Sacred Ground: Film Screening and Discussion with Director Tim Gruenewald

Abstract

The feature documentary Sacred Ground explores the connection between the Mount Rushmore National Memorial and the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial. Mount Rushmore is an icon of the United States, attracting millions of visitors each year whereas Wounded Knee, only a two-hour drive away, receives just a handful of visitors each day. Mount Rushmore is carved into the granite spires of the Black Hills, which are sacred to the victims of Wounded Knee and their descendants. Today, Wounded Knee is located in one of the poorest counties in the United States with social and economic standards comparable to those of developing nations. By contrast, Mount Rushmore is a hub of tourism and commerce. The film approaches contrasts and the complex web of past and present relationships between the two memory sites through visual montage and interviews with the people who live at, work at and visit each of the memorials.