Source: Indianz.com
Actor Johnny Depp, the star of the U.S. box-office bomb The Lone Ranger, is interesting in buying the Wounded Knee massacre site, the leader of the Oglala Sioux Tribe said.
President Byran Brewer confirmed Depp’s interest in a statement to the Native Sun News and in an interview with Last Real Indians. He said representatives of the actor asked for permission to make an offer on the land.
“[A]ll I can say is that I would love for Johnny Depp to come out, the Lakota Nation would welcome him for a sit-down to see that our name ‘Lakota’ truly means Allies or Friends,” Brewer said in the interview that was posted by Last Real Indians.
Owner Jim Czywczysnki has put up the 40-acre site of the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre, plus an adjacent 40-acre site, for a total of $4.9 million. The tribe has questioned the asking price of the main site, since a recent appraisal put its value at $7,000.
Depp told The Daily Mail that he is interested in buying the site and returning it to the tribe. “It’s very sacred ground and many atrocities were committed against the Sioux there,” he told the paper.
“This historical land is so important to the Sioux culture and all I want to do is buy it and give it back,” Depp added.
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