BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE (TV)
Summary
This made-for-television film, adapted from the book by Dee Alexander Brown, tells the story of the Sioux people and their fight for their land against the United States government at the end of the 19th century. The program begins in 1876, after gold has been found on Sioux land and leaders Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull have refused to move onto the reservation. At the Battle of Little Big Horn in June, young Ohiyesa watches as his friend is shot and many others massacred as General Custer and his men attempt to drive the natives off. Elsewhere, General Sherman criticizes Custer's "idiot" move, but Senator Henry Dawes says that the Sioux were defending their own land, as determined by the 1868 treaty. Dawes wants to "advance" the people, but President Grant stresses that they must move onto the reservation to keep the peace, and Sherman argues that the land was rightfully purchased from the French. Ohiyesa's father returns to the camp and discovers that his son won a feather for bravery in battle, then revealing that his own life was saved by "great father Lincoln" and that he is now a Christian. At Red Cloud's camp on the reservation, Dawes addresses the people and urges them to consider their "new home" at the Pine Ridge settlement, but Red Cloud refuses to give up the Black Hills, angry about Grant's orders to Custer to attack. However, Colonel Nelson Miles threatens further violence, and Red Cloud and his people all sign a new agreement.
Later, in October, Miles travels to Cedar Creek Valley and meets with Sitting Bull, who reiterates that the Black Hills are sacred. Miles reminds him that his own people battled other tribes and conquered them, adding that Crazy Horse and Red Cloud have both surrendered. Sitting Bull refuses to give in, however, and the two sides prepare for battle. Miles' men have far greater firepower and many of Sitting Bull's men are killed, and Miles orders the native camp burned as an angry Sitting Bull heads for Canada with his remaining people. Ohiyesa is given a haircut and sent to school, but he refuses to choose a "white name." Later, he is selected to attend a special school in Illinois, and though he resists, his father tells him that he must learn to live in the white man's world, and he goes. Sitting Bull and his people meet with the Mounties, who tell them that they are welcome, though they reveal that Crazy Horse is dead and state that Sitting Bull's people must remain peaceful and not attack Americans or other tribes. Some years later, Dawes gives a speech about the benefits of assimilation and presents the adult Ohiyesa, now known as Charles Eastman, who has recently graduated from Dartmouth and is headed for medical school. He meets Elaine Goodale, who speaks some Lakota, and he tells her the story of his choosing his white name. In Canada, Sitting Bull deals harshly with a tribe member who sneaks out to seek care for his sick child, and then discovers that two of his men have stolen from the nearby Crow tribe. He whips the two thieves, declaring that they cannot be sent back to the United States, but many tribesmen begin leaving anyway.
Charles and Dawes work together in Washington D.C. on an assimilation plan involving six reservations and education and work programs for the natives, studying maps and giving speeches to explain why their project will "civilize" the natives and allow the whites to build a necessary railroad. Dawes is delighted when his bill, known as the Dawes Act, passes, and he thanks Charles for his help. At the Pine Ridge Sioux Agency, Dawes presents the plan to the people and offers them fifty cents per acre for their unused land, but they realize that they will receive no money until the land, which is insufficient for living, is sold to other whites, and they turn down his offer. In Canada, Sitting Bull's people suffer through a harsh winter, leading to some deaths. They eventually head for the Standing Rock reservation, when Sitting Bull talks to agent James McLaughlin, who tells him in no uncertain terms that he is no longer a chief and will abide by the rules of the reservation, including planting crops and accepting rations. Elaine, working as a teacher, tries to assist Sitting Bull, but Sitting Bull is displeased with the situation. She writes to Charles, noting Sitting Bull's arrival and explaining that the reservations have been struck with many illnesses and that little has been done to improve things. When his appeal to Dawes goes unheard, Charles heads to Pine Ridge himself to work as a doctor, where he finds that equipment and supplies are very low. He is surprised when Elaine arrives, and the two reconnect and are eventually married. McLaughlin and Sitting Bull's feud grows, as McLaughlin accuses him of lying about his exploits with showman "Buffalo Bill" Cody, and orders him to begin farming and educating his son. Charles writes to Dawes about the people's illnesses and "hopelessness," noting that they seek alcohol to escape their sorrows and that many have died. A shaman, Wovoka, speaks to the people about his visions of the afterlife, promising them that they can escape the tyranny of the whites if they "do the dance" as he teaches.
