0:04 Wounded Knee
0:09 1973 prequel the 196s were a troubled
0:12 time in US history the war in Vietnam
0:14 and the Civil Rights Movement marked the
0:17 decade along with great music in the
0:19 midst of all the social happenings the
0:22 American Indian movement originated in
0:25 1968 arising from the concerns of Native
0:27 Americans in Minneapolis Minnesota
0:31 shortly the AIM the movement focused on
0:33 changing the life of Native Americans in
0:36 the urban environment addressing poverty
0:38 lack of political representation
0:41 discrimination and police brutality
0:43 members coordinated a neighborhood
0:46 Patrol to circumvent unjust arrests and
0:48 police mishandling of native residents
0:51 Clyde bort and Dennis Banks Chipawa from
0:54 Minnesota assisted in the creation of
0:58 aim later Russell means an aalas Su
0:59 became one of the more aggressive
1:01 leaders of the
1:03 organization the aim members sponsored
1:06 the trail of broken treaties in
1:10 1972 approximately 900 people traveling
1:12 from Seattle and San Francisco stopped
1:15 at reservations throughout the West to
1:17 point out native grievances toward the
1:19 US government the trail ended in
1:22 Washington DC with the Takeover of the
1:24 Bureau of Indian Affairs building from
1:27 November 2nd through November 8th
1:30 1972 negotiations between between the
1:32 White House administrators and aim
1:34 members resulted in an agreement that
1:37 included a pledge to deal with economic
1:39 social and educational Injustice of
1:42 Native Americans and to provide return
1:45 travel money following the death of
1:47 Raymond yellow thunder in February of
1:51 1972 in Gordon Nebraska the aim took
1:53 over Gordon Community Hall leaders
1:56 declared a victory after local officials
1:58 proposed the establishment of a human
2:00 relations board to investigate
2:03 grievances just one month before the
2:05 Wounded Knee Siege in Buffalo Gap South
2:08 Dakota Harold Schmidt killed Wesley
2:12 badart bow prosecutors charged Schmidt
2:14 with involuntary manslaughter in kuster
2:17 South Dakota aim members protested and
2:19 the courthouse and Chamber of Commerce
2:23 burned to the ground after that the US
2:25 government viewed the aim as a militant
2:28 group and increased surveillance of its
2:31 activities on the Pine Ridge reservation
2:33 in South Dakota aala Su leaders
2:36 requested the assistance of aim in order
2:38 to provide strength in their opposition
2:40 to tribal president Richard Wilson
2:41 elected in
2:44 1972 opponents of Wilson accused him of
2:47 mishandling tribal funds misusing
2:49 Authority and disregarding rules of the
2:52 tribal council after a failed
2:54 impeachment the US Department of Justice
2:57 sent out 50 US Marshals to the Pine
2:59 Ridge reservation to be available in the
3:01 case of of a civil
3:04 disturbance the Takeover begins on
3:06 February 27th
3:10 1973 about 200 aim members came to the
3:12 Village of Wounded Knee and took over
3:15 the Trading Post Museum gas station and
3:18 several churches those involved in the
3:20 Takeover considered Wounded Knee of
3:22 historical significance because of the
3:26 1890 Massacre that occurred at the spot
3:31 in 1890 the US Army killed 200 50 to 300
3:35 Lakota Sue with 25 Army casualties the
3:37 goals set by aim leaders were support
3:40 for the Reformation of tribal government
3:41 as well as bringing attention to the
3:44 injustices done to Native American
3:47 people Russell Means as an aim
3:49 spokesperson requested Congressional
3:51 investigations into conditions on all
3:54 reservations and the corruption of the
3:57 Bureau of Indian Affairs means
3:59 specifically wanted a hearing to take
4:01 place concerning treaties and treaty
4:05 rights news of the Takeover reached US
4:07 Marshals at Pine Ridge and they placed
4:09 road blocks at all entrances to Wounded
4:12 Knee to prevent access to the area US
4:15 Marshals and FBI agents set a total of
4:18 six roadblocks along with five
4:19 observation points throughout the
4:21 occupation to keep people from entering
4:25 or leaving Wounded Knee however aim and
4:28 supporters entered the area by Overland
4:30 routes bringing in supplies
4:32 law enforcement groups consisted of the
4:35 US Marshall service the FBI and the
4:36 Bureau of Indian
4:39 Affairs start of the
4:42 troubles after the Takeover sporadic
