chronology-of-the-american-indian-movement-activities-1

Chronology of The American Indian Movement Activities 1969-1979 November 9, 1969 Occupation of Alcatraz Island Fourteen Indian activists occupy Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay and symbolically claim the island for Indian people, offering to purchase the island for $24 worth of glass beads and red cloth On November 20, the symbolic occupation of Alcatraz Island turns into a full scale occupation that lasts until June 11, 1971 One hundred Indian youth, primarily California college students, representing 20 tribes occupy Alcatraz Island and demand the establishment of a center for Native American studies, an American Indian spiritual center, an Indian center of ecology, and an Indian training school By November 28, the number of Indians on the island increases to approximately 400 They defy federal demands that they leave the island, and approximately 150 set up permanent occupancy in cell blocks and other buildings The federal government’s actions are orchestrated directly from the White House and a “hands off” policy toward the occupiers is adopted by President Richard Nixon This is the result of the growing negative public image resulting from the Vietnam War and the killing of college students at Kent State University by National Guard personnel While negotiations are conducted throughout the prolonged period of occupation, the federal government refuses to give in to the demands of the occupiers Public sympathy for the Indians on the island decreases as time passes, and on June 11, 1971, federal marshals and Government Services Administration special forces personnel remove the 15 remaining occupiers Following the Alcatraz occupation, Indian activists, led by former participants in the protest, occupy over 60 government facilities across the United States, demanding that Indian rights be recognized During the occupation of Alcatraz Island, President Nixon signs legislation that returns the sacred Blue Lake to the Taos people and formally announces a government policy of self-determination for Indians Members of the Alcatraz occupation force become leaders in the American Indian Movement (AIM) and participate in the February 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee, and the 1975 occupation of the Washington, D.C., Bureau of Indian Affairs office March 14, 1970 BIA Office Takeovers Indian activists take over the Bureau of Indian Affairs office in Denver, Colorado An incident in Littleton, Colorado, incites this protest against discrimination regarding BIA anti-Indian employment policies An Indian woman applying for a position as school counselor working with Indian children is turned down despite her qualifications for the job There are two separate incidents in Littleton, resulting in the arrest of 21 Indians A countrywide chain reaction is ignited: 23 arrests occur in Chicago; 12 in Alameda, California: 25 in Minneapolis; and 30 in Philadelphia BIA offices in Cleveland, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Albuquerque become scenes of Indian protests Those arrested in Alameda are charged with failure to leave a public building It is unclear to what extent Indians from Alcatraz are directly involved with the occupation March 15, 1970 Reoccupation of Fort Lawton Indian activists reenter Fort Lawton Federal authoritities serve eviction notices upon the activists The U.S Army then takes 78 Indians into custody following the group’s second attempt to takeover Fort Lawton Government officials identify Indians whom they consider to be leaders and agitators from the March occupation and arraign these Indians before a federal commissioner A preliminary hearing is set for April 2, but changes eventually are dropped without prosecution Cover stories in Time and Look magazines feature Alcatraz and Fort Lawton occupations and refer to Alcatraz as “the symbolic act of Indian awareness.” The San Francisco Chronicle reports, “The Indians have demanded that Fort Lawton, an Army Reserve installation, be turned over to them for use as a cutural center The Indians claim they have a right to the fort under terms of an 1855 treaty To assert their claim, the Indians, may of them veterans of the takeover of Alcatraz island, scaled steep bluffs facing Puget Sound and entered the fort by climbing over high wire fences Sunday.” March 23, 1970 Indian Occupy the BIA offices At an Alameda BIA office, approximately 50 Indian protests alleged job discrimination in addition to other grievances Approximately 30 Indians hold outside the BIA offices and eventually 12, including five from Alcatraz Island are arrested Richard Oakes, one of the 12 remaining occupiers, refuses to leave the office but finally submits peacefully to the police three hours later The Indian participants are released and scheduled for a court appearance on April April 2, 1970 Fort Lawton, California Indian occupiers storm the east gate at Fort Lawton and reenter the post This is the same date scheduled for the preliminary hearings of the Indians who occupied Fort Lawton on March and March 15 Fifteen more Indians are arrested and held for arraignment, including Indian occupiers from Alcatraz Island Charges against the group are later dismissed Through the continuous efforts of the United Indians of All tribes, Fort Lawton is awarded to the Indians in 1971 as an Indian cultural center Today, Bernie Whitebear, director of the Daybreak Star Cultural Center at Fort Lawton, attributes much of their success to the occupation of Alcatraz In 1990 Whitebear states, “Alcatraz was very much a catalyst to our occupation here We saw what could be achieved there, and if it had not been for their determination effort at Alcatraz, there would have been no movement here We would like to think that Alcatraz lives on in part through Fort Lawton.” Ross Harden, one of the original occupiers of the island, says that the Lawton occupiers came from the different tribes on Alcatraz April 18-23, 1970 Indian Sit-Ins Indians conduct sit-ins at several BIA offices throughout the country April 27, 1970 American Indian Movement Members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) picket the Minneapolis opening of Elliot Silverstein’s A Man Called Horse The Indian activists urge a boycott of the picture (the story of an Englishman and his life among the Lakota Sioux) and label its graphic portrayal of the sacred Sun Dance ceremony “humiliating and degrading.” Later, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights joins the AIM members in their boycott Reaction to the film is mixed; some Indians approve of it Two sequels are released Return of a Man Called Horse (1976) and Triumphs of a Man Called Horse(1984) May 17, 1970 Mohawk Occupations The Mohawk Indians of Akwesasne