With the finale of Yellowstone‘s 5th (and potentially final) season looming ever closer, the minds of fans are furiously contemplating the fate of the show’s titular ranch. Theories already abound (did John Dutton fake his death?!) but, according to some, we might already know exactly what’s going to happen to the Dutton land—and, in fact, it might just hint at the solution to another of the Dutton-verse’s biggest mysteries.
As fans have pointed out on Reddit, way back in February 2022, the final episode of 1883 provided an ominous promise for the Dutton family’s future in Montana; one that’s poised to come due on the modern-day series.
The prediction comes courtesy of Spotted Eagle, a leader among the local Native American tribe that James Dutton and his wagon train encounter on their ill-fated excursion into the American West. Having been shot by a tainted arrow, James’s daughter Elsa (who serves as the disembodied narrator for both 1883 and the subsequent series 1923) is dying of infection, and James has vowed that he and his family will remain wherever they bury her. Spotted Eagle generously tells Dutton of a nearby valley where he hunted as a young man that could be reached before Elsa passes away. Though he warns that the winters will be harsh there, he says the summer will be plentiful enough that the family could thrive if they make it their homestead.
That word of caution isn’t his only caveat though. He also warns the would-be farmer that his claim on the land wouldn’t be permanent.
“Know this,” he says, “that in seven generations, my people will rise up and take it back from you.”
Though it sounds more like a prophesy than a negotiation, Dutton readily agrees, saying, “In seven generations you can have it.”
The Duttons, of course, go on to find the valley and make their settlement there, one that they will hand down to their family though the generations. How many generations exactly? Well, funny you should ask…
Tate, the son of Yellowstone‘s Kayce Dutton, could, in theory, be the ranch’s seventh generation; it all depends on who his great-grandfather is. (Yes, Jamie Dutton also has a baby son, but given that he’s rarely mentioned on the series, his claim on the Dutton land doesn’t seem to be a major plot consideration.)
The mystery of John Dutton’s lineage has been kicking around the Yellowstone universe for some time, with two characters on 1923 appearing to be the most likely candidates. One is Spencer, the youngest son of 1883‘s James Dutton, born after the death of Elsa. In the first season of 1923, Spencer falls in love with the fiery British aristocrat Alex, who the series has hinted could be pregnant. The other possibility is Jack Dutton, the grandson of James, who got married and suffered a miscarriage with his wife Elizabeth in the show’s first season.
Based on what we know of the Dutton family tree so far, if Tate is a descendant of Spencer, then that would make him the sixth generation of Duttons on the ranch, meaning that, if Spotted Eagle’s prediction holds, it could potentially be passed down to a child of his own before fate returns the land to the tribe. However, if Tate is the descendant of Jack Dutton, then he himself is the seventh generation. Either way, however things play out in Yellowstone could finally answer the question of exactly who Tate’s ancestor is.
Add to all of that the fact that Tate’s mother, Monica, is Native American herself, it would seem that him inheriting the ranch could be interpreted as the land being returned to Spotted Eagle’s people—though, of course, the land could also be returned to the tribe directly through a land deed or some other legal apparatus.
No matter what, if 1883‘s prediction holds, Tate could be in line to inherit the Dutton land before the end of the show. Assuming no last-minute news of a season six is forthcoming, that would suggest that the generation above Tate (his father, his aunt Beth, and his uncle Jamie) are all in potentially fatal trouble ahead of the series finale.
