UC Riverside scholars available to discuss the event and its impacts

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The massacre of nearly 300 Lakota men, women and children at the village of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota, on Dec. 29, 1890, was the last significant clash between Native Americans and the U.S. Army. For Native Americans today, the slaughter of unarmed women and children dominates a painful history of U.S. government Indian policies centered on assimilation and genocide.

As the 125th anniversary of the Massacre of Wounded Knee approaches, scholars of Native American history at the University of California, Riverside are available to discuss the incident and its impact on Native Americans, their culture, and their relationship with the U.S. government. They are:

Clifford Trafzer, distinguished professor of history and Rupert Costo Chair in American Indian Affairs

Cell number available on request

clifford.trafzer@ucr.edu

http://history.ucr.edu/People/Faculty/Trafzer/index.html

The Massacre at Wounded Knee is the great American tragedy, Trafzer says. He has written broadly about the event and the fear of the Ghost Dance, the significance of rumors about it, and "the killing of innocents. I have been to the mass grave site at Wounded Knee and have long regretted the Army awarding Medals of Honor to soldiers for killing women and children."

Trafzer is the author of several books, including "A Chemehuevi Song," "Comanche Medicine Man: Kenneth Coosewoon's Great Vision, Blue Medicine & Sweat Lodge Healings," "Renegade Tribe: The Palouse Indians and the Invasion of the Inland Pacific Northwest" and "Death Stalks the Yakama: Epidemiological Transitions and Death on the Yakama Indian Reservation, 1888-1964," and co-editor of "The Indian School on Magnolia Avenue: Voices and Images from Sherman Institute."

Robert Perez, associate professor of ethnic studies

Cell number available on request

robert.perez@ucr.edu

http://ethnicstudies.ucr.edu/people/faculty/perez/index.html

Perez focuses on American Indian history – including resistance movements toward the American, Spanish and Mexican governments – with an emphasis on California, the Southwest, Texas and northern Mexico. He is the author of "Incomplete Conquest of Sonora: History of Spanish Colonization and Indian Resistance."

NOTE: Perez will not be available for interviews until Dec. 23.

About UC Riverside

The University of California, Riverside (www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment has exceeded 21,000 students. The campus opened a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of more than $1 billion. A broadcast studio with fiber cable to the AT&T Hollywood hub is available for live or taped interviews. UCR also has ISDN for radio interviews. To learn more, call (951) UCR-NEWS.