Proposed store near tribal cemetery questioned

PINE RIDGE, S.D. (AP) – The Oglala Sioux Tribe wants to build a convenience store near the historic Wounded Knee Cemetery on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, but some are questioning the idea.

The cemetery is the final resting place for victims of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, in which 300 Native American men, women and children were killed by 7th Cavalry soldiers and buried in a mass grave. The area was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1981.

Some Oglala Sioux tribal members and some historic preservation officers from other tribes are questioning the proposal for a gas station and store near the site, the Rapid City Journal reported.

“That valley is so rich with history,” said Russell Eagle Bear, historic preservation officer for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. “We have relatives that were part of the Wounded Knee Massacre, so we do have an interest.”

Cheyenne River Sioux Historic Preservation Officer Steve Vance said the matter should be decided by all seven bands of the Sioux Nation. That would include all nine reservations in South Dakota and others in North Dakota and Canada that have descendants of victims and survivors, he said.

The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council is expected to consider the proposal this week. Historic Preservation Officer Michael Catches Enemy said his office will recommend moving the business outside of the historic landmark boundaries.

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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com