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<v Speaker 1>Wimbo Kelly from executive producer Leonardo DiCaprio. The History Channel's

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<v Speaker 1>documentary event Sitting Bull explores the remarkable life and accomplishments

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<v Speaker 1>of the iconic Lakota chief. It is a special two

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<v Speaker 1>night event on May twenty seventh and twenty eighth. Sitting

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<v Speaker 1>Bull examines the mid nineteenth century westward expansion of American

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<v Speaker 1>settlers and their encroachment upon Native territories. From it rose,

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<v Speaker 1>the legendary Lakota leader. Sitting Bull grew up in a

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<v Speaker 1>time of prosperity for the Lakota people, but people started

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<v Speaker 1>flooding the west. Native people see it as an invasion

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<v Speaker 1>from the east. This is not some distant historic figure.

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<v Speaker 2>This is a real person who had a transformative effect.

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<v Speaker 1>Joining me right now on the show is the star

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<v Speaker 1>of Sitting Bull. Michael Spears. Michael, thank you for coming

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<v Speaker 1>on tonight. How are you.

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<v Speaker 2>Hey, Madalo, I'm doing well. Thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>That's fantastic. You are a member of the Lakota Nation.

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<v Speaker 1>For those who don't know, born in South Dakota, walk

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<v Speaker 1>the same paths that Sitting Bull did. What were the

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<v Speaker 1>stories like that you heard growing up?

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<v Speaker 2>Growing up? I got to hear some of the UH

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<v Speaker 2>the relationships that he had. You know, where his mother

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<v Speaker 2>was from, where his where he came from, and why

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<v Speaker 2>he did what he did.

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<v Speaker 1>When you heard about what he did, like for example,

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<v Speaker 1>most people who may not be familiar with him know

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<v Speaker 1>about the Battle of Wounded Knee and its legacy. The

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<v Speaker 1>battle was between the US Army and the Lakota people.

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<v Speaker 1>Were some three hundred Lakota men, women and children were killed.

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<v Speaker 1>How were those stories conveyed to you growing up?

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<v Speaker 2>You know, getting being so close to to Oglalla country

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<v Speaker 2>where Wounded Knee took place. You know, we every every

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<v Speaker 2>year around the anniversary of those times, you know, we

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<v Speaker 2>would we gather and my father and mother grandparents would

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<v Speaker 2>share those stories and tell us, you know, what happened

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<v Speaker 2>and why they happened. You know, Spotted Elk or Bigfoot

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<v Speaker 2>was was thought to be the next leader as Sitting Bull.

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<v Speaker 2>So that's why they went after him so so hard.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, they thought there was gonna he was gonna

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<v Speaker 2>be the next UH chief and and and rise up,

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<v Speaker 2>and so they you know, the Calvary and the government

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<v Speaker 2>chased him down and hence the massacre at Wounded Knee.

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<v Speaker 1>That's a great point that you made Sitting Bull getting

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<v Speaker 1>back to the to the show is part documentary, part dramatization.

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<v Speaker 1>Is as much as you were involved, how does this

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<v Speaker 1>go about telling the most important events in his life

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<v Speaker 1>as a man, as a leader, as a chief.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, you know, he is one of our brightest icons

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<v Speaker 2>of diplomacy. He was ceremonial chief. He was a holy man,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, and in his later years he didn't actually

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<v Speaker 2>participate in the fighting because he couldn't being a holy man.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, you're a proponent of life. And even in

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<v Speaker 2>the show, you're going to see his telling of his

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<v Speaker 2>vision prior to the battle, a little big horn or

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<v Speaker 2>greasy grass as we know it, and you're going to

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<v Speaker 2>see how it affects him emotionally and personally to talk

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<v Speaker 2>about and realize that there's going to be so much death,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, and not only with the Lakota people, but

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<v Speaker 2>on both sides, you know. And he didn't he wasn't

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<v Speaker 2>a proponent of war, but he was an incredible strategist

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<v Speaker 2>and he was very spiritually grounded and connected individual, which

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<v Speaker 2>you're going to get to see.

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<v Speaker 1>In this time of no real direct communication. Yes, there

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<v Speaker 1>were newspapers, but I was assumed that was more on

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<v Speaker 1>the army side and the settler side. How did the

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<v Speaker 1>legend of Sitting Bull spread? He was talked about in newspapers,

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<v Speaker 1>but how did he spread among the La Coda nation

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<v Speaker 1>and beyond? How did that word travel?

