Mini-Episode 06: The Black Hills Are Not for Sale

The series ‘The War for the Black Hills’ is among my early work. It spanned Episodes 16-18. This is a much-needed follow-up to that story. That series, in fact, covered the history until the late 1800s. This episode picks up where that series left off and covers the ongoing legal battle between the Lakota and the U.S. for ownership of the Black Hills. Back in 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Lakota and awarded them many millions of dollars. The court referred to the theft of the Black Hills from the Lakota in the following way: “A more ripe and rank case of dishonorable dealings will never, in all probability, be found in our history.” Despite being among the poorest people in the country, the Lakota rejected the money. This episode tells this story. It’s dedicated to the memory of a wonderful Yankton man by the name of James R. Weddell who loved the Black Hills with a passion.