reoccupy Loon Island, which is illegally being squatted upon by non-Indian recreation-seekers On May 9, a Mohawk group occupies Stanley Island The Mohawks claim total of 42 islands in the St Lawrence River region June 1970 Reclamation of Lassen National Forest Pit River Indians head for Lassen National Forest to reclaim the land as their own Richard Oakes brings Indian occupiers from Alcatraz Island to assist in the occupation Marie Lego, a Pit River Indian, becomes an activist/advocate for her people Sheriff’s deputies, local police, and United States marshals armed with riot equipment and shotguns greet the caravan at the entrance to the forest Not intending any violence, the leaders turn the caravan around and move toward their secondary goal, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) camp at Big Bend, California Here PG&E claims 52,000 acres of Pit River land “We are the rightful and legal owner of the land,” proclaims a young Indian named Mickey Gemmill “Therefore, we reclaim all the resourceful land that has traditionally been ours with the exception of that owned by private individuals.” On June 6, the Pit River Indians occupy Lassen’s fully equipped and very comfortable private campground and cabins The campground and the national park are part of a huge section of northern California land that the Indians say was stolen from them in 1853 Some of the Pit River Indians become frightened when they are tailed from Mount Lassen to Big Bend Among those who elect to stick it out are Richard Oakes, Grace Thorpe and some other Alcatraz occupiers On the second day of the occupation, U.S Marshals “armed to the teeth” inform the group that they must leave The Indians respond by telling the marshals that it is they who are trespassers on Indian land; therefore the marshals, not the Indians should leave The 82 marshals counter with Black Marias, M16s, and riot helmets, and arrest 80 women and 26 men for trespassing The Indian who are arrested appear in court and are sued for trespassing without having established that they owned the land Included in the support group from Alcatraz are Oakes, Thorpe and singer Buffy Saint-Marie Indian Lawyers make motions to dismiss the charges but the judge sustains every objection by the district attorney The first two groups are convicted, but the case then is relocated to Sacramento, where the third group receives a trail and is acquitted in June 1971 Following the acquittal, Pit River Indians go back to the PG &E campgrounds where more Indians are peacefully arrested Again the Pit River Indians return to Lassen National Forest, and this time 22 are arrested on charges of building a fire without a permit The government pursues a policy of avoidance, hoping to let the whole matter cool down and die away The Pit River Nation resists and any attempt that would let issues be “simply” forgotten They announce their continuous claim and occupation of their ancestral lands until the lands are returned Throughout the trespass trails, the Pit Rivers maintain a camp at the Four Corners site near Burney and begin to cut trees that the Forest Service had left along the road; the Indians plan to use the trees to build cabins on the land A police patrol spots them After four days of conferences that include officials in Washington D.C., the U.S Marshals, Forest Service personnel, and approximately 400 law enforcement personnel remove the Indians, using rifle butts, clubs, mace-guns, and trained dogs The Indians respond by arming themselves with sticks and two-by-fours in an effort to defend themselves One of the young Indians, Coyote, later recalls that “the day was bloody.” He remembers the slow, painful ride the next day from a Susanville jail to the jail in Sacramento with “four handcuffed Indians squashed into the back of a police car with no handles on the doors” June 7, 1970 Chicago American Indians Village Police raid the “Chicago American Indian Village”, a tent city behind WrigleyField, where Indian people protest a lack of services for them in Chicago September 1970 Takeover of Mount Rushmore Approximately 50 Indians from different tribes climb to the top of Mount Rushmore and announce their takeover of the historic landmark They intend to occupy Mount Rushmore until 123, 000 acres of Indian land, unjustly taken for a gunnery range during World War II, is returned September 17, 1970 Occupation of Federal Land Army intelligence in San Francisco reports that is national office in Washington has received information regarding plans to occupy federal land there belonging either to the Department of Army or the Interior The action reportedly will take place sometime within the near future by a group of Indians from Alcatraz Island Army intelligence requests all information regarding the movement of Indians occupying Alcatraz Island Autumn 1970-Spring 1971 Mount Rushmore American Indian Movement (AIM) member and a traditional group called the Oglala Sioux Tribe establish a camp at Mount Rushmore enacting a symbolic Lakota claim to the Black Hills October 1970 Badlands National Monument Sioux Indian activists establish a protest camp at Badlands National Monument in South Dakota Traditionally a religious ceremonial ground, the federal government seized Sheep Mountain to use as a bombing area during World War II Among those erecting the camp’s 23 trips are representives from the Alcatraz Island occupation October 1970 Pit River, California Pit River Indians and other Indian supporters, many from Alcatraz Island, occupy a site at the Four Corners area near Burney, California The Indians erect a Quonset hut as temporary while they attend the trials stemming from the June 1970 occupation of PG&E lands, when approximately 80 federal officers, sheriff’s deputies, and forestry employees appear Armed with mace, clubs, shotguns, and automatic rifles, the troops surround the Indian Camp Peter Blue Cloud describes the battle:” As forest workers and officers moved toward the Quonset hut to tear it down, all hell broke loose, as the protectors of the law waded into the Pit River people, spraying mace, and breaking heads, swinging clubs and striking even those who already lay unconscious Riffle butts were smashed into heads and mace filled the air Indian women shouted and cried out in anger.” Again, arrests are made but officers their people’s rights A 100-year old tribal woman witnesses police destruction and says, “I hope the white men are proud.” Of the 36 Indian people arrested at the PG&E camp near Big Bend on June 14, 1970, only seven are convicted on charges of building occupation and placed on probation Out of 108 counts, convictions are obtained on 14 On March 30, 1972, five Indians charged with assaulting federal marshals during the battle of Four Corners are found innocent