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Wounded Knee Mystery Bidders Working to Secure Land for Tribe
On May 1 the site of the Wounded Knee massacre was put on the open market by owner James Czywczynski with a price tag of $4.9 million. He says three of the five standing offers he has could benefit the Oglala Sioux Tribe, who he would prefer to sell to but have not yet made an offer.
“All five are looking for additional time to put their funding together,” he said. “It appears that three of the five are acquiring this property for or on behalf of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
“I do not know for sure because these people will not tell me. They told me by the end of the week, which is this Friday they should have their offer submitted,” Czywczynski said.
Denise Mesteth, director of the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Tribal Land Office, the tribe has not made an offer. She further commented about Czywczynski’s statements that the tribe should have money from the Cobell and Salazar settlements. (Related story: “A Conversation With Wounded Knee Owner James Czywczynski”)
“That is ridiculous for him to even say that,” Mesteth said. “We do not have any money to purchase this land. Yes, we received the Salazar money, but those monies were sent to the districts and allocated already. The money is gone and the districts are taking care of their district business.”
Mesteth also said that since the tribe has purchased the sacred site of Pe’ sla in the Black Hills of South Dakota, people wanting to sell land to the tribe are coming forward. (Related story: “Pe’ Sla Purchase Guarantees Sacred Land Will Be Used for Ceremonies”)
“We are now dealing with another owner who wants to sell us 9,000 acres for $8 million,” she said.
Comments
dear white farmers and
dear white farmers and ranchers
how so very kind you are to be popping out of the woodwork offering to 'sell back' land that, but for the u s govt taking it away in the first place never would have been yours....
and best of all, you are coming forward offering it for exhorbitant sums of money...i would love to know just exactly where you assume the lakota peoples came up with these millions of dollars...
this is such crap...
Our sacred grounds should not
Our sacred grounds should not be sold, for any price.
why are people always looking
why are people always looking for massive amounts of monetary compensation when dealing with historical land that is full of memories of systematic decimation of people who tried to only live their lives?
why is the price of acreage so high?
I hope this is the case &
I hope this is the case & some blessed one(s) are going to buy this for our many people. Such a one or ones, will be blessed in more ways than they could even imagine by the Great Spirit. There are blessings that no amount of money can ever buy someone.
As for those who want to sell that 9,000 acres. That would be nice if it could be bought somehow for our many people. It would be nice to run some buffalo on it.
Remember the legend about when Pte start coming back then our good fortune & power will return to our many people. Some of us have been waiting for this to happen for more years than you could ever imagine.
This is crazy, how about
This is crazy, how about legislation to the State and Federal Level to deem these places historical sites and No one should have to worry about purchasing them?
Czywczynski cannot really be
Czywczynski cannot really be the owner of this land. It is sacred to the Ogala Sioux tribe. He should deed it to the tribe in honor of the Indians who were massacred here. The land belongs to those who lived and died there.
I really hope this land goes
I really hope this land goes back to the Native peoples. It was their land to begin with. The price tag is unbelievable and over priced. He only set that price because he knows what it means to the people..
It's called eminent domain.
It's called eminent domain. He should be lucky to get shit on toast like the rest of us
I wonder how most Americans
I wonder how most Americans would feel about famous Civil War battlegrounds being put up for sale? I can almost hear the outrage that would be raise if, instead of being used a national parks they were offered up for sale.
As sad as this is it really shouldn't surprise anyone - money has been the White Man's God since we first met him.
I wonder how most Americans
I wonder how most Americans would feel about famous Civil War battlegrounds being put up for sale? I can almost hear the outrage that would be raise if, instead of being used a national parks they were offered up for sale.
As sad as this is it really shouldn't surprise anyone - money has been the White Man's God since we first met him.
The love of money is the root
The love of money is the root of all evil......and this man will surely pay the price for the money he loves so dearly.
I can think of no greater a
I can think of no greater a despicable thing than this abomination revokving about the original owners of this Land, Sacred to them, now having to BUY BACK what was stolen from them by the UNITED STATES GOVERNNMENT by sheer and brutal, bloody massacres undertaken by orders from Washington, for the UNITED DTATES MILITARY armies to pillage and plunder and murder American Indians and then STEAL THEIR LAND and then cinsign them to virtual CONCENTRATION CAMPS (long befor HITLER ever conceived of such). My GOD, this Country has much if not more, for that which it must recompense and TRY to give adequate answer..... SIMPLE GREED ISN'T ANSWER..... TRY RAW, NAKED EVIL!
AND NOW WE HAVE YET ANOTHER 2nd or 3rd GENERATION IMMIGRANT WHO POSSESSES WHAT IN FACT IS NOT HIS BUT FOR THE YEARS OF COLLUSION AND CONFISCATION BY THIS GOVERNMENT OF INDIAN LAND OFFERING IT UP FOR SALE TO THE PROPER OWNERS! GREAT PLACE, THIS U.S. of A........ ONLY IN AMERICA...... or ............ THE SUDAN................or NAZI GERMANY.....
or .......BOSNIA/HERZAGOVNIA......... or so many other places..... TODAY WE HAVE A SOFTER NAME FOR WHAT WE DID AND ITHERS NOW DO, BUT CALL IT BY A MORE GENTLE TERM,....... ETHNIC
CLEANSING!....
i read the book,'bury my
i read the book,'bury my heart at wounded knee' best book i have ever read. if this land belonged to the native indians in the first place,why should they have to buy it back.it should be given back to them!!here in australia,sacred land has been given back to our native aborigines.i am a true blue aussie,but i believe every body should be equal.give back what belongs to them,especailly with so much history to it.
As God wills... the land
As God wills... the land belonged to the people, then was stolen and now they have to buy it back. Who but most tribal peoples will keep the soil clean, the earth healthy and the cycles even forever?
our lands are not up for sale
our lands are not up for sale at any price the lands belong to the tribe not anyone else
Hope this guy is telling the
Hope this guy is telling the truth. It is so hard to believe that the asking price is this high when the taxable value is so low.
So sad.
So sad.
It is stolen land anyway, so
It is stolen land anyway, so why not give it back, free!!!!
Land from these massacres has
Land from these massacres has spirit issues and these spirits will cause issues for the people and the descendants of the people who seek to profit from our murder.
The land of the massacres does not need to be bought. Eventually the owners will be begging to have the land taken away simply to end their torment.
why does this seller deserve
why does this seller deserve to ask such a price? is this not robbery of native americans. Is this not GREED?
WE all should beware of the
WE all should beware of the saying "when will they learn they cannot eat money".......