Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "As of Bozeman," Charles Olson delves into the complex intertwinement of American expansion, Native resistance, and the historical tension between progress and preservation. Olson’s poem appears to be a fragmentary, almost note-like meditation on the events surrounding Red Cloud and the Oglala Sioux, with references to historical incidents, figures, and the relentless drive of American westward expansion.

The poem begins with mentions of Red Cloud’s success in 1866 and his victory through the Treaty of 1868, which halted expansionist efforts by closing the Bozeman Trail and abandoning forts. This establishes Red Cloud as a figure of resistance, a leader who achieved a significant, if temporary, check on colonial encroachment. Olson acknowledges Red Cloud’s ability to compel the U.S. government to recognize Sioux sovereignty, albeit briefly, in the face of mounting settler pressure. This recognition is laced with irony, as Olson’s mention of “closed trail & 3 forts abandoned” serves as a somber reminder of the temporary nature of Native victories.

Further, Olson’s exploration of connections—Red Cloud’s friendship with figures like Othniel Marsh, an American paleontologist, as well as his lineage—reflects his ongoing preoccupation with the intersections between personal history and the grander narrative of cultural and geographic conquest. The paleontologist Marsh symbolizes the scientific community’s interest in documenting, cataloging, and, indirectly, validating indigenous presence through fossils and artifacts, even as the culture itself faces erasure. This tension between presence and absence, legacy and obliteration, mirrors Olson’s larger commentary on the extractive, acquisitive spirit of American colonialism.

References to the discovery of gold in the Black Hills in 1874 mark the inevitable violation of the 1868 treaty, as the lure of mineral wealth supersedes prior agreements. Olson implicitly critiques the fleeting promises of treaties and the predatory nature of American expansionism. Figures like Bozeman, characterized as a “gold seeker,” embody the restless, consuming force that disregards both land and people in the quest for profit.

The structural fragmentation of the poem—its truncated phrases, abrupt lines, and historical shorthand—serves to underscore the fragmented, piecemeal way in which history has been recorded, especially concerning Native American experiences. Olson's style here functions almost like a series of historical footnotes or marginalia, lending the poem an unfinished, documentary-like quality that aligns with the incompleteness of historical justice for the Sioux.

The poem closes with a haunting invocation of Crazy Horse, noted only by his years of life, “(1849-1877 28!),” a brief life punctuated by exclamation, perhaps to draw attention to the tragic brevity and intensity of his existence. The exclamation may also hint at Olson’s reverence for Crazy Horse’s defiance, a symbolic stand against the overwhelming forces of colonization.

In “As of Bozeman,” Olson crafts a historical palimpsest where the layers of conquest, resistance, and American ambition intersect, each leaving a trace but none fully preserved. His sparse, allusive language requires readers to connect these fragments, much as history itself often demands piecing together stories from remnants. Through this poem, Olson critiques not only the events themselves but also the very nature of historical memory—selective, partial, and frequently brutal in its omissions.

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