Charges against the remaining 33 are dropped prior to or during the trial One Juror comments upon a lack of evidence in the case against the Indian people November 3, 1970 CIA Listening Post Occupied Two dozen Indian activists, including Indians from Alcatraz Island, occupy a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) listening post near Santa Rose, California The CIA facility was used in the 1950s to monitor foreign broadcasts The Indians are removed from the government property on November 6; five are arrested for trespassing Richard Oakes, an Alcatraz leader, participates in the strategy-planning session for the occupation Title to the land is ultimately transferred to the Pomo Indians and the Ya-Ka-Ma, “Our land,” American Indian learning center is established November 3, 1970 Deganawida-Quetzalcoatl University Site Occupied Indians occupy a 647-acre site ( a surplus military facility) near Davis, California, later the site of Deganawida-Quetzalcoatl University 9dqu) “ The land is ours” is the cry accompanying a claim to one square mile of the Central Valley Slated for title by a nonprofit educational institution, the site is considered up for grabs A press release on October 29 indicates that the University of California at Davis will receive the land for primate research and rice farming despite its incomplete application To gain public attention, American Indian activists, including Grace Thorpe and other former Alcatraz occupies, climb over the site’s fence and lay claim to the land DQU recieves the deed to the site on April 2, 1971 November 4, 1970 Foreign Broadcast Information Service Station Occupied Twelve Indians occupy the former Foreign Broadcast Information Service Monitoring Station at Healdsburg, California All but four of the Indians leave the property at the request of the local sheriff Indians from Alcatraz Island participate in the occupation Aubrey Grossman, San Francisco attorney for Indians of All tribes, appears as their counsel November 8, 1970 Army Communications Center Occupied Approximately 75 Indians activists seize an abandoned army communications center in Davis, California The Indians demand that the center be turned over to them for use an Indian Cultural Center November 22, 1970 Pomo Indian Reservation Richard Oakes stops motorists driving through a Pomo Indian Reservation, and charges an entry toll; he is placed under arrest for this action The San Francisco Chronicle reports, “Oakes, a leader of last year’s invasion of Alcatraz, allegedly posted himself, armed with a rifle at Skagg’s Spring Road, after placing a fallen tree part way across the road A sign posted there reads: “Stop pay toll ahead -$1.00 This is Indian land.” California Highway Patrol officers arrest Oakes pending investigation of an armed robbery and release him from jail on his own recognizance once he agrees to a moratorium on his toll charges November 24, 1970 Wohler Birdge, California Seven young Indians plus other Indian activists are arrested on trespassing charges when they confront federal authorities at a broadcast station near Wohler Bridge, California Four Indians from Alcatraz Island are among those taken into custody The Indians had been warned to leave the federal property leased to a private citizen The occupation group claims a right to the land under a treaty made with the Indians in 1865 November 25, 1970 Kashia Reservation A total of $22 is collected at the toll crossing on Kashia Reservation near Stewart’s Point-Skaggs Spring Road and Tin Barn Road, California Charges of felony robbery levied against Richard Oakes are reduced to the charge of obstructing a public roadway This particular incident, while mimicking Oakes earlier actions, may not have actually including his participation Thanksgiving Day, 1970 American Indian Movement Seizes Mayflower II Members of the American Indian Movement(AIM), including Russell Means and Dennis Banks, seize control of the Mayflower II in Plymouth, Massachusetts Proclaiming Thanksgiving day a national day of mourning, AIM protests against this celebration of thanks for taking of Indian lands by white colonists This is the first AIM attempt to extend its activism onto the national scene Previously, AIM focused upon providing physical protection against police harassment for Indian people living in Minneapolis, Cleveland, and Washington, D.C The names of Means and Banks, and later Trudell become synonymous with the AIM movement April 2, 1971 Deganawida-Quetzalcoatl University The federal government formally turns over the title to 647 acres to the trustees of DQU The Indians and Chicanos hold a powwow and victory celebration The White House feels that the establishment of DQU fulfills the demands of the Alcatraz occupiers for an Indian University May 16 and May 21, 1971 Indian Intertribal Force Occupies Abandoned Naval Air Station An Indian intertribal force takes over an abandoned naval air station near Minneapolis The occupation force intends the station for use as an all-Indian school and cultural center Members of AIM and other Indian organization and tribes claim the Sioux Treaty of 1868, article 6, as their authority, just as the Indian occupiers of Alcatraz Island had done in 1964 The Indian occupiers form a governing structure and security system similar to the Alcatraz occupation structure and issue a petition to the federal government similar to that of Indians of All Tribes and the Alcatraz demonstrators The occupiers are arrested on May 21, when members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupy a naval air station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Unlike earlier occupations of vacant land, this new occupation disrupts naval facility operations U.S marshal special operations group (SOG) members forcibly enter the theater and clash with Indians armed with clubs, knives, and other weapons May 26, 1971 Occupation of Toyon Job Coprs Center California Pit River Indians and others join a group of Wintu Indians in occupying the 61 acre surplus Toyon Job Corps Center near Redding, California They believe the site suits a number of Indian purposes, including housing A settlement reached with the BIA determines that the center will be given to the Indians in two years, during which time the Shasta Community Action Project will administer and maintain the land June 6-7,1971 Mount Rushmore National Memorial Forty Indians demand that the federal government honor the 1868 treaty with Sioux Nation promising that all lands west of the Missouri River would belong forever to the Sioux Nation The Indians establish a camp on top of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Police later arrest 20 of the protestors for climbing the monument June 11, 1971 Alcatraz Occupation Ends The 19- month takeover of