Original subtitles

Well, now.

This my lucky day.

Where'd you come from?

No speak'em English, huh?

I speak English.

Well, that's fine.

I'm gonna be needing a squaw to keep me comfortable

while I'm getting rich.

Go away, White Man.

What'd you say?

You have no right to be here.

Go.

Well now, no copper-hided squaw is going to tell me what to do.

This is Dakota country.

Only for my people.

White men must not come in. That is the treaty.

Well, I'm in and I'm staying in.

Then you die.

Oh, yeah?

Uh uh, squaw.

I ain't gonna die.

'Cause you ain't gonna run off and bring your tribe down on me.

You ain't going no place but to the happy hunting ground.

[War cries]

If you take his scalp, soldiers will come from the fort.

When they come, we will kill them.

Then more soldiers will come.

I hear a woman talking.

She say it is bad thing for men to kill the enemy.

I say it is a bad thing to bring death

to women and their children.

You, healing woman, have no child.

You will live because I kill this white man.

Because Running Wolf wants war.

Chief Tall Rock shall hear of this.

There is horse.

So ride fast.

The old man, he listen to woman.

Go!

I found this white man.

He was alone.

I told him he must go.

If he had seen Running Wolf, he would have run away

back to the forest.

There was no need to kill him.

Running Wolf has a need.

His need is like fire, burning.

[War cries]

A woman has been talking.

She say, "when the white man come,

we must run, or they will drive us out."

I, Running Wolf, I say--

Who is Running Wolf?

I have counted coup on the white man.

Is Running Wolf Chief of the Dakota Nation?

The enemy came.

I killed him.

I have killed many enemy.

When there was war.

They saw my face before they died.

Now there is peace.

I have spoken for the Dakota nation.

As long as the sun shines, there will be no war.

If the white man break the treaty,

his people will punish him.

This scalp Running Wolf has taken is not one life.

It is many lives.

It is not one white man dead.

It is many dead in Dakota Nation.

Speak.

The Dakota Nation has not broken the treaty.

Not only white men are fools.

This woman call a warrior a fool?

This woman speak truth.

We will go to the fort.

We will tell the soldiers a man is dead.

We cannot make him live again.

But there will be no more killing.

Come.

Does a Dakota woman speak for the nation?

The white men know this woman.

They know she does not lie.

Is the brave warrior afraid to show his enemy his face?

They will see me.

They will be afraid.

It's understood, then?

If I don't hear from you within a week,

we're coming in after you.

That would be in direct violation

of your orders from Washington.

Orders or not, I don't propose to sit here doing nothing

if the sioux are on the war path.

Captain Morris, you know and I know,

if the soldiers enter the nation,

the Sioux will go on the warpath, all of them.

That's what I'm here to prevent.

If you can, which I doubt.

It's been building up for months.

Well, it's no fault of yours, Captain.

You didn't write the treaty that put the wall between

the wagon people and the promised land they're headed for

and that they're bound to get to come fire, snow, or high water.

Mr. Dart, whose side are you on?

Oh, I'm working for you, Doc,

which don't prevent me from remarking for the record

that, in case Captain Morris doesn't hear from us,

be because there's nothing to hear from, nor to come after.

Captain? In a minute.

It's all right, doc.

I signed on of my own free will and foolishness,

and I'll be with you as far as we get...

Till we're got.

Captain, we want to know about this.

About what?

You letting these two ride into the nation?

That's their job.

This gentleman is Doctor James Ransome,

Special Agent of the Indian Bureau.

He's been sent out from Washington to negotiate

a revision of the Dakota Nation treaty.

Just what kind of revision?

Well, if we're lucky, an agreement

with the Indians that your wagons can go through.

Then that's got to be took up back there in Washington?

Naturally.

While we sit here eating up our provisions with winter

coming on and likely stuck here 'til spring? No.

You're wasting Dr. Ransome's time and your breath.

No wagon goes into the nation

unless the Indians guarantee safe passage.

Well, we'll take our chances.

Oh, no, you won't.

Are you going to shoot us to stop us?

I will if I have to. Those are my orders.

Well, we don't have to take orders from you.

We've got our rights.

So do the Indians.

They what?

They were here first.

What are you, some kind of a crazy Indian lover?

I respect the Indians.

And it don't matter what happens to us tax-paying citizens?

If it didn't, I wouldn't be here.

You'll hear from us, Captain.

I hope so.

Come on.

Hold it.

If you try to move any of your wagons,

my orders are to put you all under military arrest.

Yeah, they're in there all right, doc.

Maybe watching us right now.

That's the kind of Indians I like the least.

No seeing 'em, then all of a sudden...[Imitates ambush]

You know a short cut?

Well, Doc, you remember Captain Morris

gave you some mighty good advice.

The longer you stay the wagon road, safer.

Time's running short on us.

I'm afraid he might send troopers in before

we get a chance to talk to Chief Tall Rock.

Well, they didn't call them Badlands

that just because of how they looked.

There's no telling what's in there.

If it's Indians, that's what we're looking for.

That's the way.

"Foaley" tracks. Indians.

You better get that rifle of yours while you're still able.

Shoot first, and then talk peace?

That never works out very well.

What's that?

Come on.

It's a Sioux war arrow.

You mean Dakota.

Well, it don't make no difference to him.

He never knew what hit him.