4:44 gunfire between US forces and the aim
4:47 marked the first days of the occupation
4:49 aim forces fortified the area by
4:52 building trenches nine bunkers setting
4:54 up roadblocks and establishing foot
4:57 patrols the natives also relied on
4:59 combat experience from Vietnam veterans
5:02 in their ranks the aim stated that the
5:05 occupation would end if requests were
5:07 considered and a meeting took place to
5:09 discuss injustices done to Native
5:13 Americans Senators James aesque and
5:15 George McGovern alongside two AIDS from
5:18 Senator Ted Kennedy's office arrived on
5:20 March 1st they agreed to Congressional
5:23 committee hearings and Bia officers to
5:26 be transferred officials decided to
5:28 continue roadblocks to limit entrance
5:30 into the area
5:32 aim leaders made a statement on March
5:34 4th declaring they would leave wounded
5:37 KNE if the US government left and
5:39 allowed the Lakota to work out the
5:41 conflict amongst themselves Ralph
5:43 Erikson Special Assistant to the
5:46 attorney general countered this proposal
5:48 by stating that if the occupiers would
5:50 leave Wounded Knee by March 8th abandon
5:53 weapons and identify themselves they
5:56 would not be subject to immediate arrest
5:58 Richard Wilson organized a special
6:01 police force that became known as the
6:04 Goon Squad Wilson and his forces
6:06 participated in gunfire exchanges on
6:09 several occasions by March 8th both
6:11 sides rejected
6:13 negotiations after that the government
6:15 removed the roadblocks thinking the
6:18 Lakota would disperse given the chance
6:21 not to be arrested contrary to that the
6:24 aim saw this as a victory and more
6:26 supporters entered Wounded Knee bringing
6:29 supplies and food on March 11th four
6:31 postal inspectors entered the village to
6:34 inspect postal property the aim took
6:36 them hostage thinking they were sent to
6:40 gain information after 4 hours they were
6:42 released and the roadblocks were
6:45 reinstalled on the same day the Lakota
6:47 announced the creation of the
6:52 independent ogala nation or onon the on
6:54 established a provisional government and
6:57 stated the return to the Treaty of 1868
7:01 as its basis leaders stated that the on
7:03 would negotiate with the United States
7:06 Nation to Nation their demands were now
7:08 changes within the Bureau of Indian
7:10 Affairs meetings with government
7:13 administrators tribal president Richard
7:15 Wilson to be removed from office
7:18 suspension of the tribal Constitution a
7:20 return to government as it existed under
7:23 the Indian reorganization Act and
7:27 negotiations based on the 1868 treaty
7:29 the day after FBI agents pursued ued a
7:32 van that attempted to enter the village
7:34 in the pursuit a firefight broke out and
7:38 an FBI agent took a wound to the wrist
7:39 in order to assist the aim and the
7:42 Lakota supporters created the Wounded
7:45 Knee legal defense offense committee and
7:48 managed to negotiate that six lawyers
7:50 each with a carload of food to enter
7:53 Wounded Knee each day from March 26
7:55 through March
7:58 31st law enforcement agreed to the deal
8:00 but Richard Wilson and his police set up
8:03 the roadblocks and seized all food from
8:06 the Cars gunfire exchanges between
8:09 forces occurred sporadically both sides
8:12 established violated and reinstated
8:16 ceasefires aim security US forces and on
8:19 occasion the Tribal Police exchanged
8:22 fire on March 26th there was Heavy
8:25 firing after Wilson set up a roadblock
8:27 outside the federal perimeter during
8:31 this exchange us Lloyd Grim received a
8:33 wound that paralyzed him from the waist
8:36 down by the end of April 2nd deaths
8:38 occurred as a result of increased
8:41 gunfire Frank Clearwater and Lawrence
8:44 Lamont died both forces established a
8:47 ceasefire after that after multiple
8:50 failed negotiation attempts leaders from
8:53 the Civil Rights Division and six FBI
8:55 agents met with aim and Lakota leaders
8:58 to discuss the misuse of tribal funds
9:00 and complaints of of harassment from Wilson's
9:01 Wilson's
9:05 forces negotiations move
9:08 forward on April 5th the US government
9:10 and aim leaders signed a dispossession
9:13 agreement the terms of the agreement
9:15 stated that Russell Means should submit
9:17 himself for arrest and be taken into
9:20 custody and on April 7th at 7:00 a.m.
