Sale of the Wounded Knee Massacre site, where the last battle of the American Indian Wars was fought and left hundreds of Native Americans dead, has been extended for at least another month.
Property possessor James Czywczynski, who has owned the area since 1968, had set a May 1 deadline for selling the sacred location but recently considered extending the deadline to South Dakota tribes.
The sale of Wounded Knee has caused much controversy, as Native Americans fear that the land will be sold to a commercial developer.
But although Czywczynski has tried to sell the Wounded Knee Massacre site to local tribes within the past 30 years, no one has expressed interest in the property, at least until he opened the sale to developers, Czywczynski says.
Former Cheyenne River Sioux chairman Joseph Brings Plenty says that he is worried about what will happen to the sacred site and even asked the Obama administration to intervene to preserve the area as a national monument.
"For 30 years he's been trying to sell it to the tribes. He's sent letters to tribal leaders and to congressmen. He's never gotten anyone to bite. It's only this time, when he put a deadline on it, that the story has taken off," said Brandon Ecoffey, Native Sun News managing editor.
It would cost local tribes $4 million to secure the land and while Czywczynski set the May 1 deadline, he said that he is willing to extend it for at least another month.
The estimated worth of the property, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, is only $7,000. But Czywczynski says that its history increases the value substantially and that if the tribes can't afford the asking price then he will open the sale to anyone who can.