"Charles Abourezk and Brett Lawlor's A Tattoo on My Heart reinvestigates the 1973 holdout by members of the American Indian Movement against federal forces at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, the film focuses on the archived viewpoint of front-line Indians. By doing so, they got the little stories that made up the big picture. Some were heroic, some dangerous, some humorous . . . ."
Gary Walker, The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, California, March 8, 2005.
A TATTOO ON MY HEART: THE WARRIORS OF WOUNDED KNEE 1973 - Synopsis
The Siege of Wounded Knee 1973 forever changed the lives of Indian people who took part and captured the imaginations of those who watched this gripping story unfold on television and in newspapers across America. It was the culmination of an awakening that had begun with the formation of the American Indian Movement, the takeover of Alcatraz Island, and the occupation of BIA headquarters in Washington D.C.
Nowhere was that awakening more profound, nor reaction by the government greater than around the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Racism and violence against Indians, corruption, and repression of traditional people on the reservations had left many Indians desperate. After the brutal deaths of two Indian men, traditional leaders called upon AIM. Fearing a takeover of tribal headquarters, federal law enforcement, armed with modern weapons and armored personnel carriers moved to protect the tribal government.
On February 27, 1973 traditional and AIM leaders chose another location to make a stand–the site of the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee. Cold, hungry, and armed only with hunting rifles, fake guns, and one AK-47, they held out for 71 days against the US government. Over 500,000 rounds were exchanged between federal officers and Indians during the siege. Two Indians were killed, and several other wounded. Nearly 600 federal criminal charges were filed. A Tattoo on My Heart: The Warriors of Wounded Knee 1973 tells this dramatic and emotional story in the words of those men and women who struggled for survival inside the bunkers and ravines at Wounded Knee.
"A Tattoo on My Heart . . . lends itself to the mood of Native people today, because it has the potential to connect young people with the spirit of political activism exemplified by AIM at Wounded Knee. It is certainly a film for the ages."
Michael Smith, Executive Director, American Indian Film Institute.