Owner of Wounded Knee Eager to Sell to Johnny Depp

Owner of Wounded Knee Eager to Sell to Johnny Depp

Deep in this Daily Mail feature on Johnny Depp, the actor who portrayed Tonto in Disney’s Lone Ranger re-boot expresses a desire to buy the site of Wounded Knee and return it to the Oglala Sioux Tribe. While landowner James Czywczynski and tribal president Bryan Brewer say the purchase would be a noble gesture, neither have heard from Depp.

“It’s very sacred ground and many atrocities were committed against the Sioux there. And in the 1970s there was a stand-off between the Feds and the people who should own that land,” Depp told the Daily Mail. “This historical land is so important to the Sioux culture and all I want to do is buy it and give it back. Why doesn’t the government do that?”

Brewer, upon hearing the news from Indian Country Today Media Network, welcomed the possibility and said the tribe would be more than willing to meet with Depp. “The fact that Johnny Depp would say this is really something,” he said. “If he would like to speak with us that would be great. We certainly appreciate his concern for this matter and the respect he is demonstrating to our people. The possibility of his goodwill effort toward keeping this land intact and in tribal hands is amazing.”

When Czywczynski put the site on the open market for $4.9 million in May, he never imagined the international exposure he would receive. He certainly never expected a celebrity like Depp to get involved. “I just got the news about (Depp’s interest) an hour ago and I don't know what to think about it,” he said.

Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/07/10/owner-wounded-knee-eager-sell-johnny-depp-150365