of history....

hard to believe it sold for so little....I'd love to have it at home.

[pangaia]

9. Spotted Elk.

I could be wrong, as I am about numerous things, but is not the photo of the deceased man at Wounded Knee- Big Foot?

[Adsos Letter]

14. You are correct.

[cory777]

17. I believe he would have preferred Spotted Elk.

Spotted Elk (Heȟáka Glešká or Hupah Glešká), (1826 - December 29, 1890), was the name of a chief of the Miniconjou Lakota Sioux. He was a son of chief One Horn (Miniconjou) and became a chief upon the death of his father. He was a highly renowned chief with skills in war and negotiations. He became known as Big Foot or Sitȟáŋka,<1> a derogatory name given to him by U.S. soldiers,<2> In 1890 he was killed in South Dakota, along with at least 150 other members of his tribe, by the United States Army in what came to be known as the Wounded Knee Massacre. He was also born in South Dakota.

[rug]

12. Pic.

[Aristus]

13. Goddammit! It wasn't a "massacre"! It was a battle. And Custer & Co. lost!

A massacre is conducted against unarmed, defenseless people for little or no reason beyond bloodlust or sadism.

Custer and his men were not unarmed, and were not defenseless. They were just outnumbered and out-led by the Sioux.

Plus, the Sioux were on the side of the angels, fighting for their ancient lands.

[CJvR]

19. The Black Hills

The Black Hills were actually a fairly recent conquest of the Sioux IIRC.

[Aristus]

22. The Sioux certainly had a better claim to it than Custer.

n/t

[MellowDem]

23. LOL

Might makes right, eh?

[Aristus]

24. That certainly seemed to be the motto of the U.S. Cavalry.

So Sitting Bull and the Hunkpapa Sioux simply said "Okay boys, we'll fix YOU!"

Things really come together when might and right are on the same side...

[MellowDem]

25. It was the motto of the Indians as well...

hell, it has been the motto of humanity for most of history. To say that the Indians had more "claim" to the land is hilarious. Why is that? Because they conquered it from someone else? Well then, just kinda justifies their new conquerors doesn't it?

[RSillsbee]

26. The Black Hill are in S. Dakota

Little Big Horn is in Montana.

[RSillsbee]

27. So, when are you leaving this continent to go back home

and return the ancient lands of the Sioux to them ?

[happyslug]

28. Why not the Black Foot?

http://www.native-languages.org/blackfoot.htm

Sioux territory, Traditional, Montana and the Little Big Horn is to the west:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sioux

Sorry, the Little Big Horn is historical Black Foot territory, only becoming Sioux in about the 1830s as small pox hit the Black Foot permitting the Sioux to push the Black Foot out.

[RSillsbee]

29. Weren't the Blackfoot an offshoot of the Sioux nation? NT

[happyslug]

30. Two different language groups

The Sioux were "Siouan" (Which Included the Catawba in present day North Carolina, through that was far from other Siouin speakers).

More on the Siouan langage group:
http://www.native-languages.org/famsio.htm

On the other hand the largest Native American Language group were the Algonquian, which the Blackfoot is one of the most western members of that language group:
http://www.native-languages.org/famalg.htm

This difference in language indicates a difference in tribal relationships, language is one of the best way to determine who is related to whom (DNA indicates blood lines better, but Language indicates who inter-reacted with whom better).

Map of Native American Language (Note uses Algic instead of Algonquian for the largest North American Native American language Group):


The Map shows Eastern Montana as Crow Territory, so reflects positions of the tribes in the 1850s as far as the Plains are concerned. The crow seems to be Siouan speakers, and that may be the tribe you are thinking of.

[RSillsbee]

31. I'm not as up on this as I should be

But I thought there were different divisions amonst the Sioux nation. The only two that come immediately to mind are the Hunk Papa and the Brule. Somewhere along the line I remember reading about a Blackfoot Sioux band as.

[CJvR]

15. Talibans!

Historic artifacts should never be destroyed you Talibans, no matter what they are or stand for.

Little Big Horn along with Isandlwana have become the symbols of natives successfully fighting back, unfortunately for the natives primitive societies have little hope of fighting off an industrial society that really means it.

[Posteritatis]

16. Yep. (nt)

[daleo]

18. An example of low taxation of the super rich

It means that they can afford to pay millions for items that ought to be in museums. Everybody loses.

[John Kerry VonErich]

21. Thank you, Indiana Jones

:rofl:

Sorry, read that while watching The Last Crusade.

In all seriousness, it's not offensive to say indian