The dark history of Mount Rushmore - Ned Blackhawk and Jeffrey D. Means

Translator: Elda Indria Sari Reviewer: Reno Kanti Riananda

Between 1927 and 1941, 400 workers blasted 450,000 tons of rock

Antara tahun 1927 dan 1941, 400 pekerja meledakkan 450 ribu ton batu

from a mountainside using chisels, jackhammers, and a lot of dynamite.

dari sisi gunung menggunakan pahat, palu, dan banyak sekali dinamit.

Gradually, they carved out Mount Rushmore.

Perlahan-lahan, mereka memahat Gunung Rushmore.

Now, the monument draws nearly 3 million people

Kini, monumen itu menarik hampir tiga juta orang

to South Dakota’s Black Hills every year.

ke Black Hill, Dakota Selatan, tiap tahun.

But its façade belies a dark history.

Namun, pemandangan itu menyembunyikan sejarah kelam.

About 10,000 years ago, Native American people began inhabiting the Black Hills.

Sekitar 10.000 tahun lalu, penduduk asli Amerika mulai mendiami Black Hills.

The area became especially sacred to the Lakota people,

Area tersebut secara khusus dianggap keramat oleh suku Lakota,

who formed the western branch of what the US called the Sioux Nation.

yang membentuk cabang barat dari Bangsa Sioux yang dikenal AS.

The Lakota believed one cave within the Black Hills

Suku Lakota percaya salah satu gua di Black Hills

to be where they first emerged.

merupakan tempat kelahiran mereka.

And they named one of the Black Hills mountain peaks

Mereka menamai salah satu puncak gunung Black Hills

the Six Grandfathers after their sacred directional spirits.

sebagai Enam Leluhur, sesuai nama roh pemandu suci mereka.

But in the 1800s, Lakota access to this land came under threat.

Namun di tahun 1800-an, akses Lakota ke tanah ini terancam.

White settlers in North America expanded their territories

Pendatang kulit putih di Amerika Utara memperluas teritori mereka

by using physical violence or negotiating with Indigenous peoples.

dengan memakai kekerasan fisik atau berunding dengan penduduk asli.

After its establishment in the late 1700s,

Setelah terbentuk di akhir 1700-an,

the US government ratified hundreds of treaties with Native American nations.

pemerintah AS meratifikasi ratusan perjanjian dengan suku-suku asli Amerika.

However, it often broke them or created them using coercion.

Namun, mereka kerap melanggarnya atau membuatnya dengan paksaan.

Between 1866 in 1868, the Lakota and their allies

Antara tahun 1866 dan 1868, suku Lakota dan sekutunya

successfully defended their land from the U.S. military

berhasil mempertahankan tanah mereka dari tentara AS

and negotiated a new treaty with the government.

dan menegosiasikan perjanjian baru dengan pemerintah.

In the 1868 Treaty at Fort Laramie,

Pada Perjanjian 1868 di Fort Laramie,

all parties agreed that a vast territory, including the Black Hills,

semua pihak setuju bahwa satu wilayah luas, termasuk Black Hills,

belonged to the Sioux Nation.

merupakan milik Bangsa Sioux.

In return, the Lakota would allow US travelers to pass safely through.

Sebagai gantinya, suku Lakota mengizinkan pelaku perjalanan AS melintas dengan aman.

But many aspects of the Treaty also aimed to assimilate

Namun, banyak aspek perjanjian itu juga bertujuan mengasimilasi

the Lakota into white culture.

suku Lakota ke kebudayaan kulit putih.

This included incentives to convert them from hunting to farming,

Termasuk insentif untuk beralih dari berburu ke pertanian,

abandon their nomadic lifestyle, and wear clothes the US provided.

meninggalkan gaya hidup nomadik mereka, dan memakai baju yang disediakan AS.

Meanwhile, just seven years later, the US broke the treaty

Sementara itu, hanya tujuh tahun berselang, AS melanggar perjanjian

after an expedition found gold in the Black Hills.

setelah sebuah ekspedisi menemukan emas di Black Hills.

Miners set up camps,

Para penambang mendirikan tenda,

the military attacked and ultimately defeated the Lakota,

militer menyerang dan akhirnya mengalahkan suku Lakota,

and the US passed legislation illegally seizing the land.

dan AS mengeluarkan UU penyitaan tanah tersebut secara ilegal.

50 years later, workers began etching

Lima puluh tahun kemudian, para pekerja mulai mengukir

into the Lakota’s sacred Six Grandfather’s Mountain.

Gunung Enam Leluhur yang keramat bagi suku Lakota.

The project was led by an arrogant sculptor named Gutzon Borglum,

Proyek tersebut dikepalai seorang pemahat angkuh bernama Gutzon Borglum,

who had ties to the KKK.

yang memiliki hubungan dengan KKK.

