By Amanda Froelich at trueactivist.com
Actor Johnny Depp wants to purchase the historical landmark Wounded Knee and gift it back to the Native American people to help make right what went so wrong in 1890.
In an interview with The Daily Mail on Sunday, well-known actor Johnny Depp disclosed that he intends to buy Wounded Knee, a national historic landmark, and gift it back to the Indian people. He shared that he is ready to spend millions in order to give control back to those that should have inherited the land, and help make right what went so wrong back in 1890.
“It’s very sacred ground and many atrocities were committed against the Sioux there,” he said. “And in the 1970s there was a stand-off between the Feds (Federal government) and the people who should own that land. This historical land is so important to the Sioux culture and all I want to do is buy it and give it back. Why doesn’t the government do that?”
Perhaps it was Depp’s stint playing the role of Tonto in the box office production The Lone Ranger that inspired him to pursue such action; whatever the inspiration, the activism will most certainly be appreciated by many.
Depp spent a massive amount of time doing research about the various tribes and received the approval from many Native American groups before the filming of The Lone Ranger began. His respect for the Native American culture runs deep, and he wanted to make sure that all those involved with the production were doing right by “the Indian” in the way they portrayed the various tribes.
“The idea was to give back to them and to make sure that we got it right,” he said in the lengthy interview.
According to the news source, Depp is intent on following through with the aforementioned plan. The asking price for Wound Knee is $3.9 million, which is a fraction of what Depp makes from one production. That said, there is little standing in the way of him keeping true to his promise.
“I am doing my best to make that happen. It’s land they were pushed on to and then they were massacred there. It really saddens me,” he stated.
The area near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (in South Dakota) is where the last major battle of the American Indian Wars took place. The fight reportedly began when an elderly tribesman refused to hand over his weapon. Troops attacked, and at least 150 members of the Lakota tribe – including men, women, and children – were killed.
Honoring the Native American culture by purchasing the historical location will be a major step in helping to make right what went so wrong over a hundred years ago. The event has caused outrage from historians as at least 20 American soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their role in the massacre. Now, at least, the public is more educated on the solemn history and can do what’s right moving forward.
What are your thoughts on this news? Comment below and share this article!
This article (Johnny Depp Intends To Buy The Site Of Wounded Knee Massacre And Gift It Back To The Native American People) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com
this is old news,if he’s really going to do this why hasn’t it happened yet ?!!!
Bruh it’s not exactly a “hey government here’s a few million dollars I’ll take that historic piece of land over there”
Go, Johnny! Can you help us with that damned nickel mine, now? It seems the leaders entertain, and the entertainers must lead!
I’ve visited there and found it interesting that there is a church and cemeteries for the whites that perished but not for the native Americans that were slaughtered. I highly recommend the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Perhaps though something to address the poverty at Pine Ridge is where Johnny should focus on.
Natives neither needed churches or used them. Its sacred ground being it possesses their ancestors remains and the place of conversion of their ancestors spirit and body to the earth.
I was lucky enough to take a piss on that monument for the “heroes” when I was a youngster.
good move sir, a thousand atta boys to you.
An excellent start in the right direction, if one actor could somehow achieve this wonderfull act of humanitarism, imagine what would be enjoyed when another 20 actors and actresses decide to join together with each other.
This was only one of the atrocities that we committed against the real Americans that white men found when they came here. Indian Children were taken from their birth parents and given to white families to adopt. My great-grandmother was adopted by a Baptist minister in Southern Virginia. I weish I could have known her.