Ancestors

While participating in a Sun Dance ceremony in South Dakota a young Indian (Nelson Redwing) receives a vision from Wakan-Tanka commanding him to stop the desecration of Indian graves by archaeologists and pot hunters. When he returns to Iowa he organizes NAM (Native American Movement) and he and his followers start smashing museum exhibits and destroying archaeological digs. Nelson soon realizes he isn't getting his message across so he quits NAM and goes to see the Iowa governor for help. The governor is receptive and appoints Nelson to work with archaeologist Shelly Kelly to find solutions to problems that have been festering in the state for several years. At their first meeting Shelly and Nelson learn that an Indian burial ground is being destroyed at a construction site in Dubuque. They arrive as Indian demonstrators are gathering, bent on disrupting the project. The Highway Department's archaeologist has already excavated three graves. Over the next few days with the help of a local historian Shelly discovers that the cemetery contains Indians that died of influenza in 1861 in a near-by Army detention camp. When the digging resumes, to everyone's surprise, the remaining graves are empty. As the story unfolds Shelly discovers that a physician from Vermont who moved to Dubuque in 1856 is involved. He turns out to be a grave robbing spiritualist who channeled the dead to treat his patients. The missing Indian bones are found in a dilapidated building in downtown Dubuque along with boxes of skeletal remains of Irish and Germans-all part of the doctor's study collection. As Shelly unravels the mystery she discovers the identity of the Indians (Reed Lake Band of the Sioux) and arranges for the return of their remains to Minnesota for an emotional reunion with related tribesmen. In the process she solves the mystery of what became of the Indian who killed Lieutenant John Grattan at the First Sioux Indian War that took place in Nebraska Territory in 1854.