ACTIVISM

American Indian Movement

Founded in July 1968, the American Indian Movement (AIM) was formed to address sovereignty and treaty issues as well as cultural leadership and spirituality. They initially worked toward resolving civil rights violations but then broadened to human rights issues. They are most well-known for the following:

“The Longest Walk” – 1978 – several thousand Indians and supporters walked from Alcatraz Island to Washington D.C. to bring awareness to 11 pieces of anti-Indian legislation and tribal sovereignty issues.
“Trail of Broken Treaties” – 1972 – After traveling from Seattle to Washington D.C. to discuss US-Indian relations the BIA cancelled all plans including housing chiefs who had come for the talks. A sit-in was orchestrated by the protesters. On the night before the 1972 presidential election, AIM and a group of 500 American Indians took over the BIA office building with Washington D.C. and remained there for 5 days. The demonstrators burned documents and destroyed property in protest.
“Wounded Knee Incident” – 1973 – Approximately 200 Oglala Lakota and AIM members occupied the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota in protest of the corrupt tribal president, Richard Wilson and the continuous failure of the US Government to honor its treaties with Native Americans. The protesters occupied Wounded Knee for 71 days. The US Marshals and FBI surrounded the area and participated in several shoot outs with the Indians. In the end, 2 people died and 13 were injured. The incident brought national attention to the longstanding issues and injustice faced by American Indians.
“Occupation of Alcatraz” – 1969 to 1971 – According the Treaty of Fort Laramie from 1868, all abandoned or out of use federal land was to be returned to the Native people whom it was acquired from. Since Alcatraz had been closed in 1963 and was no longer in use, many from the Red Power movement felt that the island should be reclaimed. In 1969, seventy-nine members of the group "Indians of All Tribes", including members of AIM, set out to occupy the island, though only 14 made it due to a coast guard blockade. In 1970, a young girl fell from the cliffs to her death, abruptly ending the occupation. The occupation had a direct effect on Indian policy and the way future occupations and protests were carried out.

AIM is still active and fighting for the rights of indigenous people today.

Suzan Shown Harjo

Idle No More

Idle No More is a protest movement which began in 2012 in Canada and has stretched across North America. "Idle No More calls on all people to join in a peaceful revolution, to honour Indigenous sovereignty, and to protect the land and water." They have orchestrated and participated in hundreds of teach-ins, rallies and protests to protest challenges to tribal and first nations sovereignty and environmental issues. They oppose resource exploitation specifically pipelines and deforestation of tribal land. They organized “flash mob” protests in malls during the Christmas season performing round dances to crowds of over 1,000 people.

Native American Rights Fund

Founded in 1970 in Boulder, Colorado, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) is the largest non-profit law firm committed to defending the rights of Indian Tribes and individuals. Their work is divided into five main areas: “the preservation of tribal existence; the protection of tribal natural resources; the promotion of Native American human rights; the accountability of governments to Native Americans; and the development of Indian law and educating the public about Indian rights, laws, and issues.” NARF began the Tribal Supreme Court Project which is a group of over 200 attorneys and academics from across the country who specializes in Indian law with the goal of developing new strategies, coordinating resources and strengthening tribal advocacy. They are most well-known for the representing Native people in the Cobell v. Salazar case which lasted 13 years. It was determined that the U.S. Department of the Interior mismanaged funds and resulted in a $3.4 billion settlement.

Vine Deloria Jr.

Suzan Shown Harjo, born in 1945, is an advocate for American Indian Rights. In 1974 she was appointed as the Congressional liaison for Indian affairs to President Carter. Her activism began in the 1960’s when she produced a radio show called Seeing Red in New York which was the very first Indian news show in the United States. After moving to Washington D.C. on 1974, she worked with many subcommittees to advocate for Native American rights in the formation of federal policies. Her lobbying led to the passage of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1978. She served as Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians from 1984 to 1989 where she worked tirelessly for the support of traditional hunting and fishing rights and well as Indian education and treaty rights. She is an outspoken opponent of the cultural appropriation of Indians in movies, television and sports. In November 2014, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her decades long career advocating for Native American rights.

Vine Deloria Jr. was and author, historian and activist best known for his book Custer Died for Your Sins. He served as executive director of the National Congress of American Indians and was a board member of the National Museum for American Indians. He taught Political Science and began the first master’s degree program in American Indian Studies in the United States while a professor at the University of Arizona. He also taught Native American studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder for 10 years. He has published more than 20 books including Red Earth, White Lies, God is Red and Evolution, Creationism and Other Modern Myths.