The fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee offers us a chance to look back on the impact it had at the time and to think about how our understanding of American Indian history has evolved since then. Brown’s book caused quite a stir among its admirers and critics, encouraging a surge in both popular and scholarly interest in Native history that has persisted to today. The scholarship in particular has broadened considerably, further complicating our understanding of the American Indian story and its essential part in the wider narrative of the country's common past.
Elliott West, the Alumni Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, is a specialist in the history of the American West and in American Indian history. He has published seven books, four of which have won national awards. He has twice been recognized as his university’s teacher of the year and in 2009 was one of three finalists for the Robert Foster Cherry Award as the outstanding classroom teacher in the nation.
The Central Arkansas Library System and its Bobby L. Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of this American classic with a series of lectures and exhibits that recognize the enduring importance and power of Dee Brown's groundbreaking volume. This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Division of Arkansas Heritage, funded by the 1/8 cent conservation sales tax, Amendment 75.