The Dark Truth About Wounded Knee That Schools Don't Teach You

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]Did you know there's a place in South Dakota where the US Army massacred 300 unarmed people, then gave 20 soldiers medals for it? Welcome to Wounded Knee.

[00:00:09]In 1890, Lakota families gathered here to practice the ghost dance, a peaceful religious ceremony. The army called it a threat. On December 29th, soldiers surrounded Chief Bigfoot's band. A weapon discharged during a search. What followed wasn't a battle. It was slaughter. Cavalry troops opened fire on men, women, and children trying to flee.

[00:00:30]They chased survivors for miles, gunning them down in ravines. Bodies froze in the winter cold for 3 days before mass burial in a single pit. 20 medals of honor were awarded for killing families.

[00:00:41]The horror returned in 1973 when American Indian Movement activists occupied the same ground. The FBI surrounded them for 71 days. Two activists died in the siege. Today, you can visit the mass grave. A simple fence surrounds weathered headstones. The wind still cuts across these planes where genocide happened twice. Once with bullets.