Wounded Knee

Wounded Knee is a creek and village on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, site of two pivotal events in Native American history.

In 1890, U.S. cavalry massacred approximately 300 Lakota men, women, and children there—one of the last major conflicts of the Indian Wars.

In 1973, members of the American Indian Movement occupied the site for 71 days in protest of federal policies and reservation conditions.

The name has become shorthand for the history of violence against Indigenous peoples: Wounded Knee remains a symbol of broken treaties and government betrayal.