Alcatraz Island ends when federal marshals remove the last 15 Indians (six men, four women, and five children) occupying the prison Averaging 100 protesters from 50 different tribes, the activists announce plans to turn Alcatraz into a Center of Ecology, an American Indian Museum, a Great Indian Training School, and an Indian Center of Ecology June 14, 1971 Abandoned Nike Missile Base Occupied Indians of All Tribes (formally of Alcatraz Island) enter and occupy an abandoned Nike missile base in the Berkeley Hills overlooking San Francisco Bay; more than 100 Indians settle there Occupiers announce their intention to remain on the base and call for the establishment of a liberation supply line On June 17, prison buses, park rangers, marked and unmarked police cars, and army trucks loaded with military police descent upon the occupiers The Indian occupiers, many of whom were participants in the Alcatraz occupation, are forcibly evicted June 14-July 1, 1971 Alcatraz Indians Demonstrate Approximately 40 Indians demonstrate in front of the federal office building in San Francisco, protesting their eviction from Alcatraz Island The demonstrators not attempt to enter FBI space, consequently, no arrests are made Many protestors are veterans of the Alcatraz occupation June – August 1971 Wallace Black Elk’s Wounded Knee Sun Dance Calling themselves “Indians of All Tribes,” a group of young Indian people come from San Francisco to Wounded Knee for a Sun Dance performed by Wallace Black Elk, John Lame Deer, and Leonard Crow Dog This group unifies the former members of Indians of All Tribes from Alcatraz Island with the American Indian Movement (AIM), now recognized as a national Indian activist organization July 30, 1971 Occupation of Former Nike Missile Site Seventy-five Indians occupy a former Nike site on the grounds of the Argonne National Laboratories in Hinsdale, Illinois August 1971 Onandaga, Oneida, Mohawk and Tuscarora Protest Approximately 100 Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscarora Indians go to Interstate 81 in New York State, south of Onondaga Reservation lands, and sit down to protest the widening of the interstate highway, claiming that the initial treaty with the United States is illegal and does not provide for roadway additions The state agrees to abandon plans for the construction of an acceleration lane on Indian lands, to drop charges against those Indians arrested, and to consult with the Council of Chiefs at all stages of the highway improvement project August 15, 1971 AIM Seizes Abandoned Coast Guard Lifeboat Station A group of approximately 25 members of the Milwaukee chapter of the American Indian Movement (AIM) seize an abandoned coast guard lifeboat station at McKinley Beach, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin The group seizes two abandoned buildings during the predawn rain, claiming a right to the property under the Sioux Treaty of 1876 The first recorded occupation of a federal facility, this is the second attempt by AIM to expand beyond its role as an urban Indian protection organization October 13-15, 1971 AIM National Convention The American Indian Movement (AIM) holds its first national convention Approximately 100 delegates representing 18 chapters attend the conference at Camp Owendigo, Minnesota March 4, 1972 Death of R Yellow Thunder In Gordon, Nebraska, five persons are charged with manslaughter and false imprisonment in the death of R Yellow Thunder, a 41 yer old Oglala Sioux Indian Three weeks prior, he was stripped of his clothes and forced into an American Legion Hall where a dance was in progress March 7, 1972 National American Indian Council Urban Indians hold a conference in Omaha, Nebraska, forming the National American Indian Council The council commits itself to working on behalf of urban Indians nationwide March 8, 1972 American Indians Demonstrate in Sacramento, California Hundreds of American Indians demonstrate in front of the California State capitol in Sacramento and call for a state investigation into the fatal shooting of a 20 year old Indian youth in December 1969 A student at UCLA, Tom Ferris was shot to death in a Willow Creek bar by a white bartender The grand jury does not return an indictment, hence the demonstrators call for a more thorough investigation of the incident Spring 1972 AIM Leaders Condemn Trial Councils At a convention of tribal leaders held in the spring at Cass Lake, Minnesota, AIM leaders openly condemn tribal councils for letting European Americans and BIA officials exploit tribal resources, especially fishing rights on Chippewa Lake Bearing guns and blockading the convention center, AIM leaders demand that the Chippewa Tribal Council take a militant stand strong enough to intimidate the surrounding non-Indians into accepting trial control of the fishing areas April 23, 1972 AIM Members Stage Peaceful Protest on the Fort Trotten Indian Reservation Thirty Lakota and Chippewa American Indian Movement (AIM) members stage a peaceful protest on the Fort Totten Indian Reservation in North Dakota The sitin-intends to call attention to police brutality on the Reservation In the previous few months, according to the protestors, three Indians died while jail custody June 1972 Lumbee Students Protect Historic Building at Pembroke State University Lumbee students at Pembroke State University strive to prevent the destruction of a historic Indian building on the campus In 1885, the state of North Carolina began permitting the Lumbee to operate their own school systems The state’s laws recognizes the Lumbee as “free people of color,” and bars them from attending white schools while permitting them to operate their own “Indian” schools The Lumbee started school in 1887 and it became a four yer college in 1935 Old Main, as the building is known, serves for many years as the only building on campus With a current enrollment of 2,500 students, the mostly non-Indian campus administration finds itself pitted against the Lumbee who are determined to save the historic building September 13, 1972 Indian Protest over Education Funds In Pawnee, Oklahoma, angry Oklahoma Indians seize a federal office for over two hours in a dispute with federal and state officials over educational funds John Trudell, one of the leaders of the 1969-71 Alcatraz Island occupation, says that the Indians won a clear-cut victory when government officials agreed to freeze all federal funds while an investigation and renegotiation of disbursements of funds, requested by the Indian occupiers, is undertaken October-November 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties The idea for the Trial of Broken Treaties, the march on Washington, and the occupation of the federal BIA building begins at the Sioux Rosebud Reservation in 1972 American