Montana Massacre: Big Hole Nat'l Battlefield 8/13/12

Let's be clear: Big Hole, tucked along the North Fork Big Hole River just beyond the Bitterroot Mountains, is not a battlefield. It is not the place where, as some might say, two equally matched armies clashed amidst a larger, more ideological war for king and country. No, Big Hole was and is a massacre site; a bloody patch of earth where an obvious aggressor, armed to the teeth with purpose and unmatched devotion, slaughtered at least 60 (and as many as 90) members of the Nez Perce Indian tribe, most of whom were defenseless women, children, and the elderly. In its ferocity and dubious pretext, it is no less a scar of shame than My Lai; a day of murder and atrocity to be lamented for as long as historians chronicle our human past. But a National Battlefield it remains, one imagines because members of the U.S. Army died here, even if they fell, at best, in service of greed and prejudice. At worst, they are war criminals; their names damned evermore as examples of the foolhardy ways of man. To our credit, however, and as yet another cap tipped in the direction of the NPS, our commemoration is suitable, somber, and more than sufficent.

Thankfully - and atypically for the Cales - our timing was perfect this time around, as Big Hole National Battlefield just finished a $1.5 million renovation on its visitor center (the freshly scrubbed building re-opened on June 2, 2012). In addition to the long-overdue improvements on the roof and entrance, a new theater room, along with updated displays, welcomes visitors with dignity and a well-placed sense of honor. The film itself, a 26-minute mini-masterpiece called Weet'uciklitukt: No Turning Back, Battle at Big Hole, deserves to be seated at the NPS adult's table, choosing context, insight, and comprehensive detail over the dry, musty lessons such films usually offer. Moreover, the Nez Perce people themselves are granted a voice; not as detached relics, mind you, but complex, fully-realized human beings. Once viewed, no visitor can claim ignorance regarding the logistics of Big Hole, and all can understand why an otherwise obscure, isolated spot in Montana - all 655 acres of it - deserves protection and interpretation. More to the point, though, the film spares no horror, and it's all there as it should be - the skulls of infants smashed in, grandmothers blasted in the back - even if we'd rather turn away.

Without diving into a full-tilt history lesson (you really should visit), it's enough to know that Big Hole's massacre resulted from the expected "need" to round up the Native peoples like cattle, forcing them to live on depressing reservations and away from sacred tribal lands. In this case, during the summer of 1877, the Nez Perce (five bands of around 800 people), began a doomed journey from Oregon and Idaho, herding horses and carrying as many belongings as possible. U.S. troops, under the command of Gen. Oliver O. Howard, were under orders to push these bands to a less desirable part of Idaho, or at least one not sitting atop vast mineral wealth. Naturally, the Nez Perce resisted (with a few attacks and counter-attacks along the way), a process that inevitably led to the encounter at Big Hole. The Nez Perce arrived here on the morning on August 7, setting up camp out of a belief that there was no immediate danger. Instead, during the pre-dawn hours of August 9, a Nez Perce warrior named Natalekin stumbled onto the Army skirmish line (he was checking on his horses) and was killed. U.S. troops, led by Col. John Gibbon, pushed across the river, firing as they came, and in the smoke and din of battle, many were shot without regard for their status as mere civilians. Retreats and defensive positions ensued, with a resulting siege lasting for the next 24 hours.

In some sense, the battle was a victory for the Nez Perce, as they managed to dismantle a large howitzer cannon and fought sufficiently to allow many of the families to escape. Still, they were a wanted people, and the exchange of gunfire only stiffened the resolve of the U.S. Army to kill first and ask questions later. More importantly, Big Hole was, for the Nez Perce, the beginning of the end, and full confirmation that their future was not one of freedom, but servitude and surrender. From Chief Looking Glass (later killed at Bear Paw) to the legendary Chief Joseph ("I will fight no more forever"), the resistance, while spirited and warranted, was slipping away for good. A way of life would be a matter of memory. And while the Medal of Honor was awarded to seven of the men at Big Hole, the Nez Perce were thrown atop the ash heap of the forgotten, assumed to have been mere roadblocks in the push West. This National Battlefield, while not at all changing that outcome, serves at least to ease the emotional toll.

Thankfully, the smoke had largely disappeared by the time we reached the site, and I was able to drag my lazy bones along one of the several walking trails. Believing that the Nez Perce Camp (where the battle began and most died) was the best option, I walked the full 1.6 miles of flat dirt with the river by my side. The day was hot but not oppressive, and once I arrived at journey's end, I knew I had made the right choice. While fully dressed tipis might have made for a more authentic encounter, the "nakedness" of the wood seemed more appropriate, as if they had been set aflame by the invading army and left to the winds. Their empty, abstract quality made them more lonesome; a full and lasting tribute to a people long erased by time. Sure, the area's drought made the setting less than idyllic (this place would be stunning with a lush green coat), but beauty should be a trivial consideration when faced with death. It's an ugly site at bottom, and an eye towards the region's peaks is an eye away from the Nez Perce themselves.

General William T. Sherman once said of the Nez Perce War of 1877: "One of the most extraordinary Indian wars of which there is a record. The Indians...displayed a courage and skill that elicited universal praise...and fought with almost scientific skill." Fine words, perhaps, from a hard man, but hollow in the end. Military men often praise those they have recently killed, if only to set their own endeavors on a higher plane. A worthy opponent, yes, but a necessary end. Big Hole National Battlefield corrects many of the misconceptions we continue to have about those unique, diverse tribes we collectively refer to as "Native Americans", but as with any jewel in the NPS crown, it is but one piece of a larger puzzle. And though no story is ever really fully told, we can be glad that at the very least, thanks to the park service, we have a good start.

FINAL RATING

8/10