Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (TV) (2007)

Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (TV) (2007) commences with the Sioux's triumph over General Custer at Little Big Horn and weaves together the narratives of three pivotal figures: Charles Eastman (Adam Beach), a Dartmouth-educated Sioux doctor who embodies the purported success of assimilation; Sitting Bull (August Schellenberg), a defiant Lakota chief who resists U.S. government policies aimed at eradicating his people's identity, dignity, and sacred lands; and Senator Henry Dawes (Aidan Quinn), a key figure in shaping government policy on Indian affairs. While Eastman and schoolteacher Elaine Goodale (Anna Paquin) strive to enhance the lives of the Sioux on the reservation, Senator Dawes advocates for more compassionate treatment, countering the aggressive stance of General William Tecumseh Sherman (Feore). Hope emerges for the Sioux through the prophet Wovoka (Studi) and the Ghost Dance, a movement promising relief from white man's oppression. This hope is nearly shattered following the assassination of Sitting Bull and the massacre of hundreds of Lakota men, women, and children by the 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee Creek on December 29, 1890. Based on Dee Brown's seminal 1971 book, the film delves into the systematic oppression of American Indians during the late 19th century, focusing on the events preceding the Sioux massacre, widely regarded as one of the most heinous atrocities in U.S. history.