Indian Movement (AIM) activist Robert Burnette organizes the project in which Indians from all over the country will converge upon Washington, D.C., just before the presidential elections, to protest and draw attention to Indian issues Caravanners coming from the Southwest follow the Cherokee Trial of Tears; the Sioux pass by the 1800 Wounded Knee massacre site Arriving in Washington, they find that living accommodations promised to them by their planners are not available, so the group decides to take over the Bureau of Indian Affairs office On November 2, 1972, 600-800 Indians occupy and barricade the BIA building They present a list of 20 civil rights demands drawn up during the march Among them are that: treaty relations be reestablished between the federal government and the Indian nations; termination policies be repealed, including Public Law 280; the Indian land base be doubled; tribes be given criminal jurisdiction over non-Indian on reservations; and cultural and economic conditions for Indians be improved After almost a week of occupation in which activists destroy files, furniture, and Indian art, the government promises to review the “twenty-point program,” refrain from making arrests, and pay the Indian’s return travel expenses The occupation ends November A great moral victory for the Indians, this occupation signifies the first time a national organization of Indians has faced a confrontation as a united people The two government negotiators, Brad Patterson and Len Barment, also kept an eye on the Alcatraz occupation for the government While many of the Alcatraz occupiers participated in the Trail of Broken Treaties, it is the first large Indian protest staged by AIM November 14, 1972 American Indians Testify before Commission on Civil Rights The U.S Commission on Civil Rights hear testimony from the American Indian witness claiming that the agency has directed its attention to the needs of African-American and Hispanic Americans, overlooking the needs of American Indians 1973 Oglala Sioux Civil Rights Organization In Pine Ridge, South Dakota, Gladys Bissonette and Ellen Moves Camp establish the Oglala Sioux Civil Rights Organization (OSCRO) Responding to the federal government’s policy of using military enforcement against the women, children, and elderly of Pine Ridge, Bissonette and Moves Camp favor armed self-defense for the Indians This approach will distinguish Indian political tactics from previous twentieth-century policies involving disputes with the U.S Federal government January 9, 1973 AIM Demands Rejected The Nixon administration officially rejects demands received from the leaders of the Trail of Broken Treaties The demands were drawn up during the “Trail of Broken Treaties” caravan to Washington, D.C which ended in the seven-day occupation of the BIA headquarters building February 6-8, 1973 AIM Protesters Clash with Police Two hundred American Indian Movement (AIM) protestors clash with police in Cluster, South Dakota Thirty-seven Indians are arrested during a melee with police over a judge’s decision to grant bail to the white man charged with the stabbing death of Wesley Bad Heart Bull According to AIM sources, the riot erupted when after a meeting with officials the mother of the victim was pushed down a flight of stairs Dennis Banks, AIM leader, is among those arrested February 27-May 8, 1973 Wounded Knee II A group of 200 Indians, led by the American Indian Movement (AIM), congregate at the site of the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre They demonstrate against the elected council head of the Pine Ridge Reservation, Richard (Dicky) Wilson, whose administration, they charge, is rife with corruption and nepotism and silences its critics through intimidation and violence The Sioux traditionalists, who not accept the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) government as represented by Wilson, called AIM when Wilson and his administration begin beatings and shootings to enforce “ Wilson rule” Tensions between the protesters and local authorities grow until the situation becomes a siege of the town, drawing 2,000 Indians from around the area and lasting for 70 days The Indian occupiers are surrounded by 300 federal marshals and FBI agents equipped with guns and armored personnel carriers (APCS) On March 12, the Indians declare Wounded Knee a sovereign territory of the new Oglala Sioux Nation according to the Laramie Treaty of 1868, which recognizes the Sioux as an independent nation The siege peaks when the two sides begin firing on each other and two Indians, Frank Clearwater and Buddy Lamont, are shot and killed The impasse ends after 67 days with a negotiated settlement and the withdrawal of both sides The occupation calls national and worldwide media attention to the Native American civil rights movement Although an AIM occupation, former occupiers of Alcatraz Island (Indians of All Tribes) also participate March 27, 1973 Marlon Brando Refuses Oscar Sacheen Littlefeather, adorned in buckskin, headband, and braids, reguses the Oscar for Best Actor on Marlon Brando’s behalf Amidst both boos and applause, Ms Littlefeather stands in front of the large audience at the Academy Awards presentation and announces that Brando will not accept the Oscar (for his role in The Godfather) She explains that the veteran actors’ decision is due to “the treatment of Indians by the film industry, in television, in movie reruns, and the recent happenings in Wounded Knee, South Dakota.” 10 April 8, 1973 Wounded Knee II Pollster Louis Harris reports that 51 percent of those surveyed regarding the Wounded Knee standoff side with the Indians, while 21 percent side with the federal government July 16, 1973 Census Bureau Data on Indian Income and Education The Census Bureau reports that the median income for Indian families in 1969 was $5,832, compared to a national average of $9,590 Forty percent of Indian families live below the poverty level, compared to 14 percent of all families and 32 percent of black families Education statistics indicate the greatest degree of increase since the last census One-third of all Indians over age 25 have completed high school, with a median number of 9.8 years of school for all Indians The number of Indian students in college has doubled since 1960 November 17, 1973 Indictments for Wounded Knee II The grand jury in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, returns for indictments against Indians in the Wounded Knee standoff 1974 Women of All Red Nations Formed Lorelei DeCora Means, a Minneconjou Lakota; Madonna Thunderhawk and Phyllis Young, both Hunkpapa Lakota; and others form Women of All Red Nations (WARN) These Native women participate in the American Indian Movement (AIM); from their activism, they develop an