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A Dark Day: The Wounded Knee Massacre There is no darker day in South Dakota History than December 29, 1890, the day of the Wounded Knee Massacre. On this dark day, eighty-four Minneconjou men, forty-four women, and eighteen children died on the frozen plains of South Dakota.

Thirty-one of the 470 Cavalry soldiers at the scene also died. What led up to this horrible day? Why were so many women and children slaughtered in what was at first called a battle and later called a massacre? This episode looks at both sides of the story and tries to make sense of it all. It also looks at what this incident has meant to the Lakota people for the past one hundred-plus years. It does not take sides but rather tries to explain the causes and effects of this dark day in our history.

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