AP WAS THERE: The occupation at Wounded Knee

By TERRY DEVINE
Associated Press

Members of the American Indian Movement took over the town of Wounded Knee on Feb. 27, 1973, starting a 71-day occupation on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The standoff with the federal government grew out of turmoil within the Oglala Sioux Tribe as well as a protest of the federal government’s treatment of Native Americans. It became violent at times, and two Native American men were killed. The siege left a lasting impact on members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the future of Native American activism.