awareness of distinctive gender experience for Indian men and women in response to a “colonialist” system For instance, while women are only arrested, charged, and convicted for their roles in the Red Power movement, larger numbers of AIM Indian men withstand police brutality, arrest, conviction, and or death This more benign treatment of Indian women and misunderstanding of their power provided an opportunity for women to organize and act for the betterment of all Naïve people Thus, these AIM women reestablish the political equivalent of a traditional women’ society By organizing Native women, the WARN founders feel that they can fulfill their responsibilities to establish and maintain their stance to protect and ensure Native rights for all February 7, 1974 Oglala Sioux Tribal Council Russell Means, leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM), is defeated by incumbent Richard Wilson in a runoff election for chairman of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council (In the initial vote on January 22, Means lead in a field of 12 nominees by a small margin.) Means, a traditionalist who lost 1,709 t0 1,530, vows to destroy the “white man’s tribal government where all Indians would have a voice.” Wilson, representing the more assimilationist forces on the reservation, pledges to continue full cooperation with federal government Charges of corruption and illegal vote counting follow the final outcome of this election February 16, 1974 Custer Incident Trial Dennis Banks, co-founder of the American Indian Movement (AIM), is brought to trial for charges stemming from the 1973 riot at Custer, South Dakota (see entry from Feb 6, 1973) June 17, 1974 Moton v Mancari Responding to the backlash against affirmative action policies in the 1970s, preferential employment of Indians by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is challenged as discriminatory Morton v Mancari, significant due to its address of employment preferences, is upheld by the Supreme Court as constitutional The statute 11 gives Indians an employment preference for positions within the BIA The decision relies on the fact that preference flows from a historical trust relationship dating as far back as 1834 This trust is a governmental relationship between the U.S and Indian nations, and not one based upon race Hence, seeking Indians to work in the BIA “does not constitute ‘racial’ discrimination.” Indeed, it is an employment criterion reasonably designed to further the cause of Indian self-government and to make the BIA more responsive to the needs of its constituent groups It is directed to participation by the governed in the governing agency” Thus, the legal status of the BIA is sui generis (constituting a class alone) It is important to note that employment preference for Indians is not applicable to other agencies or activities August 28-30, 1974 U.S Civil Rights Commission Holds Hearings The New Mexico advisory committee of the U.S Civil Rights Commission holds three days of hearings near Farmington, New Mexico The hearings stem from the beating deaths of three Navajo men by three white teenagers who happen to find the victims in an intoxicated condition The teenagers are sentenced to two to three years in a reformatory per state juvenile laws Navajo leaders testify to a variety of abuses, ranging from commercial cheating to murder, suffered by Navajos in off-reservation towns located in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico Several Navajo leaders request support in obtaining the closure of off-reservation taverns September 20, 1974 “Native Caravan” Five Indians are arrested for assaulting and obstructing police officers as 200 Indians trying to storm the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, battle with police and the military The protest starts September 15 when the “Native Caravan” begins traveling from Vancouver to Ottawa to demand settlement of their land claims and to protest poor housing conditions and social services on their reserves 1975 Our Brother’s Keeper Is Published Janet McCloud’s activist work takes on broader national issues such as Indian education, Indian rights regarding the preservation and maintenance of Native cultures, languages, and religious, and the political conditions of American Indian prisoners Her work with the Native America Rights Fund (NARF) results in both a book, Our Brother’s Keeper in 1975, and in the organization of the Brotherhood of Indian Prisoners 1975 Passamaguoddy Tribe v Morton The U.S Court of Appeals, First Circuit, upholds Judge Edward Gignoux’s decision in the case of the Passamaquoddy Tribe v Morton The Passamaquoddy and Penobscot of Maine, two non-federally recognized tribes, successfully argue that the 179- Trade and Non-Intercourse Act establishes a trust relationship between them and the federal governement The 1790 act forbids the sale of Indian lands without the approval of the federal government The colony of Massachusetts (later divided into Massachusetts and Maine) purchased land from the Passqamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes via an illegal colonial treaty The federal government responds that it holds no obligations to represent the tribes in their suti against the state of Maine because the tribes are not federally recognized Judge 12 Gignoux’s decision upholds the principle that the federal government has an obligation to protect the land rights of all tribes, whether recognized or not January 4, 1975 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act Congress passes Public Law 93-638, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, which expands tribal control over tribal governments and education This act also encourges the development of human resource and reservation programs and authorizes federal funds to build needed publis school facilities on or near Indian reservations Hailed as the most important piece of legislation passed since the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act, the Self-Determination Act’s goal is to give governing authority over federal programs to the tribes and to inhibit the pattern of further federal dependency and paternalism January 8, 1975 Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux Tribal Chairman Election Ruled Invalid The U.S Commission on Civil Rights issues a report reviewing the results of the elections for tribal chairman on the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council The election race involves Richard Wilson and Russell Means The commission finds that the elections are invalid and recommends a new election They report that “almost one-third of all votes cast appear to have been in some manner improper….The procedures in some manner improper…The procedures for insuring the security of the