Earlier this year, the man who owns a parcel of land adjacent to the Wounded Knee Massacre Site gave the Oglala Sioux Tribe an ultimatum. Buy it by May 1st - or he would be auctioning it off.
The problem - Jim Czywczynski is asking nearly $4 million for the land - which is assessed at roughly $14,000.
After the Tribe didn't bite, Czywczynski set a second deadline, which was September 2.
Members of the Tribal government do not believe anyone is lined up to buy this piece of land with such a bloody history - contrary to claims Czywczynski has made to various West River news outlets. If he does, Kevin Yellow Bird Steele - a Tribal Council member from the Wounded Knee District - says the new owner will run into the same problems as the current owner.
"He needs to be straight up and fair with whoever's going to buy it. Because I've heard people say that they won't allow any building on it, and as of now, there's an ordinance that there's no building around Wounded Knee," said Yellow Bird Steele.
This summer, actor Johnny Depp made headlines when he expressed interest in buying the land to a London newspaper. Depp never followed up on that claim.
Czywczynski is still hopeful he will sell Wounded Knee for the full asking price. “I hope to, one way or another we are going to get this done.”
KSFY News has reached out to Czywczynski for comment, but have yet to receive a reply.
Source
KSFY News - Sioux Falls, SD News, Weather, Sports
Recommended Article: Native Americans to Johnny Depp: 'Keep Your Word, Buy Wounded Knee'
The problem - Jim Czywczynski is asking nearly $4 million for the land - which is assessed at roughly $14,000.
After the Tribe didn't bite, Czywczynski set a second deadline, which was September 2.
Members of the Tribal government do not believe anyone is lined up to buy this piece of land with such a bloody history - contrary to claims Czywczynski has made to various West River news outlets. If he does, Kevin Yellow Bird Steele - a Tribal Council member from the Wounded Knee District - says the new owner will run into the same problems as the current owner.
"He needs to be straight up and fair with whoever's going to buy it. Because I've heard people say that they won't allow any building on it, and as of now, there's an ordinance that there's no building around Wounded Knee," said Yellow Bird Steele.
This summer, actor Johnny Depp made headlines when he expressed interest in buying the land to a London newspaper. Depp never followed up on that claim.
Czywczynski is still hopeful he will sell Wounded Knee for the full asking price. “I hope to, one way or another we are going to get this done.”
KSFY News has reached out to Czywczynski for comment, but have yet to receive a reply.
Source
VIDEO
Recommended Article: Native Americans to Johnny Depp: 'Keep Your Word, Buy Wounded Knee'
let all of the Native People ban together and ask those tribes who have done well with gaming to help purchase this sacred land and return it to the 1st Nations People..... We can make this happen.
if I was able, I would buy the land. Then turn around and give it right back to it's people!
No one should have to pay that amount of money, it's wrong. The land should be returned period.
Agrees with Adrianne....I really wish I would win the lottery...my winnings would go to things like this as well as helping out with those who are in need.
The woman selling it is trying to hold the land hostage. The land is worth what someone will pay for it. Dont let her cash in on a tragedy. It's blood money!
14 million for something assessed at 14,000? yeah I think we can all see the dollar signs of greed here
Jim Czywczynski should pay taxes on 4 Million!
The Wounded Knee land should be "purchased" like the sacred Black Hills & returned to the rightful owners...let the government spend that money sitting in trust, buy out the people living or owning that land right now & return it. The Supreme Court of this land did in 1980 rule that the seizure of the Black Hills was unlawful & have over 500 million sitting in trust as compensation for the wrongful act that remains unclaimed because the Black Hills are more sacred than money.
That selfish SOB should just give the land back to the tribe. I simply don't understand his mentality. How can he expect anybody to pay 4 million for something that was appraised at $14,000? This land means so much to the tribe.
As I've said before, who would pay $4 million for land worth thousands? They'd have to be nuts. The tribe shouldn't pay it either. Either Mr. C gets stuck with the land, or sells it for what it's appraised for. At which point, the tribe could afford to find the money. They should make an offer for that amount, with a right of first refusal. Doesn't anyone out there understand land and it's values? Or how to go about all this? Emotion should not enter into the sale. Someone hire a good Real Estate lawyer and verify what I'm saying. Are the laws out there so different? I don't understand all this posturing. This can be done for the benefit of the tribe. It's not that darn hard.
Another greedy wasichu trying to profit from stolen Native land! The land around Wounded Knee should be given back to the People who hold it sacred (the Lakota). Their blood was spilt there. It was, like their lives cruelly and callously taken away from them. Mr. Czywczynski is still being callous and cruel in putting a ridiculously unfair asking price on this piece of land. Let him have a fair price for the land (the valuation price of $14,000) and then let the Lakota have THEIR land back. Then let them decide how best they want to use it.