I can't figure what would make a miner

think he can find gold out here.

He found it.

It is real, is it?

Real enough to start another gold rush.

Doggone it.

I knew there was something that brought me back

to this god-forsaken country.

[Arrows striking]

Hold it.

Peace.

This white man gave peace sign.

Perhaps the sun was in my eyes.

Or perhaps old men see peace signs,

old men and women.

I see enemy.

They see me. I kill them.

Their scalps are mine.

This white man is not dead.

I have counted coup on him.

He is mine.

Came in peace. Friend.

I didn't come for gold.

What is gold?

It is yellow rock that white men love.

We are friends.

We kept the peace treaty.

Treaty?

Came to talk about treaty.

We have kept the treaty.

Then why? Why...?

You have done this. You bring war on our nation.

If Tall Rock is afraid, let him hide with women in the teepees

while the young men fight.

[Hooting]

We take this man to camp,

ask other white man to help us.

The other white man has gone to the mountains.

Go search for other white man.

What other white man?

Is there white man with your people?

Yes. He is far away but they will bring him.

Thank God. Thank God.

What he say?

He thanks his god.

This is how the white man pray.

Thank you. Who are you?

I'm called Tacilia.

Does that name have meaning in English?

It means healing woman.

It fits. It fits.

Who is this other white man?

He is our friend.

He has lived a long time with my people.

He has taught us many things.

Is he, forgive me, a squaw man?

He is like me. He has no one.

Is he like you about--

Well, about caring what happens to strangers?

He is kind to all men.

How does he feel about his own people?

He will tell us when he comes.

Better be soon.

This woman forgets this white man is mine.

This woman sees me count coup on this man.

When the sun sets, I will kill this man.

First Indian I ever wanted to kill.

Pray, White Man. Pray.

Has he come?

He will talk only to you.

White man.

I know. I know.

Running Wolf killed two treaty breakers.

You and Tall Rock brought another one here.

He must not see me.

He says he is from the government,

from Washington.

I know where he's from.

He says he must talk with you.

We've got nothing to talk about.

White man.

Why are you running away?

I've been here long enough.

The government man prays for you to help him.

All he wants is to get his hands on me.

He says he will go to the fort with you

and tell the soldiers a bad thing has happened.

That we did not break the treaty.

I will go nowhere with him.

Running Wolf can have him.

White man.

Stop calling me that. Don't ever call me that again.

I'm not white. I'm black.

Black, black!

The white men were your people.

I was a white man's slave.

He owned me body and soul.

I did a terrible thing. I stole myself from my owner

and ran away to live with the Indians.

That's why the government man came after me.

No, white man.

I said stop calling me that. You know what I am.

You've always known.

The government man came to make a new treaty

with Chief Tall Rock so there will be no war

between his people and ours.

I have no people.

You say you have no people. Look at them.

They remember how you taught them to plant corn

so we would not be hungry in the long winter.

A small child was sick. You made him well.

I brewed him a batch of sassafras tea. That's all.

To break his fever.

He lives because you are kind.

All right, all right. I've done my best

to pay for being safe and free, but that's all over.

Nothing is over, White Man.

I've asked you to stop it.

When the sun sets, Running Wolf will take his scalp.

Soldiers will come.

Women and children will die.

Running Wolf will say you ran away because you are afraid.

What do I care what he says about me?

Is this what you feel in your heart?

I wish you hadn't gone to that mission school

and learned how to talk good English.

A woman has been talking.

That's right, Running Wolf.

Now, you and me, we'll talk.

I'm going to take him back.

No, he is mine.

You didn't buy him, you don't own him.

He's worth more to these people than you and me put together.

Anyhow, they think he is,

and that's all that counts.

Are you...?

These Indians told you I was white.

They don't know any better.

But you do, slave hunter.

I'm no slave hunter.

No, you're a big government man from Washington.

Can you stand on your own feet if I lift you up?

I can try.

Come on.

White man.

[Tall rock] Running Wolf.

Is Running Wolf afraid?

If he is not afraid, let him kill.

If he cannot kill, how can he lead other men to war?

Go, Running Wolf.

Go far.

Now there will be peace in the Dakota Nation.

I have to pick up my bag.

I'd like to talk to you.

All right, in my tent.

Sit down.

Thank you, Mister...

You know my name.

Gaines. Scipio Gaines.

No "Mister" on the front.

Just call me "boy" so I'll start getting used to it again.

Listen Mr. Gaines,

I wasn't looking for you.

The wagon trains are heading for the nation.

There's gold in the badlands.

If word of that gets out,

the army won't be able to hold them back much longer.

Something I don't understand...

When did you leave the United States?

I crossed to this side of the Missouri on march the 6th,

1857.

You must have been just a kid.

1857.

That was six years before.

Before what?

Did you ever hear of Abraham Lincoln?

Who's he?

He was the President until a mad man murdered him.

He wrote the Emancipation Proclamation.

He set you free.

Free?

Free.

It took a Civil War to make it happen.

But, Mr. Gaines, slavery stopped 12 years ago.

You've been a free man all this time.

You don't have to go back with me.

Nobody has the right to make you go anywhere.

You didn't know that.

You were willing to go back to slavery to save my life.

A white man you thought was hunting you.

I'd like to shake hands with you, Mr. Gaines.

Welcome home.