election were so inadequate that actual fraud or wrongdoing could easily have gone undetected.” The Justice Department, however, takes no action on the commission’s finding February 25 – March 3, 1975 The American Indian Movement Takes Over the Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation Electronics Plant The American Indian Movement (AIM) takes over the Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation electronics plant on the Navajo Reservation at Shiprock, New Mexico, from February 25 through March Armed AIM members, including John Trudell (Santee), protest the company layoff of 140 underpaid Indian employees who had organized a union to represent their worker rights On March 13, the plant announces the closing of its Shiprock plant The company, which produces semiconductors and integrated circuits for computers, employed approximately 600 Navajos before the layoffs took effect in February Assessing the takeover damage, a Fairchild spokesperson states, “Fairchild has concluded that it couldn’t be reasonably assured that future disruptions wouldn’t occur.” April 22, 1975 Violence on Pine Ridge Reservation The New York Times reports that violence on the Pine Ridge Reservation continues despite the end of the Wounded Knee occupation and its subsequent government negotiations According to one FBI report, people were killed and 67 assaulted since January of that year The story attributes the violence to the 1973 takeover that divided the reservation into two opposing groups June 17, 1975 AIM National Convention The American Indian Movement (AIM) ends in national convention in Farmington, New Mexico AIM issues a statement declaring that U.S government, religion, and education are the most potent enemies of Indian people 13 June 26, 1975 Shoot-Out on the Pine Ridge Reservation A shoot-out in the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota between AIM members and the FBI results in the death of two agents Leonard Peltier is charged and convicted for the murder of the FBI agents and is presently serving two life sentences in prison November 25, 1975 Four Indians Indicted on Charges of Premeditated Murder A federal grand jury indicts four Indians – Leonard Peltier, Robert Eugene Robideau, Darrelle Dean Butler, and James Theodore Eagle – on the charges on premeditated murder of two FBI officers The officers are killed on June 26 in a shoot-out on the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation near Pine Ridge, South Dakota February 24, 1976 Inuit Land Claim The Inuit Tapirisat of Canada present their claim to an immense area in Canada’s arctic The claim, on behalf of all the Inuit of the Northwest Territories (N.W.T.), follows a unique federally funded study of Inuit land use and occupancy in the N.W.T This claim proposes to establish Nunavut (our land) as a new territory covering most of Canada north of the tree-line The territory, which would be taken from the N.W.T., would be controlled by the Inuit who compromise over 80 percent of the population of that region June 8, 1976 AIM Members on Trial for Murder of FBI Agents American Indian Movement (AIM) members Robert Robideau and Darrelle Butler go on trial for the murder of two FBI agents on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota October 10, 1976 Native American Awareness Week President Gerald Ford proclaims the week of October 10 as Native American Awareness Week 1977 BIA Under Attack by GAO The administration of the Bureau of Indian Affairs comes under attack by the General Accounting Office (GAO) for its failure to uphold tribal interest in negotiating natural resource leases and for mismangement of certain tribal trust lands 1977 Big Mountain Resistance Pauline Whitesinger, a Dene or Navajo woman, physically confronts a Bureau of Indian Affairs work crew fencing off the joint-use area according to Washington legislation “resolving” the long disputed Big Mountain area A few years later, in the summer of 1979, another Dene woman, Katherine Smith, fires a 22 caliber shot a the fencing crew as they begin to cordon off the area Elder Dene women protestors include Roberta Blackgoat and Ruth Benally; their actions are in response to the forced removal of the Dene from their homelands in the Big Mountain Area April 18, 1977 Conviction of Leonard Peltier American Indian Movement (AIM) leader Leonard Peltier is found guilty of two charges of first-degree murder in the June 26, 1975, shootings deaths of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation Despite defense objections that Peltier is entitled to a public trial, the court closes itself to the public for the reading of the verdict by a jury of nine women and three men Darrelle Butler and Robert Robideau, previously co-charged with the murder, were acquitted of 14 the same charges on July 16, 1976 Peltier is sentenced to two consecutive life terms by a Fargo, North Dakota, court on June 2, 1977 May 13, 1977 Mohawk Occupation of Adirondack Mountain Site Militant Mohawk occupy a 612-acre campsite for three years in the Adirondack Mountains, finally reaching a May 13 agreement with the State of New York in return for a grant of two separate sites, the Mohawk agree to vacate within the next five months the site they have renamed Ganmienkeh of “Land of the Flint.” The larger of the negotiated sites consists of 5,000 acres and is located within the Macomb State Park The smaller parcel of 700 acres lies near the town of Altoona, New York The Mohawk claim this area as a part of the land guaranteed to them per an eighteenth-century treaty June 17, 1977 Human Rights Abuses The New York Times reports that the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC), representing 97 tribes, announces its intention to provide the Soviet Union with a list of human rights abuses by the United States against American Indian tribes The list includes treaty violations, the destruction of Native Cultures and religions, and federal interference in tribal economic and social life Provision of this list will allow the Soviets to demonstrate the failure of the United States to uphold global obligations per the Helsinki Accords Signed by 35 nations in 1975, the Helsinki Accords pledge signatory states to respect the self-determination and human rights of all peoples February 11, 1978 The Longest Walk Approximately 3,000 Indians begin a march to Washington, D.C to protest anti-Indian legislation pending in the Congress The five month trek begins on Alcatraz Island, the site of the 1969 Indian occupation that lasted 19 months and gave impetus to many subsequent occupation events The marchers arrive in Washington, D.C., on July 15, and on July 18, 25 religious and traditional Indian leaders meet for three hours with Vice President Walter Mondale and Secretary of the