3 offers for Wounded Knee land
A landowner trying to sell a portion of the Wounded Knee National Historic landmark in South Dakota said Monday he has three offers from West Coast-based investment groups for the land that sits adjacent to where about 150 of the 300 Lakota men, women and children killed by the 7th Cavalry in 1890 are buried. - But James Czywczynski told The Associated Press that he is giving the Oglala Sioux Tribe until May 1 to make an offer on the40-acre parcel before he opens it up to outside buyers. Czywczynski would not give details on the groups, nor what they intend to do with the land, but said they are willing to pay the full $3.9 million asking price. The Wounded Knee National Historic landmark comprises 870 acres. Along with its proximity to the burial grounds, the land includes the site of a former trading post burned down during the 1973 Wounded Knee uprising, in which hundreds of American Indian Movement protesters occupied the town built at the site of the 1890 massacre. The 71-day standoff that left two tribal members dead and a federal agent seriously wounded is credited with raising awareness about Native American struggles and giving rise to a wider protest movement that lasted the rest of the decade.