National Park After Dark Episode 337: The Fight for Native Lands – The Leonard Peltier Story, Badlands National Park

Release Date: November 24, 2025
Hosts: Danielle and Cassie

Episode Overview

This episode of National Park After Dark delves into the complex, heartbreaking, and ongoing story of Leonard Peltier—a Native American activist who spent nearly five decades in prison for the murders of two FBI agents during a period of violent tension on the Pine Ridge Reservation in the 1970s. The hosts recount Peltier’s background, the infamous 1975 shootout, the deeply contested investigation and trial, his experiences in prison, and his controversial commutation in 2025. They frame Peltier’s story as emblematic of the struggle for Indigenous sovereignty, the painful history embedded in our National Parks like Badlands, and the critical role of Native land stewardship today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Indigenous Presence Past and Present

• The episode opens with a reflection on the erasure and misrepresentation of Indigenous communities in the U.S.
  • “Indigenous communities are not a faded part of American folklore… They remain the most vital protectors of the natural world.” (Cassie, 00:29)
• The hosts emphasize that the violence and injustices against native peoples are ongoing, not just matters of history.

Introduction to Leonard Peltier’s Story

• Leonard Peltier, an Indigenous rights activist, was convicted of killing two FBI agents during a standoff at Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975, despite widespread belief in his innocence and lack of evidence tying him to the crime.
• Recent News: Peltier’s life sentence was commuted in February 2025 after almost 50 years. “If this sounds like a story of the past, you would be very wrong…” (Cassie, 05:02)
• The episode aims to explore both the historical context and the recent developments in Peltier’s case.

The Badlands and Pine Ridge: Setting the Scene

• Badlands National Park’s spiritual and ecological importance for Indigenous people, particularly the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
• The land’s layered history, including the Ghost Dance, the military’s violent suppression, and its conversion into military bombing ranges during WWII.
• “Young Lakota men still come to places like Sheep Mountain and Stronghold Table to fast, to pray, and to seek visions for their paths.” (Cassie, 16:50)

Peltier’s Early Life and Activist Roots

• Peltier grew up in deep poverty, raised in Indigenous traditions but also subjected to the trauma of Indian boarding schools.
• “He remained there for three years... Peltier considers the boarding school his first imprisonment.” (Cassie, 19:20)
• Inspired to activism by observing suffering on reservations and federal policies aiming at erasure of Native cultures.

The American Indian Movement (AIM) and 1970s Turmoil

• Peltier’s activism with AIM—defending Indigenous rights and resisting systemic injustices.
• The Pine Ridge “reign of terror” (1973–76): Over 60 Indigenous people murdered/disappeared following political and FBI intervention.
• The violence and the “Goon Squad” (Guardians of Ogala Nation) armed by a corrupt tribal chairman and federal agencies.

The 1975 Jumping Bull Incident (Shootout)

• Tensions escalated when two FBI agents, investigating a stolen pair of boots, entered the Jumping Bull property. What ensued is hotly contested.
• Eyewitness Angie Long Visitor testified she saw the agents firing first at the hillside homes (29:40).
• A chaotic, hour-long gun battle left two FBI agents (Kohler and Williams) and AIM supporter Joe Killsright Stunt dead.
• “For the families on the bluff, the world was turning upside down… They told the kids to crawl under the bed, to lie flat, and to cover their heads.” (Cassie, 31:51)
• After the agents’ deaths, Peltier and others fled, fearing retribution while federal forces flooded the area.

Extradition and Controversial Conviction

• Peltier fled to Canada, believing he would not survive if caught. He was extradited based on a coerced and ultimately recanted affidavit from Myrtle Poor Bear.
  • “She said she had never met Leonard Peltier... (she) felt pressured and manipulated.” (Cassie, 41:02)
• Peltier’s trial was marred by misconduct:
  • Key witness testimony barred from trial (43:44)
  • Falsified evidence and performative intimidation (windows blacked out, armed federal agents, reenactments for the jury)
  • Self-defense was not allowed as an argument.
• The prosecution admitted years later that they had “no idea who killed the federal agents and stated for the record they had no evidence of who committed the crime.” (Cassie, 49:23)

Peltier’s Experience in Prison and Activism

• Peltier described abuse, threats, solitary confinement, health issues (including possible deliberate radiation poisoning), and psychological torment.
• Despite this, he remained a leader, organizing from prison, writing letters, supporting scholarships, and becoming a global symbol of political imprisonment.
• “If my imprisonment does nothing more than educate an unknowing and uncaring public about the terrible conditions Indian people continue to endure, then my suffering has had and continues to have purpose.” (Leonard Peltier, quoted by Cassie, 53:32)

International and Political Advocacy for Release

• An unprecedented coalition of global leaders, activists, tribal nations, the U.N., and even two popes advocated for Peltier’s release.
• President Biden commuted Peltier’s sentence in 2025; Peltier remains on house arrest with severe restrictions.
• “But still, he is clearly innocent. There’s no evidence of his guilt. He served 50 years in prison and now he’s basically imprisoned on his reservation.” (Cassie, 63:35)

