SIMPLY DON’T CARE, ANDREA.
>> CAL PERRY, AN ICONIC LOCATION
AND A CONTROVERSIAL ONE.
JOINING US NOW, NBC NEWS SENIOR
CORRESPONDENT TOM BROKAW WHO
HAILS FROM YANKTON, SOUTH
DAKOTA, AND HAS A LIFELONG
INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE AS IT
AFFECTS
AFFECTS NATIVE AMERICANS.
>> I’VE LIVED MY ENTIRE LIFE, MY
FAMILY WAS IN AN ARMY BASE NOT
TOO FAR AWAY FROM THERE DURING
WORLD WAR II, AND WE WOULD GO
AND HAVE PICNICS AT THE BASE OF
MT. RUSHMORE WHEN THERE WAS NO
INFRASTRUCTURE WHATSOEVER.
BUT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO
UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF THE
LAKOTA PEOPLE AND THEIR
LEGITIMATE CLAIM ON THE BLACK
HILLS.
IN 1860 THEY WERE GRANTED THE
BLACK HILLS.
THEN CUSTER, AS WAS HIS WONT,
CAME RIDING INTO THE BLACK
HILLS, SET OFF A GOLD RUSH, AND
BROKE THE TREATY, NO QUESTION
ABOUT IT.
IN 1980, THE U.S. SUPREME COURT
RULED IT WAS A VIOLATION OF THE
TREATY AND GRANTED THE TRIBES AN
ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY.
BUT IT WAS NOT ENOUGH.
IT WAS NOT THE MONEY THEY WERE
INTERESTED IN.
THERE IS A FUND NOW THAT IS OVER
A BILLION DOLLARS BECAUSE THE
TRIBES DON’T WANT TO GO INTO
THAT MONEY.
THEY WANT THEIR LAND BACK.
IT’S NOT LIKELY TO HAPPEN,
OBVIOUSLY.
BUT I THINK IT’S AN IMPORTANT
PART OF OUR CULTURE AND OUR
HISTORY.
THEY ARE THERE AND REMINDING
EVERYONE, THIS WAS THEIR LAND AT
THE BEGINNING.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT CRAZY HORSE
AND THE MEMORIAL THAT IS THERE
AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT
FIGURE TO THE LAKOTA AND DAKOTA.
>> Reporter: IT WAS CALLED
PAHASABA, THE BLACK HILLS, A
VERY RICH PART OF THE WORLD, A
LOT OF WILDLIFE, BEAUTIFUL
CONIFERS.
I GREW UP EFFECTIVELY IN ONE
FORM OR ANOTHER IN THE BLACK
HILLS AS A BOY SCOUT, CAMPING
ACROSS, LIVING THERE DURING
WORLD WAR II, GOING BACK VERY
OFTEN DURING THE COURSE OF MY
LIFE.
I NEVER FAILED TO BE THRILLED AND MOVED BY THE IMPORTANCE OF
AND MOVED BY THE IMPORTANCE OF
THE BLACK HILLS TO THE NATIVE
AMERICANS.
AND YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS IS
A PRIVATE ENTERPRISE CREATED SO
THEY COULD PAY TRIBUTE TO THE
GREAT WARRIOR CHIEFS OF THE
LAKOTA TRIBE, THAT’S NOT TOO FAR
AWAY.
THAT’S ALL PRIVATE MONEY.
A POLISH SCULPTOR DID IT, HIS
FAMILY NOW RUNS IT AS A
COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE, AND IT’S
IMPORTANT FOR US NOT TO OVERLOOK
THAT BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE WHOSE
LAND WE EFFECTIVELY INVADED MADE
A GREAT, STRONG WARRIOR STAND TO
RETAIN IT.
HE WAS KILLED BY AN AMERICAN
SOLDIER AND NO ONE KNOWS WHERE
HE IS BURIED THERE.
IT’S ONE OF THE GREAT AMERICAN
HISTORIC STORIES THAT WE SHOULD
BE AWARE OF.
>> I ALSO WANT TO ASK YOU, TOM,
ABOUT A STORY THAT IS BREAKING
TODAY.
WE’RE BOTH FOOTBALL FANS, WE’VE
BOTH ATTENDED OUR WASHINGTON
FOOTBALL GAMES PLENTY OF TIMES.
THERE IS A NEW STATEMENT TODAY,
FOR THE FIRST TIME THE OWNER OF
THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS IS
SAYING THAT THERE IS A TEAM
REVIEW OF THE NAME BECAUSE NOW
FEDEX, WHICH IS THE NAMING
CORPORATION OF FEDEX FIELD WHERE
THEY PLAY, HAS COME OUT WITH A
STATEMENT ASKING THEM TO CHANGE
THE NAME, SOMETHING THAT, YOU
KNOW, THE OWNER HAS SAID WOULD
NEVER, EVER HAPPEN, BUT NOW THEY
ARE REVIEWING IT FOR THE FIRST
TIME.
HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS
IN THE LIGHT OF THE NATIONAL
RECKONING OVER A LOT OF THESE
THINGS?
>> I THINK IT’S VERY IMPORTANT,
ANDREA.
I’VE FELT FOR A LONG TIME THAT
THEY COULDN’T EXIST AS THE
REDSKINS FOREVER.
LOOK, I PLAYED ON A HIGH SCHOOL
TEAM IN SOUTH DAKOTA IN WHICH WE
WERE NAMED AFTER INDIANS AND
FINALLY THE COMMUNITY SAID LOOK,
THIS IS NOT APPROPRIATE, SO THEY
CHANGED THE NAME AND CHANGED THE
LOGOS, BECAUSE IT WAS FRANKLY A
KIND OF INSULT TO THE NATIVE
TRIBES IN OUR AREA ABOUT HOW
THEY WERE REFERRED TO BY A BUNCH
WHITE KIDS RUNNING UP AND DOWN
THE FOOTBALL FIELDS.
THERE ARE LOTS OF WAYS YOU CAN
RECONFIGURE THE REDSKINS, THE
FOOTBALL TEAM, AND PAY HOMAGE TO
WHAT THEIR HERITAGE IS AS A
FOOTBALL TEAM BUT ALSO TO THE
PEOPLE WHO WERE HERE LONG BEFORE
WE WERE.
AND WE HAVE TO KEEP THAT IN
MIND.
ATHLETICS, BY THE WAY, ON THE
RESERVATIONS THEMSELVES IN THE
STATES LIKE MONTANA WHERE I AM
NOW, AND SOUTH DAKOTA, ALL THESE
AREAS, ATHLETICS ON THE
RESERVATION ARE HUGELY
IMPORTANT.
THE KIDS ARE EXTREMELY GOOD
ATHLETES FOR THE MOST PART.
AND WE OUGHT TO HONOR THAT AS
WELL AND FIND A WAY TO PULL THEM
INTO THE GREAT AMERICAN CULTURE
OF SPORTS, SPECTATORSHIP, AND
FANS.
>> AS ALWAYS, TOM, IT’S GREAT TO
SEE YOU.
OUR THANKS TO YOUR PRODUCER,
CLAIRE FREY, FOR GETTING US YOUR
HIT TODAY FROM MONTANA, WE
REALLY APPRECIATE YOU.
A HAPPY HOLIDAY TO YOU AND YOUR
FAMILY.
>> I WOULD GO THERE WHEN I WAS
JUST A CHILD, I WAS LIKE 4 YEARS
OLD, I WOULD A REALLY WONDERFUL
TIME, WE HAD THIS CAMPING THAT
WE WOULD DO.
GRANDMA WOULD SAY, WE HAVE TO
TAKE CARE OF IT.