Preview Activity - Bury My Heart

Before attending the Film Festival showing of Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, I'd like for you to read through the plot summery and other material below - and watch the trailer. While this is one of the better films that will be shown this year, it will be more enjoyable if you have a bit of prior knowledge.




The following plot summary Wikipedia:

The plot, which is based on events covered by several chapters of Brown's book as well as other sources on Charles Eastman, revolves around three main characters: Charles Eastman né Ohiyesa (Adam Beach), a young, Dartmouth-educated, Sioux doctor held up as living proof of the alleged success of assimilation; Sitting Bull (Schellenberg), the proud Sioux chief who refuses to submit to U.S. government policies designed to strip his people of their identity, their dignity and their sacred land—the gold-laden Black Hills of the Dakotas; and Senator Henry Dawes (Quinn), an architect of government policy on Indian affairs.

While Eastman and patrician schoolteacher Elaine Goodale (Paquin) work to improve life for the Indians on the reservation, Senator Dawes lobbies President Ulysses Grant (Thompson) for more humane treatment, opposing the bellicose stance of General William Tecumseh Sherman (Feore). The Dawes Commission (actually held from 1893 to 1914)^[1] develops a proposal to break up the Great Sioux Reservation to allow for American demands for land while preserving enough land for the Sioux to live on. The Commission's plan is held up by the stance of Sitting Bull, who has taken a position of leadership among the Sioux as one of the last chiefs to fight for their independence. Dawes, in turn, urges Eastman to help him convince the recalcitrant tribal leaders. After witnessing conditions on the reservation, Eastman refuses.

Hope rises for the Indians in the form of the prophet Wovoka (Studi) and the Ghost Dance—a messianic movement that promises an end of their suffering under the white man. This hope is obliterated after the assassination of Sitting Bull and the massacre of hundreds of Indian men, women and children by the 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee Creek on December 29, 1890.

Here's another plot summery (from iMDb and HBO Films)

Beginning just after the bloody Sioux victory over General Custer at Little Big Horn, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee intertwines the perspectives of three characters: Charles Eastman, né Ohiyesa, a young, Dartmouth-educated, Sioux doctor held up as living proof of the alleged success of assimilation; Sitting Bull, the proud Lakota chief who refuses to submit to U.S. government policies designed to strip his people of their identity, their dignity and their sacred land - the gold-laden Black Hills of the Dakotas; and Senator Henry Dawes, who was one of the architects of the government policy on Indian affairs. While Eastman and patrician schoolteacher Elaine Goodale work to improve life for the Indians on the reservation, Senator Dawes lobbies President Grant for more humane treatment, opposing the bellicose stance of General William Tecumseh Sherman. Hope rises for the Indians in the form of the prophet Wovoka and the Ghost Dance - a messianic movement that promises an end of their suffering under the white man. This hope is obliterated after the assassination of Sitting Bull and the massacre of hundreds of Indian men, women and children by the 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee Creek on Dec. 29, 1890. Written by HBO Films

As with all movies based on historical events, historical accuracy should be taken into consideration when deciding on how valuable a film is for educational uses. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about historical accuracy:

The role of Eastman has been exaggerated to allow him to be a witness to multiple historic events. He was not present at Little Big Horn nor was he involved in drawing up the Dawes plan to individualize Indian land ownership.^[2] Eastman first met Dawes as a lobbyist, years after Wounded Knee.^[2]

Furthermore, Eastman is not a major figure in Brown's book. Much of the material on Eastman appears to be drawn from Raymond Wilson's 1999 biography of Eastman, Ohiyesa.

Henry L. Dawes is portrayed sympathetically. Though his motives were to increase the cultural assimilation of Native Americans into American society overall, the Dawes Act that he sponsored in 1887 and his later efforts as head of the Dawes Commission, decreased the amount of land owned by Native Americans through the parcelization of Native American reservations and was the chief contributor to Native American poverty later on. Native Americans lost, over the 47 years of the Act's life, about 90 million acres (360,000 km²) of treaty land, or about two-thirds of the 1887 land base. About 90,000 Indians were made landless. The Dawes Act deteriorated Native American communal life-style, culture, and unity.^[3][4]

I think that you will find this to be an excellent film. Both entertaining and educational. Please just leave a comment saying that you read the above post.