The Wasichu Effect As the moon moved through its cycles and the spring grasses inevitable came and went, a Westward Expansion movement was cultivated that shifted and changed the cultural integrity and foundational wellbeing of the Lakota people forever. Black Elk, a warrior and medicine man of the Lakota, eloquently put forth a personal account of the countless hardships his people and many others had faced at the hands of the Wasichu people and the effects of their ravages. Along with valuable insight gained from the personal and spiritual encounters of Black Elk, we receive a brief look at the everyday lives and trials of the tribe to gain a better grasp on the culture. As we move to develop a more genuine historical empathy, one must further study the season of transition from a nomadic style of living to reservation life, which was undoubtedly forced upon the Lakota people. …show more content…
These agreements were difficult to implement as the intricacies of the treaties were violated and the trust between the tribes and Wasichu people was continuously broken. As the Black Hills Agreement was described by Black Elk, “the Wasichus made the treaty with Red Cloud, that said it would be ours as long as grass should grow….and they were chasing us now because we remembered and they forgot” (83). As a result of the disadvantages and offenses experienced by the tribes, there was a violent tension entwined in the complicated relationship with the Wasichu that led to constant warring between the tribe’s warriors and the Wasichu’s soldiers. Unfortunately, the end result of the continuous state of war and need for survival pushed many tribes to surrender to the Wasichu and their