Dawes returns to the reservation and now offers $1.25 per acre, and Charles is upset to realize that the land will be stolen anyway if the people refuse to sign, now questioning his "plan" with Dawes. Sitting Bull is further accused of lying about his involvement with the Battle of Little Big Horn, and he confronts his longtime friend Gall about spreading such rumors. Gall states that McLaughlin forced him to do so, pointing out that Sitting Bull "does nothing" and stubbornly refuses to work for his own food and land. When Dawes asks the people to sign over the land, Sitting Bull makes a fiery speech about how the whites are trying to eradicate their race by forcing them onto useless land, and Red Cloud agrees with him, saying that he will not be tricked again. Charles and Dawes argue about the people's "return to incivility," and Charles finally declares himself Dawes' opponent, pointing out that he knows better about his people's needs, but Dawes states that Charles is hardly a Sioux any longer. Crushed, Charles tells Elaine that he should have jumped from the train to Illinois as a boy and escaped assimilation. Later, Charles hears about an "uprising" in response to ration cuts, but he promises that the people are just dancing, not planning violence. Nevertheless, McLaughlin orders the "dance camps" shut down, deciding to arrest Sitting Bull for encouraging them. Charles and Elaine are shocked when many wounded Sioux are then brought into the hospital, and a woman explains that violence erupted when the people protested Sitting Bull's arrest, causing several deaths, including Sitting Bull's. When the people attempted to flee, they were cornered at Wounded Knee Creek and massacred by gunfire and cannon shots on December 29, 1890.
Many photos are taken of the hundreds of frozen bodies, and Elaine admits that she and Charles were merely "witnesses" to the destruction, despite their attempts to help. Charles eventually resigns his post, and some time later Dawes asks for his help with the "renaming project," in which the Sioux are all to be given white names in order to organize the distribution of their land. Conflicted, Charles is further upset when he finds his feather from Little Big Horn and attempts to cast it into the river, but decides to keep it in remembrance. The film concludes by explaining that Charles and Elaine continued working as Sioux advocates and lecturers, eventually having six children. Red Cloud also worked for tribe rights and Dawes remained in the Senate, with his plan eventually leading to the sale of ninety million acres of land. In 1980, however, the 1876 seizure was deemed a violation of the treaty, but the large monetary compensation goes unclaimed to this day, as the Sioux still maintain that the Black Hills are their sacred land.
Details
- NETWORK: HBO
- DATE: May 27, 2007 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:12:43
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:91299
- GENRE: Drama, historical
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, historical; Native Americans; Indigenous Peoples Collection
- SERIES RUN: HBO - TV, 2007
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Tom Thayer … Executive Producer
- Dick Wolf … Executive Producer
- Yves Simoneau … Co-Executive Producer, Director
- Clara George … Producer
- Daniel J. Lombardo … Digital Dimension Executive Producer
- Chris Del Conte … Digitial Dimension VFX Producer
- Daniel Giat … Writer
- Dee Alexander Brown … Based on the book by
- George S. Clinton … Music by
- Aidan Quinn … Cast, Henry Dawes
- Adam Beach … Cast, Charles Eastman
- August Schellenberg … Cast, Sitting Bull
- J.K. Simmons … Cast, James McLaughlin
- Eric Schweig … Cast, Gall
- Wes Studi … Cast, Wovoka / Jack Wilson
- Colm Feore … Cast, General Sherman
- Gordon Tootoosis … Cast, Chief Red Cloud
- Shaun Johnston … Cast, Col. Nelson Miles
- Nathan Chasing Horse … Cast, One Bull
- Eddie Spears … Cast, Chasing Crane
- Lee Tergesen … Cast, Daniel Royer
- Holly Bird … Cast, Scarlet Whirlwind
- Fred Thompson … Cast, President Ulysses S. Grant
- Anna Paquin … Cast, Elaine Goodale
- Chevez Ezaneh … Cast, Ohiyesa / Young Charles
- Duane Howard … Cast, Uncle
- Wayne Charles Baker … Cast, Jacob
- Brian Stollery … Cast, Bishop Whipple
- Billy Merasty … Cast, Young Man Afraid
- Morris Birdyellowhead … Cast, American Horse
- Sean Wei Mah … Cast, Bull Head
- Star Birdyellowhead … Cast, Bull Head's Wife
- Jayson Therrien … Cast, Soldier
- Chantal Perron … Cast, Teacher
- Patrick St. Esprit … Cast, Major Walsh
- David Cowley … Cast, Mountie
- Jemma Blackwell … Cast, Woman
- Laura Bachynski … Cast, Mrs. Goodale
- Barbara Scout … Cast, Singing Sioux Woman
- David Bigchild … Cast, Sergeant / Horse Thief
- Nakotah Larance … Cast, Crow Foot
- Michelle Thrush … Cast, Four Robes
- Tom Carey … Cast, Issue Clerk
- Jim Rattai … Cast, Crier
- Jonathan Fox … Cast, Chasing Crane's Son
- Scott McAdam … Cast, Photographer
- Hrothgar Mathews … Cast, Reverend Woods
- Tokola Clifford … Cast, Little Wolf
- Jason Blackhorse … Cast, Young Sioux Man
- Jonathan Brewer … Cast, Village Man
- Robert Big Sorrel Horse … Cast, Village Man
- Marty Antonini … Cast, Colonel James Forsyth
- Jimmy Herman … Cast, Yellow Bird
- Brian Copping … Cast, Secretary