''Incident at Oglala'' is a 1992 documentary by

Michael Apted Michael David Apted, (10 February 1941 – 7 January 2021) was a British television and film director and producer. Apted began working in television and directed the '' Up'' documentary series (1964–2019). He later directed '' Coal Miner's ...

, narrated by Robert Redford. The film documents the deaths of two

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

agents, Jack R. Coler and Ronald A. Williams, on the

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation ( lkt, Wazí Aháŋhaŋ Oyáŋke), also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Indian reservation located entirely within the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Gr ...

on June 26, 1975. Also killed in the multiple fire was Native American Joe Stuntz, a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), whose death prompted no legal action. It examines the legal case surrounding the subsequent trials of

Robert Robideau Robert Eugene Robideau (November 11, 1946 – February 17, 2009) was an American activist who was acquitted in the 1975 shooting deaths of two FBI agents in South Dakota. Early years Robideau was born the second of 12 children in Portland, Or ...

and Darrell Butler, and later the separate trial of

Leonard Peltier Leonard Peltier (born September 12, 1944) is a Native American activist and militant member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who, following a controversial trial, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of two Fe ...

, who had to be extradited from Canada. Robideau and Butler were acquitted at their trial, but

Peltier Peltier is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Autumn Peltier (born 2004), climate activist * Harvey Peltier, Jr. (1923-1980), American politician *Harvey Peltier, Sr. (1899-1977), American politician *Jean Charles Athanase ...

was convicted of murder in 1977. (Peltier's supporters, including the

International Indian Treaty Council The International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) is an organization of Indigenous Peoples from North, Central, South America, the Caribbean and the Pacific working for the Sovereignty and Self-Determination of Indigenous Peoples and the recognition ...

, maintain that he is innocent of the crimes.) The film also discusses tribal chairman

Dick Wilson Dick Wilson (July 30, 1916 – November 18, 2007) was an American actor who was best known as grocery store manager Mr. George Whipple in more than 500 Charmin bathroom tissue television commercials (1965–89, 1999–2000). Biography Dick Wi ...

Background

There were many unsolved murders and drive-by shootings on the reservation, caused by a culture clash between traditional and

Americanized Americanization or Americanisation (see spelling differences) is the influence of American culture and business on other countries outside the United States of America, including their media, cuisine, business practices, popular culture, tec ...

Sioux. The

American Indian Movement The American Indian Movement (AIM) is a Native American grassroots movement which was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1968, initially centered in urban areas in order to address systemic issues of poverty, discrimination, and police br ...

(AIM) was invited to the reservation to help assert traditional values. It was headquartered at Calvin Jumping Bull's property on the southern edge of

Oglala The Oglala (pronounced , meaning "to scatter one's own" in Lakota language) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority of the Oglala live o ...

. The "incident at Oglala" was precipitated by the FBI investigation of a pair of stolen boots. Jimmy Eagle, one of the AIM teenagers, was thought to have taken a pair of boots after a fight, and two FBI agents, wanting to talk to him about it, pursued a vehicle they thought he was driving into the AIM camp, leading to a shootout which left both dead.

Accolades

Apted was nominated for the Critics Award in 1992 for the film.

References

External links

* * *
''Incident at Oglala''
at

Miramax Films Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was initially a lead ...

Leonard Peltier Defense Committee

{{Michael Apted 1992 films American Indian Movement Films directed by Michael Apted Films set in South Dakota Films shot in South Dakota Documentary films about Native Americans Documentary films about indigenous rights 1992 documentary films Films about activists Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Documentary films about South Dakota 1990s English-language films

Background

Accolades

See also

References

External links