February 14, 2013 Mr. Brandon Ecoffey Native Sun News Dear Mr.

Ecoffey, There has been a lot of talk about the sale of land around Wounded Knee lately. I have been following this (since December 24, 2012) and I have observed some actions by Mr. Czywczyinski that cause me to believe his stated intentions to the public are not of genuine concern that the Lakota people obtain the land that was once allocated to them. I personally feel he is attempting to extort the Lakota people, on the heels of the successful Pesla fundraising campaign in which several million dollars were raised to buy back land which was taken from our people illegally per the treaty agreements that my great grandfathers, Minnecoujou leaders, One Horn, She Elk Voice Walking and Spotted Elk signed at Fort Laramie in 1868. Although some of the comments Mr. Czywczyinski posted to several Facebook pages have since been deleted, a few remain including a description of the property which I screen-captured when I first saw it. I take an active interest in anything pertaining to Wounded Knee because those are my people buried there including my great-great grandfather Chief Spotted Elk whose picture after death he has been using to try to sell this land. In this post he was writing to the Chairman/Tribe regarding the National Historic Site Land of Wounded Knee and Porcupine Butte What follows are excerpts from a longer post made by Mr. Czywczyinski discovered by a Lakota woman at a different internet site: MR. CHAIRMAN/PRESIDENT I am mailing this information to you regarding the sale of the National Historic Site of Wounded Knee: If you can help in some way, or help coordinate the purchase of this property on behalf of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. I have tried in many ways thru there Oglala Sioux Parks & Recreation Authority, but we have not gained any headway for them to acquire these two properties. After December 29, 2012 I am going to put these two properties on the open market to sell, but my family and I want to see the Oglala Sioux Tribe to acquire these properties. I am in agreement to take one 1/3 (down), and the balance over 3 years. Respectfully, James Czywczynski Owner Nat'l Historic Site of Wounded Knee.

THE FAMILY OF JAMES A. CZYWCZYNSKI HAS AGREED TO SELL TWO 40 ACRE SITES, KNOWN AS PORCUPINE BUTTE (LAST KNOWN SITE OF CRAZY HORSE), & THE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE OF WOUNDED KNEE. (WOUNDED KNEE MASSACRE). IT IS THERE WISH TO SELL THIS PROPERTY TO THE OGLALA SIOUX TRIBE. and AFTER DEC, 29, 2012 THE ABOVE PROPERTIES WILL BE PUT ON THE OPEN MARKET TO SELL. THIS WILL BE DONE NATIONALLY & INTERNATIONALLY & SOLD THE HIGHEST BIDDER. CAN ANYONE FORGET THE TRAGEDY THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY AND NOT PAY TRIBUTE TO THOSE WHO DIED? WHO WILL STEP UP AND HELP THE OGLALA SIOUX TRIBE KEEP THIS PROPERTY IN THERE POSSESSION. THEY WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY UNTIL DEC 29, 2012 TO ACQUIRE THE NAT'L HISTORIC SITE OF WOUNDED KNEE. HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WOUNDED KNEE 300 INDIAN MEN WOMEN & CHILDREN DIED ON DECEMBER 29, 1890 MASSACRED BY THE 7TH CALVARY. NOW THESE TWO 40 ACRE SITES WILL BE SOLD. DECEMBER 29, 2012 SALE DATE.

PORCUPINE BUTTE 40 ACRES SEC/TW/RNG: 17-037-42 NW1/4SE1/4, SEC 17-37-42 LAST KNOWN BURIAL SITE OF CRAZY HORSE

After Mr. Czywczynski posted this which was a few days before the anniversary of the massacre, he approached several people involved in the Pesla fundraising campaign trying to get them to help raise money for the purchase of these two 40 acre parcels. After he was told they would likely not be able to do such a thing, he left several unkind remarks on their public Facebook pages. Although the land was last appraised at somewhere around $7,000, he said that he was asking $3.9 million dollars for the property at Wounded Knee and another million for the one at Porcupine Butte. These are deeded properties he purchased from the Gildersleeves who somehow (it isnt clear just yet) obtained a patent from the government on the land. Attached to the description for the sale of the land was a photograph of my deceased grandfather which he knows was made famous after the massacre. He states in his description that he is the owner of the National Historic Site. This is false. He also states that the other property was the last known burial site of Crazy Horse. No one actually knows where Crazy Horse is buried. In another comment he said he sustained losses as a result of the incident involving members of AIM in 1973. Me personally, I dont think that was right either but if this were part of the National Historic Monument, then that would have been considered preservation land (i.e. Federal property) At any rate, he should have taken that up with those people involved, not the Lakota people. I contacted the Shannon County Recorder and the land is deeded and he is the present owner. I also contacted the National Park Service who provided me with copies of photographs and a detailed description of the Historic Monument. The land that Mr. Czywczynski is attempting to sell under the misleading title of National Historic Site, specifically the massacre site is not a part of the preservation land. The store that was burned down, the foundation these are considered non-contributing to the historic site and involve a different time period and incident. Non-contributing means if planners were to come in and remove the rubble, then the National Park Service would take no issue with that, according to Patricia Henry of the National Park Service. As you are probably aware, I am very tired of seeing that gravesite and our ancestors exploited for financial gain and reading lies from other people for the same. If this were any other grave site in the country, this would not be happening. This is a sacred site and it needs to be respected. Although the massacre site is an historic landmark and support was pledged by the House and Senate 23 years ago, to date, we still have no proper memorial like other National Historic sites. We are currently working with descendants from Cheyenne River and Pine Ridge to approach the White House and actively remove current legislative barriers to accomplishing this. Part of the problem has to do with illegitimate Medals of Honor awarded by the Army to the Seventh Calvary for its participation in the brutal deaths of our ancestors. For more information please see the petition at http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/No_Medals_for_Massacre_Justice_for_Wounded_Knee/ I hope this letter will help clear up some confusion regarding the land that Mr. Czywczyinski is attempting to sell these parcels at an exorbitant price. Sincerely and respectfully,

Calvin Spotted Elk Unpan Gleska Tiwahe, Spotted Elk Family Foundation