Interior Cecil Andrus The leaders’ request to meet with President Carter is denied April 19, 1978 Extradition of Dennis Banks Refused Gov Jerry Brown of California refuses an official request from Gov Richard F Kneip of South Dakota to extradite Dennis Banks, who is to stand trial in South Dakota Banks, an Anishabe and a leader in the American Indian Movement is convicted by a South Dakota court in 1975 of assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and rioting while armed This conviction stems from Bank’s involvement in the February 1973 Custer riot over the mistreatment of the mother of homicide victim Wesley Bad Heart Bull Jumping bail, Banks, 45, flees to Oregon and then to California, where he has been teaching at a Mexican-American and Indian college near Sacramento In his letter to the South Dakota governor, Brown refers to “the strong hostility there against the American Indian Movement as well as its leaders.” Brown’s refusal to extradite Banks to South Dakota is upheld by the California Supreme Court May 24, 1978 Indian Activists Found Innocent of Murder Indian Activists Paul Skyhorse and Richard Mohawk are found innocent of murder and robbery in the death of a taxi driver The driver’s body is found on October 10, 1974, near an American Indian 15 Movement campsite north of Los Angeles The case takes 13 months to try and costs $1.25 million to prosecute Both men remain in jail during the entire three and one-half years that the cases languishes with the court system; supporters of the American Indian Movement argue that Skyhorse and Mohawk are being framed for their AIM activiites August 11, 1978 American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA) President Jimmy Carter signs Public Law 95-341, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act By this act Congress recognizes its obligation to “protect and preserve for American Indians their inherent right for freedom to believe, express, and exercise their traditional religions.” The act directs all federal agencies to examine their regulations and practices for any inherent conflict with the practice of Indian religious rights, including, but not limited, to access to sites, use and possession of sacred objects, and the freedom to worship through ceremonies and traditional beliefs The drafters of this legislation intend the reversal of a long history of governmental actions designed to suppress and destroy tribal religions Until 1924, for example, the Bureau of Indian Affairs had regulations prohibiting the practice of Indian religion Violators, if caught, could receive ten days in jail Many courts find AIRFA to be symbolic in nature and not require federal agencies to more than consider American Indian religious issues, as no federal statutes compel an agency to change a proposed course of action merely because of interference with an Indian custom More recently, Indians have been prohibited from entering sacred areas, from gathering and transporting sacred herbs, and from obtaining eagle feathers and meats necessary for the conduct of ceremonies The American Indian Religious Freedom Act becomes law October 17, 1978 Tribally Controlled Community Colleges Act Congress passes the Tribally Controlled Community Colleges Act, Public Law 95-471, which “provides for grants to tribally controlled community colleges,” including Alaska Native village or village corporation as designated by the secretary of the interior November 8, 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Congress passes Public Law 95608, the Indian Child Welfare Act The ICWA provides that an Indian tribe will have exclusive jurisdiction over child custody proceedings where the Indian child is residing or domiciled on the reservation, unless federal law has vested jurisdiction in the state The act also directs a state court having jurisdiction over an Indian child custody proceeding to transfer such proceeding, absent good cause to the contrary, to the appropriate tribal court upon petition of the parents or the Indian tribe Tribal leaders lobby extensively for passage of this act Recent surveys conducted by the Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA) report that 25 to 35 percent of all Indian children are being raised in nonIndian foster and adoptive homes or institutions The ICWA further establishes standards for the placement of Indian children in foster homes and provides authority for the secretary of the interior to make grants to Indian tribes and organizations for establishment of Indian child and family service programs The passing of the ICWA alters the prevalence rules made through court decisions in Indian child welfare issues The underlying premise of the act is that Indian tribes, as sovereign governments, have a vital interest in any decision concerning whether Indian children should be separated from their families 16 May 29, 1979 Akwesane Police Station Takover A nine-hour takeover of the Akwesasne police station ends peacefully The protest stems from the arrest of a traditionalist chief over a property dispute This dispute is part of a long- standing feud between traditionalists and tribal members who support the elected form of government The traditionalists not recognize the authority of either the state police of the Franklin County sheriff’s department, despite the latter’s force of 16 Indian officers June 13, 1979 Black Hills Award The U.S Court of Claims awards Lakota Nation $122.5 million for federal government’s illegal taking of the Black Hills in South Dakota The Lakota Nation refuses to accept the award and the federal government continues to hold the $122 million, plus accumulating interest, in trust for Lakota people July 21, 1979 Hollywood Walk of Fame Jay Silverheels, who played Tonto in the television series, ‘The Lone Ranger”, becomes the first Indian actor to have a star placed in the Hollywood Walk of Fame Silverheels is a member of the Mohawk tribe An actor for more than 35 years, he founded the Indian Actors Workshop October 5, 1979 Black Hills Demonstration Two thousand Indian activists and supporters demonstrate against the development of uranium mines in the Black Hills of South Dakota November 23, 1979 Onondaga Sovereignty The Onondaga Indian Nation Claims victory in its dispute against New York State for jurisdictional sovereignty The dispute arises from the nations forcible eviction in 1974 or 18 non-Indians living on the reservation In response to the Onondaga action, the country indicts six Indians on charges of felony coercion Tribal leaders see the county’s request to dismiss the charges against the tribe’s jurisdictional authority within its reservation boundaries per 1794 Canadiagua Treaty between the United States and the Haudenosaunee of Six Nations confederacy (Iroquois) 17 18