Broader Issues: Land, Justice, and Reconciliation

• The episode connects Peltier’s case to larger patterns:
  • Dispossession and exclusion of Native peoples from their ancestral lands.
  • Changes in national park management with efforts at co-management and land restoration—examples include Badlands, Grand Canyon, CSKT Bison Range, and projects in Maine.
  • Badlands South Unit potentially becoming the first-ever tribal national park in the United States.
• “His life, sacrificed for decades in the name of justice, pushes all of us to remember the full, complex history embedded in national parks in general and Badlands National Park in particular.” (Cassie, 67:17)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Modern Indigenous Existence:

  • “More than 200 million Indigenous people continue to live on their ancestral lands across the world. Today, they are among the most endangered human populations on Earth. Yet they remain the most vital protectors of the natural world.” (Cassie, 00:29)

• On the injustice of Peltier’s treatment:

  • “I swear to you, I am guilty of only being an Indian. That is why I am here.” (Leonard Peltier, quoted at 53:13)
  • “His entire time he’s in prison, he’s facing beatings and cruel treatment and lack of food and threats of death. And still he is using any resource he can to help his people.” (Danielle, 68:35)

• On the fabricated trial atmosphere:

  • “The jury was moved by SWAT teams and their bus to get to and from the courtroom. Had all of their windows painted over. So now the jury’s terrified. They’re creating this entire scene that they’re going to be attacked at any moment…” (Cassie, 47:45)

• On resilience and activism:

  • “My people’s struggle to survive inspires my own struggles to survive. Each of us must be a survivor.” (Leonard Peltier [via Cassie], 53:42)
  • “He took an oath as a Sundancer he would never turn against his people. In fact, he was willing to die for them.” (Cassie, 61:42)

• On present-day struggle:

  • “The fact that this is still an ongoing struggle. And I really... wanted to highlight how he was specifically treated in certain circumstances, where guards were threatening him, where there was people were trying to kill him, where they were urinating in his food.” (Cassie, 71:04)
  • “All we were trying to do was save a race of people from being terminated.” (Leonard Peltier, quoted by Cassie, 65:53)

• On potential for reconciliation:

  • “For the Oglala Lakota, the Badlands remain a treasure that must be protected. … Protect your mother, protect your homeland.” (Oglala President Kevin Killer, 66:51)
  • “I hope that it is done during his lifetime. I mean, he’s in his 80s now, and there’s not, you know, there’s not unlimited time for this, and people need to step forward and really just admit that what was done to him was wrong and leave it at that.” (Cassie, 76:01)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:01 – 02:39: Introduction — Indigenous presence, American erasure, and land stewardship.
• 05:00: Peltier’s conviction and commutation; framing Peltier’s story.
• 12:35 – 17:00: Badlands National Park and the Pine Ridge Reservation — historical background.
• 19:11 – 21:59: Peltier’s early life, boarding school trauma, and vow to activism.
• 27:11 – 29:39: The roots of AIM involvement and lead-up to the 1975 confrontation.
• 29:40 – 34:28: The Jumping Bull shootout — the multi-perspective narrative of events.
• 40:50: The coerced testimony of Myrtle Poor Bear.
• 43:44 – 49:23: The trial: false evidence, prosecutorial misconduct, and conviction.
• 53:13: Peltier’s own words—his prison testimony.
• 61:28 – 67:17: Release, restrictions, legacy, and broader Indigenous land management.
• 68:18 – 75:02: Host reflections on service, resilience, and restitution.

Book Recommendations

• Prison Writings: My Life is a Sundance by Leonard Peltier
  • “You can feel in it his anger. But also he’s very forgiving as well. It’s interesting hearing his point of view…” (Cassie, 11:04)
• In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by Peter Matthiessen
  • Pulled from shelves for almost a decade due to government opposition; later a bestseller (Cassie, 12:21)

Tone and Interaction

• The conversation is compassionate, earnest, and unflinching. Danielle and Cassie express anger, sorrow, and admiration for Peltier’s commitment and suffering.
• Occasional lightness in anecdotes (book bets, screen time hacks) helps counterbalance the heaviness.
• “I am not going down without a fight.” (Cassie paraphrasing Peltier, 70:02)

For Listeners

This episode is a profound account of historic injustice and contemporary activism. The details of Leonard Peltier’s life are interwoven with the story of land and culture in the Badlands, reminding listeners that America’s “wild places” are the sites of living Indigenous history—and unresolved struggles for justice.

If you want to learn more or support Indigenous advocacy, consider:

• Reading Peltier's and Matthiessen's books for firsthand and investigative perspectives.
• Engaging with organizations focused on tribal land stewardship and justice reform.
• Visiting National Parks with an awareness of their complex histories and ongoing Indigenous significance.

“Enjoy the view, but watch your back.”