State historian, Doane Robinson, conceived the idea of Mount Rushmore National Memorial in 1923. He picked the granite cliffs in the Black Hills of South Dakota in order to help the economy of the state by attracting tourism. Robinson's initial suggestion that the sculpture honor the West's greatest heroes, both Native Americans and pioneers.
Architect and sculptor Gutzon Borglum was tasked with designing the monument. Instead of following Robinson's plan, he decided to make the monument of four presidents. He chose George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Construction
Construction officially began on October 4, 1927. Few hundred workers used dynamite, jackhammers, and chisels to remove material from the mountain
Borglum intended to include a grand entrance to an 80 by 100’ vault, to be carved behind Lincoln’s head. He envisioned that the declaration of independence and constitution would be stored there! However, there was lack of funding and with the looming war in Europe, this addition was dropped. And after that was over, Borglum unexpectedly died and the work ceased officially on October 31st 1941.
Why Are the Black Hills Important?
Groups of indigenous people would travel into the Black Hills in South Dakota for a sacred prayer journey to Washun Niye, a site “from which Mother Earth breathes.” This space is considered the womb of Mother Earth and the location of ceremonies, vision quests, and burials. This journey is a thousand year long tradition.
History of Treaties Between the U.S. Govt. and Indigenous Tribes
In 1872, the US government sent two commissions to renegotiate the treaty, over the original treaties that were drawn up to protect the sacred land of the indigenous people. But, then gold was discovered in Montana! $9 trillion worth of gold was extracted from the Black Hills.
in 1874 Congress declared that treaties would no longer be used. In 1888, North and South Dakota were admitted into the union and indigenous people were forced onto reservations.
All of these things led to the people moving away from the Black Hills, away from the sacred sites for their spiritual journeys. Tribes could no longer go back without the threat of being jailed or killed! Simply put, the United States had illegally taken the land that had been designated to these tribes by legal treaties.
The indigenous tribes then filed a complaint against the United States. On June 30, 1980 the Supreme Court determined that the United States had indeed violated the treaty of the People of the Seven Council Fires: not just the Sioux.
However, the federal government argued that it could not give back the land since it is occupied and includes the national monument of Mount Rushmore, a sculpture on a sacred site.
The indigenous tribes then filed a complaint against the United States. On June 30, 1980 the Supreme Court determined that the United States had indeed violated the treaty of the People of the Seven Council Fires: not just the Sioux,
However, the federal government argued that it could not give back the land since it is occupied and includes the national monument of Mount Rushmore, a sculpture on a sacred site.
“The desecration of the Black Hills is indicative of the violation of the sacredness of who we are as a people.” “As Indigenous Peoples we are guided by the spiritualism of greater powers than we humans. We don’t seek equality, we seek justice. This is who we are, and this is where we come from.” - Eonard Little Finger
In the United States, Mount Rushmore is viewed as a “celebration for our presidents.” But to Simon Moya Smith, who is a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation, he has been preaching about how Mount Rushmore is in fact a desecration of a sacred site. The location of Mount Rushmore is in fact where the creation story for various tribes began. Keep in mind, Abe Lincoln still holds the record for hanging the more indigenous people in a single day. And for the indigenous' land to memorialize Lincoln must be incomprehensible.
Architectural Impact
Gutzon Borglum reviving the ancient Egyptian practice of carving gargantuan statues of political figures in natural formations of rock. He invented new methods that took advantage of the capacity of dynamite and pneumatic hammers to carve large quantities of stone quickly.
Rock-cut architecture is the creation of structures, buildings, and sculptures by excavating solid rock where it naturally occurs. Rock-cut architecture is designed and made by man from the start to finish.
In a nutshell, here is a quick summary of Mount Rushmore:
It was built on land the government took from them.
The Black Hills in particular are considered sacred ground.
The monument celebrates the European settlers who killed so many Native Americans and appropriated their land.
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