Wounded Knee Occupation facts for kids

Flag of the American Indian Movement

The Wounded Knee Occupation, also known as Second Wounded Knee, began on February 27, 1973. About 200 Oglala Lakota people and members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) took control of the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota. This town is located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the United States.

The protest happened because an effort to remove tribal president Richard Wilson failed. People accused him of being unfair and corrupt. Protesters also felt the U.S. government had not kept its promises from past treaties with Native American people. They wanted new talks to ensure fair treatment for Native Americans.

Oglala and AIM activists held the town for 71 days. During this time, the United States Marshals Service and FBI agents surrounded the area. The activists chose Wounded Knee because it was the site of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre. This made the location very meaningful. During the occupation, some people were hurt or killed. The small community of Wounded Knee was not fully reoccupied until the 1990s due to damage.

The occupation received a lot of attention from news reporters. Many Native Americans and their supporters traveled to Wounded Knee to join the protest. At the time, many Americans understood and supported the goals of the occupation. They were learning more about the long-standing unfairness faced by Native Americans. After the event, AIM leaders Dennis Banks and Russell Means faced charges. However, their case was dismissed because of how the prosecution handled it.

Richard Wilson remained tribal president and was re-elected in 1974. There were claims of unfair voting and other problems during his re-election. After the occupation, there was more conflict on the reservation. People accused Wilson's private group, the Guardians of the Oglala Nation (GOONs), of causing much of this trouble.

Public Support for the Occupation

Many people across the country supported the Native Americans at Wounded Knee. Public surveys showed that people felt sympathy for their cause. Groups like the Congressional Black Caucus also offered their support. Famous actors, activists, and public figures showed their solidarity. These included Marlon Brando, Johnny Cash, Angela Davis, Jane Fonda, and others.

After the government limited media access to the site, news coverage decreased. However, actor Marlon Brando, who supported AIM, found a way to bring attention back. He was nominated for an award at the 45th Academy Awards. He asked Sacheen Littlefeather, an Apache actress, to speak for him.

Sacheen Littlefeather appeared at the awards ceremony in traditional Apache clothing. When Marlon Brando won, she explained that he was declining the award. She said it was because of "the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry" and "recent happenings at Wounded Knee." She had to give a shorter, unplanned speech. Afterward, she read Brando's full message to the press backstage. This brought the Wounded Knee situation back into the news for millions of people worldwide. AIM supporters felt her speech was a big win for their movement. They believed that the attention from public figures like Marlon Brando helped prevent more serious military action by the U.S. government.

What Happened After

After the Wounded Knee occupation ended in 1973, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation experienced more internal conflict. Residents reported being attacked and threatened by President Richard Wilson's supporters, known as the GOONs. Many opponents of the tribal government died during this time. AIM representatives said many of these deaths were unsolved. However, the FBI later released a report in 2002 that disagreed with this claim.

The Legacy of Wounded Knee

The Wounded Knee Occupation has a complex legacy, with different views on how AIM and the FBI handled things. The FBI has been criticized for possibly trying to weaken AIM. Some suggest they spread false information or used undercover agents to cause problems within AIM. It has also been suggested that the FBI and the government were busy with the Watergate scandal at the time. This might have meant they did not give Wounded Knee enough attention, which could have made the occupation last longer.

AIM's actions at Wounded Knee have also faced criticism. Some people, including a former FBI agent, claimed that AIM used government funds to buy weapons instead of helping Native American people. There were also suggestions that AIM members were involved in the death of Anna Mae Aquash. Even some people within the movement, like Mary Crow Dog, have shared their concerns about AIM. She wrote in her book, "There were a lot of things wrong with AIM. We did not see these things, or did not want to see them."

In 1980, the Great Sioux Reservation won an important legal case in the Supreme Court. The court recognized that the U.S. government had illegally taken reservation land in 1876. This case had been dismissed by courts for decades. The victory came after years of media attention and efforts to gain tribal sovereignty. This helped the story of American Indians become more widely known.

In 1990, during the 100-year anniversary of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, Russell Means did not allow South Dakota Governor George S. Mickelson to take part in remembering the dead. Means stated that it would be disrespectful because of the unfair treatment of Native Americans in South Dakota.

Despite disagreements about how Wounded Knee was handled, the occupation brought important problems faced by American Indians to light. It showed them that they could speak up and be heard. Today, Wounded Knee is an important symbol of American Indian activism. It builds on its original meaning, which highlighted the terrible actions committed by the U.S. government against Native American people.