1973 Occupation of Wounded Knee
The occupation at Wounded Knee in 1973 was not just a result of the corrupt authority in power there, but also of hundreds of years of mistreatment enacted by the federal government.
Influence for Wounded Knee
The formation of AIM (American Indian Movement) in 1968 in Minnesota signified the frustration and anger Native Americans felt. The issues AIM focused on were police harassment, poverty, shelter, and the fulfilling of treaty promises. AIM had occupied other places in order to advocate for Native Americans. In 1972 they had seized the Bureau of Indian Affairs for 3 days to defend their rights stated in treaties. They wanted to expose the illegal practices of the federal government of taking land and disregarding treaties. AIM members stole many files in order to do so. The leader of Wounded Knee, Dick Wilson, was an example of the corruption AIM was trying to fight against.
On February 9, 1973, a trial was set to impeach Dick Wilson. He was charged with misusing tribal resources, nepotism in hiring tribal staff, failing to call the full tribal staff for meetings, and many other counts. However, Wilson's impeachment trial was terminated. AIM was called in and seized the town of Wounded Knee for what would be 71 days.
Influence for Wounded Knee
The formation of AIM (American Indian Movement) in 1968 in Minnesota signified the frustration and anger Native Americans felt. The issues AIM focused on were police harassment, poverty, shelter, and the fulfilling of treaty promises. AIM had occupied other places in order to advocate for Native Americans. In 1972 they had seized the Bureau of Indian Affairs for 3 days to defend their rights stated in treaties. They wanted to expose the illegal practices of the federal government of taking land and disregarding treaties. AIM members stole many files in order to do so. The leader of Wounded Knee, Dick Wilson, was an example of the corruption AIM was trying to fight against.
On February 9, 1973, a trial was set to impeach Dick Wilson. He was charged with misusing tribal resources, nepotism in hiring tribal staff, failing to call the full tribal staff for meetings, and many other counts. However, Wilson's impeachment trial was terminated. AIM was called in and seized the town of Wounded Knee for what would be 71 days.
AIM and Oglala Lakota activists seized the town of Wounded Knee on February 27, 1973. They occupied the town's trading post and church and demanded attention- to the broken treaties and the state of Wounded Knee and other reservations in the U.S.
To combat the occupiers, federal troops were sent in to Wounded Knee. They would engage in on and off combat throughout the occupation. Meanwhile, government officials cut off resources to the town. AIM members wanted to keep the occupation going, while Oglala Lakota members wanted it to end. Much of the town had been destroyed.
The Wounded Knee occupation had focused mostly on AIM. The media didn't cover the original conditions of the town, and when the occupiers left, Wounded Knee was in even worse condition. The reservation had a much higher rate of violence after the occupation, and Dick Wilson remained as tribal chairman.
However, the occupation brought the attention to problems facing Native Americans across the country. One incident that was highly publicized was the 1973 Oscars. Marlon Brando, a very famous actor, refused to accept his Oscar for Best Actor in The Godfather. Instead, he sent Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native American rights activist to refuse the award. He did not accept the award because of "the treatment of American Indians by the film industry in television and movie re-runs" and with "recent happenings at Wounded Knee" .
The Wounded Knee occupation shined a light on the mistreatment of Native Americans, even if it did not solve the problems on the reservation for the long run. Poverty at Wounded Knee reservation is still rampant- the unemployment rate is around 70-80 percent. Attention still needs to be brought to the problems reservations face.
The Wounded Knee occupation had focused mostly on AIM. The media didn't cover the original conditions of the town, and when the occupiers left, Wounded Knee was in even worse condition. The reservation had a much higher rate of violence after the occupation, and Dick Wilson remained as tribal chairman.
However, the occupation brought the attention to problems facing Native Americans across the country. One incident that was highly publicized was the 1973 Oscars. Marlon Brando, a very famous actor, refused to accept his Oscar for Best Actor in The Godfather. Instead, he sent Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native American rights activist to refuse the award. He did not accept the award because of "the treatment of American Indians by the film industry in television and movie re-runs" and with "recent happenings at Wounded Knee" .
The Wounded Knee occupation shined a light on the mistreatment of Native Americans, even if it did not solve the problems on the reservation for the long run. Poverty at Wounded Knee reservation is still rampant- the unemployment rate is around 70-80 percent. Attention still needs to be brought to the problems reservations face.