The Battle for Whiteclay

The Battle for Whiteclay is a documentary film released in 2008 which chronicles the efforts of Native American activists Frank LaMere (Winnebago), Duane Martin Sr., and Russell Means to end the sale of alcohol in Whiteclay, Nebraska. Directed and produced by Mark Vasina, the film covers the economy of the approximately one dozen residents and four liquor stores, which sell nearly 5 million cans of beer annually (12,500 cans a day). The largest populated place nearby is the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation across the border in South Dakota; its residents are largely members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Except for a brief interval, the Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) has banned the sale and consumption of alcohol on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation since 1832. A high proportion of residents buy it in Whiteclay and consume it illegally. They suffer from high rates of alcoholism, diabetes and related health and social problems.