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<v Speaker 2>So in our history is historically we provide our our

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<v Speaker 2>youth are the people with an oral history or a

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<v Speaker 2>winter con is what we call it. And we would

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<v Speaker 2>have gatherings where even here where I'm at in Montana,

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<v Speaker 2>we have the headwaters, there's places on sacred spaces, including

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<v Speaker 2>the Black Hills, where we would gather and have our

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<v Speaker 2>annual sun dance or wiping of tears or hungapi ceremonies

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<v Speaker 2>are making of relatives. And so we had sacred spaces

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<v Speaker 2>that Sitting Bull fought for and Crazy Horse and you

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<v Speaker 2>know all of our leaders fought for these spaces too

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<v Speaker 2>that we have used over the last you know, hundreds

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<v Speaker 2>of of years to h to have uh you know

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<v Speaker 2>that they say, uh, you know, I don't like to

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<v Speaker 2>use that word pow wow, but it's a it's a

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<v Speaker 2>contemporary word of an actually a payout word power. Uh.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a gathering. So we would have gatherings of ceremonies

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<v Speaker 2>to to tell the you know, who lived and who

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<v Speaker 2>died and why and who uh what happened? So you know,

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<v Speaker 2>we would keep our records on on heights on there.

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<v Speaker 2>There was a job of a historian of each tribe

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<v Speaker 2>to have those records and to share them orally and pictographically.

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<v Speaker 1>I know there must be a lot of expectation and

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of responsibility in portraying someone like sitting Bull.

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<v Speaker 2>Now.

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<v Speaker 1>I said in the beginning that it was executive produced

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<v Speaker 1>by Leonardo DiCaprio, But there are a lot of people

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<v Speaker 1>correct me if I'm wrong, from the Lakota Nation who

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<v Speaker 1>are also involved this piece. Is that true?

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, yes, that was gave me a a big sense

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<v Speaker 2>of pride, you know, walking on to the location and set,

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<v Speaker 2>seeing the la Quota commentators, seeing the Lakota producers, and

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<v Speaker 2>you know, we've got Native historians telling the story. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>we've got representation not only from la Quota, but the Crow,

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<v Speaker 2>the Hunk, Popa, the you know, we have a representation

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<v Speaker 2>from all walks of life that are getting to share

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<v Speaker 2>in their knowledge.

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<v Speaker 1>Does any of this make you just a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>nervous as a person, because you know, there's so many

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<v Speaker 1>people tuning in with their own preconceived notions of how

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<v Speaker 1>the story should be told. You know, there's always going

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<v Speaker 1>to be some sort of pushback. Does that weigh on

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<v Speaker 1>you in any way?

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<v Speaker 2>Oh? Yes, yes it does, you know, just just as

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<v Speaker 2>a person, you know, you want to have a good

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<v Speaker 2>relationship with everybody. You know, you don't want to hurt

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<v Speaker 2>nobody's feelings. And I try to do the best that

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<v Speaker 2>I could in my own research, my own connection, asking

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<v Speaker 2>permission through ceremony to play this role. You know, I've

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<v Speaker 2>I've already felt some of that pushback on on social

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<v Speaker 2>media with some of the relatives of sitting well himself,

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<v Speaker 2>and I definitely feel the weight on the responsibility of

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<v Speaker 2>playing such an important character or person chief relative.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you think that you will be sitting watching as

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<v Speaker 1>it airs the first night, in the second night, or

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<v Speaker 1>are you someone who doesn't necessarily need to see yourself

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<v Speaker 1>on screen as it airs in premieres?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I guess I'm one of those guys who doesn't

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<v Speaker 2>really like to watch himself. But I have some relatives

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<v Speaker 2>that put together a watch party. I'm going to be

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<v Speaker 2>sitting there with my with some family and relatives, and

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<v Speaker 2>we're going to get to watch it together.

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<v Speaker 1>That's good. It's nice to hear that your family and

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<v Speaker 1>friends will be supporting you, because I know, especially with

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<v Speaker 1>social media, it can really really be difficult on occasion.

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<v Speaker 1>Sitting Bull a special two night event on May twenty

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<v Speaker 1>seventh and twenty eighth History Channel starring my guest Michael

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<v Speaker 1>Spears as City Bull. Mister Spears, thank you for coming

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<v Speaker 1>on this evening. I salute you and celebrate you and

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<v Speaker 1>wish you nothing but success in the future.

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<v Speaker 2>Oil Thank you so much from my heart to yours,

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<v Speaker 2>and I hope you all enjoy and come away with

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<v Speaker 2>some awareness and a little bit of knowledge and love.

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<v Speaker 1>Today we're honoring our nation's heroes on Memorial Day with

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<v Speaker 1>some of the best of Later with mo Kelly on

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<v Speaker 1>kf I AM six forty Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from

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<v Speaker 1>KFI A M six forty