Frank Clearwater, a 47-year-old Native American man of Cherokee and Apache descent, traveled to Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in the spring of 1973 to show his support for the American Indian Movement and the Oglala Lakota who were in a standoff with federal authorities. Having arrived with his wife after a long journey, Clearwater found a place to rest inside an occupied church in the village.
On April 17, 1973, a fierce firefight erupted between the occupiers and the federal forces
surrounding Wounded Knee. During the exchange of gunfire, a bullet pierced the wall of the church and struck Frank Clearwater in the head as he was resting. He was gravely wounded and evacuated from the village to a hospital in Rapid City. Frank Clearwater succumbed to his injuries eight days later, on April 25, 1973.
Following his death, a dispute arose over his burial. His wife wished for him to be buried at Wounded Knee, but federal authorities and the Oglala Sioux tribal council denied this request. A wake was held for him at the home of Lakota spiritual leader Frank Fools Crow, and he was ultimately buried on Leonard Crow Dog's property on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. While it is reported that Clearwater was killed by a bullet fired by a U.S. federal marshal during the firefight, no specific individual was publicly identified or arrested in connection with his death. The chaotic nature of the prolonged siege, which involved numerous exchanges of gunfire, complicated investigations into specific casualties.
