What Movies Portray Wounded Knee Accurately?

This post will only reference films and documentaries which treat Native American history generally, and Wounded Knee specifically, with due care and respect. Because this is a long and complicated history which spans decades, and which involves much more than a single event (even as disastrous as the 1890 massacre was), there are very few feature films which completely get it right. There are, however, a number of films and documentaries which get a lot right, and which treat the history with due respect. For a broader, more emotional look at late 19th century US government policy and its effects on the Plains tribes, ‘Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee’ (the HBO adaptation) is a good dramatization of the book by Dee Brown. But, again, this is a dramatization. There are scenes which are told from the perspective of outsiders who are trying to make sense of what is happening to the Native Americans, rather than scenes which are told from the Native American’s perspective and in which Native Americans are the stars.

For the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation, a more personal film that includes many Native actors would be ‘Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee’ which is based on the memoir of Mary Crow Dog, ‘Lakota Woman’ by Mary Crow Dog. Although not perfect in its portrayal, it focuses more on the Native activists and people and also explores the daily life of the people on the reservation, something that other films fail to do. Therefore, if one is going to watch a film about Wounded Knee and be served by a film that includes a lot of Native voices and perspectives, then ‘Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee’ is the better choice to start with. Although, it must be noted that the film is somewhat of a dramatization and therefore there are things that have been left out in order to fit the film into a certain time frame.

After looking through a good number of films and documentaries on the history of the Native Americans, I found a number of films that dealt with the Wounded Knee incident in fair and respectful ways. Unfortunately, most of these films were not 100% accurate. When looking for films that deal with the Wounded Knee incident, look for movies that treat the subject with dignity and respect. A number of films have approached the subject of Wounded Knee in fairly positive ways. One of the best films to watch about the 1973 Wounded Knee incident is the fictional film Thunderheart. Although the film is not 100% accurate in terms of the events that took place at Wounded Knee in 1973, it is a very thoughtful and well-made film that deals with a good number of the real issues of the time including FBI surveillance, the many broken treaties between the U.S. government and the Native American tribes, the deep poverty that exists on many Native American reservations, and the intergenerational pain and suffering that has and continues to exist among the Native American people. In addition to watching the film Thunderheart, I would also recommend looking through a number of documentaries that were made about the 1973 Wounded Knee incident including a number of documentaries that include archival footage of the incident and include interviews with a number of the Lakota elders and activists who were involved in the 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee. The documentaries are a good source of information and include the real faces, the real speeches, and the immediate history of the events that took place at Wounded Knee in 1973.

To get the most out of these films, it’s best to watch a mix of docos, news archives and films, and then read some books on the subject (‘Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee’ by the late Seneca novelist Dee Brown and ‘Lakota Woman’ by activist and actress Mary Crow Dog are both great companion pieces to the two films already mentioned). Most importantly, pay attention to whose story is being told, and how they’re being portrayed. Ask yourself if any Native advisors or actors were involved in the film, and whether or not the Native characters are more than just symbols. For me, the most powerful and lasting pieces about Wounded Knee are the ones where Lakota people are allowed to tell their own stories. Often heartbreaking and sometimes even enraging, these stories are also unforgettable.

When it comes to historical films about Wounded Knee, I generally consider two things: the 1890 massacre and the 1973 occupation. As far as a “straight” dramatization goes, to make it from primary sources as much as possible, I think Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is the best thing out there right now. It certainly “condenses” a lot of people and events, and therefore certain people are made into “composite characters” for convenience, but it does a very good job of getting across the basic dynamic of policy after policy of the late 19th century US which led to the dispossession of the Indians, and the extreme cost to human life of said policy.

For emotional resonance and to show the utter absurdity of the circumstances that surrounded the massacre, I look to Little Big Man. This film is by no means historically accurate, yet in the final scenes it represents the events at Wounded Knee so unbearably that it serves as a fitting response to the U.S. government's attack on men, women and children. For more realistic portrayals of historical events such as the Wounded Knee Massacre, I rely on documentaries. We Shall Remain (a PBS production) is a powerful 5-part series that examines 5 pivotal moments in Native American history. Each episode explores the historical events through the perspectives of Native historians and persons, offering an in-depth, detailed look at all of the circumstances that led to the events at Wounded Knee. I find it an incredibly powerful, and humbling, companion to the films and Dee Brown's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, augmented by oral histories from Lakota people, providing the most comprehensive insights into the tragedy.

For a true to life portrayal of the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation, I can recommend Lakota Woman which is a dramatization of the memoir by the same name. Most faithful portrayals are by Indigenous people and so films and documentaries based off of memoirs would be good to point friends and family to. As for a film that tries to portray the violence and the legal battles that took place at Pine Ridge after the occupation, Incident at Oglala is a good starting point. This documentary explores the deeper reservation tensions and the trials that followed the violence at Pine Ridge.

Then there are the Hollywood films about the 1970s. Most of these deal only loosely with the historical facts of the period and develop a plot in the framework of a thriller. It’s best to watch these films alongside news footage from the time, with interviews from elder Native Americans who were active during the 1970s, and with books written by participants of the events. Such a mix of document and fiction is more informative than a film alone and provides a more complete understanding of the events.