9:23 aim leaders were to lay down their arms
9:25 a meeting would take place between aim
9:27 leaders and a representative of the
9:29 White House to discuss the possib
9:32 of looking into the matter of Indian
9:35 treaties means was arrested and after he
9:37 made bond left for Washington
9:42 DC the agreement proved faulty as means
9:44 stated that the aim at Wounded Knee
9:47 never agreed to lay down arms until the
9:50 conclusion of a white house meeting by
9:53 April 24th a negotiation team returned
9:56 to Wounded Knee led by Kent friselle the
9:58 US government still preferred to
10:00 negotiate with the aim forces rather
10:03 than resort to any aggressive attack on
10:06 May 5th Leonard garit consultant to the
10:10 president sent a letter to Frank fools
10:12 the letter stated that White House
10:14 Representatives would meet with a Teton
10:18 Sue in order to examine the 1868 treaty
10:20 this meeting would not take place until
10:22 the dispossession of a wounded knee
10:25 occurred both forces signed the
10:28 dispossession agreement on May 5th the
10:30 agreement contains specific steps to be
10:34 implemented on May 9th at 7:00 a.m. all
10:37 persons were to leave Wounded Knee and
10:39 identify themselves and those with
10:42 outstanding warrants would be arrested
10:43 arrested
10:47 dispossession by May 8th half of the aim
10:49 Community had left Wounded Knee
10:52 according to the timetable agreed upon
10:54 government forces entered Wounded Knee
10:57 to collect all weapons and transport
10:59 remaining aim supporters to the the
11:01 government roadblock defense committee
11:03 lawyers remained at the government
11:06 roadblock to witness the processing
11:09 procedure out of the 129 people
11:12 processed 110 were Native Americans
11:15 Federal forces destroyed aim security
11:17 bunkers along with government bunkers
11:19 and completed the evacuation of Wounded
11:22 Knee by the end of the day several
11:25 issues influenced the aim decision to
11:28 end the occupation such as lack of food
11:31 electrical power and medical supplies
11:36 the occupation had lasted 71 days
11:40 aftermath on July 17th a proposal for a
11:42 senate joint resolution in order to
11:44 establish an Indian policy Review
11:47 Committee was made its purpose included
11:49 a review of the legal relationship
11:51 between Native Americans and the US
11:54 government and to provide support for
11:56 the development of more effective
12:01 policies during 1974 Russell Means lost
12:03 a campaign against Richard Wilson for
12:06 the tribal president at Pine Ridge means
12:09 was concurrently on trial in St Paul
12:11 Minnesota on charges from the Wounded
12:14 Knee incident the trial lasted for over
12:16 8 months and resulted in the dismissal
12:19 of all charges against both means and
12:22 Dennis banks in the three years
12:24 following the standoff Pine Ridge had
12:27 the highest per capita murder rate in
12:31 the country resuming a quiet war two FBI
12:34 agents were among the dead today the
12:36 Pine Ridge reservation is the largest
12:39 community in what may be the poorest
