On the night of February 27th, 1973, American Indian Movement activists seized buildings in Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Rookie journalist Kevin McKiernen sneaked past FBI agents and U.S. Marshals and spent several weeks inside the compound. With a back-pack full of cameras, film and a tape recorder, McKiernan documented much of the 71-day occupation from inside the perimeter. His reports were broadcast on National Public Radio.
McKiernan went on to report from troubled regions around the world, including El Salvador, Iraq, Burma, and Syria. Forty years after Wounded Knee, McKiernan returned to try to find the answers to lingering questions. He’s currently finishing work on a the new documentary, Wounded Knee: A Line in the Sand. It includes footage from the occupation along with new interviews. In the trailer for the film, McKiernan asks, “Can a white guy tell the story of American Indians?”
“Maybe not,” he says. “But I can tell you what I saw.”
McKiernan joined Dakota Midday from his home in California to discuss the film and how his experiences at Wounded Knee in 1973 changed his life.
For more information about the film and McKiernan's Kickstarter campaign raising funds to complete the documentary, click here.