June 26, 2008

The Battle for Whiteclay

Whiteclay documentary debuts WednesdayThe controversy over the sale of alcohol in Whiteclay to Oglala Sioux tribal members is the subject of a new documentary film, “The Battle for Whiteclay.”

It is a five-year labor of love by producer/director Mark Vasina of Lincoln, who returned to Nebraska a few years ago to pursue documentary filmmaking after working for 10 years on Wall Street.

It follows Native activists, including Frank LaMere of Winnebago, from the streets of Whiteclay to the halls of the Nebraska State Capitol in their campaign to end alcohol sales in Whiteclay.

Whiteclay’s beer stores sell an estimated 11,000 cans of beer a day, mostly to Oglala Sioux tribal members living two miles north of the town. The sale and possession of alcohol is banned on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Comment:  For more on the subject, see Native Documentaries and News.

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