Assertion Analysis #7: Act of Sadness

      Wooden Leg was a Cheyenne war leader, known for fighting in the Great Sioux War of 1876-77, notably against Colonel Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Soon after, he and other Cheyenne people were forced into reservations, where Wooden Leg assimilated partially into being a Christian and acquiring a job as the reservation's judge, teaching about American law. In a speech, Wooden Leg uses the image of a plant to describe his experience with assimilation and preserving culture.
      In this excerpt, describes the correct Native American belief of how to get rid of a plant. "The trees and the grass have spirits", he says, stressing the importance of plants. Because of this, plants "may be cut off, but [it] should not be uprooted". The roots still remain, but the main part of the plant can be removed. Wooden Leg says the act of removing a plant "is done in sadness and with a prayer for forgiveness because of his necessities". He is stating that the removal of a plant should be done with awareness of what is happening, due to the importance of it. What may seem to be only advice on how to remove a plant correctly actually reveals a lot about assimilation of culture.
      Wooden Leg's plant in this excerpt is a metaphor for culture. Like the plant described, a culture should not be removed completely, or in the plant's case, "uprooted". The culture is still in existence, not completely removed, just as the root of the plant still remains. This is connected to how Wooden Leg becomes a judge and a Christian, while at the same time preserving his name and living in the reservation, not fully assimilating. In addition, Wooden Leg's description of how a plant has a spirit stresses the importance of preserving culture. A culture is very rich and valuable, just like a spirit. Any harm done to a spirit should be done in awareness, Wooden Leg says. Like that, Wooden Leg is saying that people should know what they are doing when assimilating into another culture, and know that it is in a way harming the culture. He is providing a clear statement of the correct way of how a culture should be assimilated.
      The use of a plant suggests that a culture should be treated with respect and preserved in a way, just a plant still has its roots. People take into count more the death of a plant, rather than a culture, so using a plant as a metaphor provides an emotional response. One should not completely get rid of the "plant" that is culture. Wooden Leg was one of the many examples of this. Sadly, for many, their plant was completely uprooted.