A historian originally proposed that Mount Rushmore include Western figures—

Seorang ahli sejarah mengusulkan untuk menyertakan figur Barat di Gunung Rushmore

like Lakota Chief Red Cloud.

seperti Kepala Suku Lakota, Red Cloud.

But Borglum chose to feature his own heroes.

Namun, Borglum memilih menampilkan pahlawannya sendiri.

By October of 1941, Borglum had died from surgical complications and work stopped,

Pada Oktober 1941, Borglum meninggal akibat komplikasi dan pengerjaan terhenti,

though the project was unfinished.

sehingga proyek ini tidak tuntas.

None of the four figures had torsos, as intended,

Tak ada dari keempat tokoh yang memiliki dada seperti rencana,

and rubble was left piled below.

dan puing-puing dibiarkan tertumpuk di bawah.

To the Lakota, the monument was a desecration.

Bagi Suku Lakota, monumen tersebut merupakan penodaan.

And the presidents immortalized on the rockface

Dan para presiden yang diabadikan itu

all had brutal anti-Indigenous legacies.

semuanya memiliki warisan anti-pribumi yang brutal.

Members of the Iroquois Confederacy called George Washington “Town Destroyer”

Anggota Konfederasi Iroquois menjuluki George Washington “Penghancur Kota”

for encouraging military campaigns that burned 50 of their villages in 1779.

karena mendorong kampanye militer yang menghanguskan 50 desa mereka di 1779.

Theodore Roosevelt championed forced assimilation and said,

Theodore Roosevelt membela asimilasi paksa dan berkata,

“I don’t go so far as to think that the only good Indians are dead Indians,

“Aku tak sampai berpikir bahwa Indian yang baik adalah Indian yang mati,

but I believe nine out of 10 are.”

tapi sembilan dari sepuluh orang memang begitu.”

In 1980, after the Sioux Nation had sued the US for treaty violations,

Tahun 1980, setelah Bangsa Sioux menuntut AS atas pelanggaran perjanjian,

the Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills had been unlawfully taken,

Mahkamah Agung memutuskan bahwa Black Hills direbut secara tidak sah,

and the Sioux were entitled to compensation.

dan Sioux berhak mendapat ganti rugi.

The amount named has since reached over a billion dollars.

Jumlahnya saat ini telah melampaui miliaran dolar.

But the Sioux Nation refused to take the money

Namun, Bangsa Sioux menolak mengambil uang tersebut

and to give up their claim to the Black Hills,

dan menghentikan klaim mereka atas Black Hills,

maintaining that they were never for sale.

bersikukuh bahwa mereka tidak dijual.

So, what should happen to Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills?

Lalu apa jadinya Gunung Rushmore dan Black Hills?

Responses to that question are wide-ranging.

Respons atas pertanyaan itu beragam.

Some, including tribal leaders and Borglum’s great-granddaughter,

Beberapa orang, termasuk para pemimpin suku dan cicit Borglum,

have called for Mount Rushmore to be removed.

telah meminta Gunung Rushmore dihapus.

Others see it as an important patriotic symbol

Yang lain melihatnya sebagai simbol patriotik yang penting

and vital aspect of South Dakota's economy that should remain.

dan aspek vital ekonomi Dakota Selatan yang harus dipertahankan.

Many Lakota people want the 1868 Treaty to be honored

Banyak suku Lakota ingin Perjanjian 1868 dihargai

and the now-federally controlled lands to be returned to their tribal communities.

dan tanah yang kini dikelola secara federal dikembalikan ke komunitas suku.

Others have said that the Lakota and the US should at least co-manage

Ada pula yang berkata bahwa Lakota dan AS harus mengelola bersama

parts of the Black Hills.

beberapa bagian di Black Hills.

Currently, there are no plans for change.

Saat ini, tak ada rencana perubahan.

The US broke many of its promises with Indigenous nations

AS telah melanggar banyak janjinya terhadap bangsa pribumi

making issues like this common.

dan menjadikan masalah ini hal biasa.

Native people have been fighting for broken treaties to be honoured

Bangsa pribumi telah berjuang agar perjanjian yang dilanggar untuk dihormati

for generations,

selama sekian generasi,

achieving some major victories along the way.

dan memperoleh beberapa kemenangan besar seiring berjalannya waktu.

Meanwhile, if untouched,

Sementara itu, jika tak tersentuh,

the faces engraved on the Six Grandfathers Mountain

wajah-wajah yang terukir di Gunung Enam Leluhur

are expected to remain for thousands of years to come.

akan tetap ada di sana selama ribuan tahun ke depan.