Actor helps tribes trying to buy sacred SD land
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/state-and-regional/actor-helps-tribe...
Native American tribes have received some celebrity support in their
effort to raise $9 million by the end of the month to buy land in
South Dakota that they consider sacred.
Ezra Miller, who stars in the recently released film "The Perks of
Being a Wallflower," and hip-hop producer Sol Guy appear in a short
documentary-style film with Standing Rock Sioux tribal member Chase
Iron Eyes as part of an effort to raise the final $2 million needed
for the land deal.
Tribes of the Great Sioux Nation hope to buy nearly 2,000 acres in the
Black Hills that they call Pe' Sla. The property is important to their
creation story, and tribal members have long held ceremonies there.
When the land was put up for sale, tribal members worried it would be
developed because of its proximity to Mount Rushmore.
The 1,942 acres of pristine prairie grass is the only sacred site on
private land currently outside Sioux control.
"I came out here with the intention of being an observer ... I felt
kind of removed from the story. But now, it's fairly clear to me that
nobody is removed from this story," Miller says in the film. A
not-yet-completed mountain carving of the Lakota warrior Crazy Horse
can be seen in the background. "This story is central to all of our
history and this struggle also cannot be removed. We are all
inherently involved in what is going on out here."
Land owners Leonard and Margaret Reynolds cancelled a public auction
of the property earlier this year after tribal members expressed
outrage. The Reynolds then accepted the tribes' bid to purchase the
land for $9 million if they have the money by Nov. 30.
The couple has not spoken publicly about the land sale and did not
return a message left Wednesday seeking comment.
Iron Eyes said the tribes have raised more than $7 million so far, and
he hopes Miller's and Sol Guy's involvement will help bring in another
$1 million or more through a new online campaign. An earlier online
campaign raised more than $300,000.
"Last time, it was real grassroots, it just sort of grew on its own
fire, its own energy," Iron Eyes said. "But this time we're adding
some extra voices to broaden the network."
The 9-minute film was shot over three days in Rapid City and other
locations throughout the Black Hills. The film highlights the
contentious relationship between the tribes and the area's white
settlers.
An 1868 treaty set aside the Black Hills and other land for the Sioux,
but Congress passed a law in 1877 seizing the land following the
discovery of gold in western South Dakota. A 1980 U.S. Supreme Court
ruling awarded more than $100 million to the Sioux tribes for the
Black Hills, but the tribes refused to accept the money, saying the
land has never been for sale. There are Sioux tribes in the Dakotas,
Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska and Canada.
Pe' Sla: Help Save Lakota Sioux Sacred Land!
http://www.indiegogo.com/PeSla-LakotaHeartland
