EP 107 - Yellow Bird Part 1 Death By Champagne

Welcome back to Death by Champagne, the podcast here to keep you up at night! We are back with our second book series of the season where we cover Yellow Bird by Sierra Crane Murdoch. We have a lot to unpack this episode and start by covering the history of the Three Affiliated Tribes also referred to as the MHA; Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Tribes in North Dakota. We give some background information on our key individuals including how Murdoch came to research this story, our main protagonist Lissa Yellow Bird’s history, and our victim Kristopher Clarke aka KC.

This episode contains a lot of history regarding Indigenous Americans and the horrifying things the government did to them, discussions of drugs, addiction, rape, and murder, we’ll do our best to stay on track but the bottles are popped.

Sources
Sierra Crane Murdoch
Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country, Sierra Crane Murdoch, February 16, 2021
Sierra Crane Murdoch Live Event for the Lake Agassiz Regional Library, Oct 20, 2020, watched May 1, 2021
“On Indian Land, Criminals Can Get Away With Almost Anything”, Sierra Crane Murdoch, The Atlantic, Feb 22, 2013, accessed April 30, 2021
Overall History & Resources
Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, History
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Ndstudies.gov, State Historical Society of North Dakota
Arikara Pronunciation and Spelling Guide
Native Voices, Timeline of Citizenship, Services, and Sovereignty
“Sakakawea name debate good”, Sheila Robinson, The Bismarck Tribune, Sept 7, 2002, accessed April 30, 2021
“Breakdown of Relations: American Expansionism, the Great Plains, and the Arikara People, 1823-1957” Thesis by Stephen Auon, April 2019, Virginia Commonwealth University
Treaties & Garrison Dam History
“The Treaty of Fort Laramie”, ourdocuments.gov
“For the Taking: The Garrison Dam and the Tribal Taking Area”, culturalsurvival.org, June 1988, accessed April 30, 2021
“N.D. tribe asks Congress to fulfill 50-year-old promise”, June 13, 2003, accessed May 1, 2021
National Park Service, Pick-Sloan Plan
“In 1868, Two Nations Made a Treaty, the U.S. Broke It and Plains Indian Tribes are Still Seeking Justice”, Kimbra Cutlip, Smithsonian Magazine, Nov 7 2018, accessed May 1, 2021
“How the Garrison Dam on the Missouri River ruined a way of life for the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara”, Meteor Blades for Daily Kos, Dec 26, 2018, accessed April 26, 2021
“Three Tribes, a Dam and a Diabetes Epidemic”, Lisa Jones, High Country News, May 23, 2011; accessed April 20201
Environmental & Oil Boom
“Our River, Our Home, Our Nation”, MHA Nation YouTube video about the oil boom; features speakers Mark Fox, MHA Chairman (2019) Dr. Twyla Baker, President of the Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College,
“Frack Off: Kandi Mossett | Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation” , Kandi Mossett (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara) Native Energy & Climate Campaign Organizer, The New School YouTube Channel, Oct 16, 2014
The Disappearance of Kristopher KC Clarke
“The Case Against James Henrikson”, Case Timeline, The Spokesman Review, No Date Listed, first accessed April 13, 2021
“The Woman in Search of Indian Country’s Missing”, Jessica Lussenhop, High Country News, March 25th, 2019, first accessed April 13, 2021