Before the civil rights movements in the 60's almost no
group represented or associate with Native Americans as a whole, they were
thought to be below even the illegal immigrants by some. It was not until then
that legal groups and by that I mean groups not racing villages would start to
form and protest the treatment of Native Americans. To this day but even then
they were almost all made up of Natives. However to this day most of the
organizations that focus on Native American rights are made up of all American
Indians.
Native Americans are different in how even at the height of their movement almost all of the people that marched or protested were of Native American decent, little room was made for those not born into the tribe to help them gain equal rights. This does not mean that they did not have supporters around the country; in fact they would be given considerable amounts of money and land for past 'transgressions' between them and the U.S. government. While nowhere near enough for the lives and history lost in the multiple conflicts and massacres it was a considerable step into the right direction.
The occupation of Wounded Knee started on February 27, 1973 when about 200 Oglala Lakota members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) took control the town of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. This was right after the Oglala Civil Rights Organization (OSCRO) was failed to impeach the tribal president Richard Wilson, who had been accused of corruption and abuse of power while president. Oglala and AIM activists controlled the town for 71 days while the United States Marshals, FBI, and other law enforcement agencies surrounded the area. The activists chose this specific site because of the symbolic value it held after the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, both sides were armed and shooting went on almost every day, the protestors had obviously brought lots of ammunition. One Cherokee and one Oglala Lakota were killed in April and thirteen other Native American activists were injured during the gun fighting. In addition to all of this Ray Robinson a civil rights activist who joined the protesters had disappeared during the events and most people believe that he was murdered.
The occupation attracted a lot of media, especially after some of the press followed the two Senators from South Dakota to Wounded Knee after the occupation had ended. This event had given more oxygen to the fire of Native American pride, they were inspired by how such a small number of their people had defied the government which had for the last hundred and fifty years oppressed them. Thousands Indian supporters traveled to Wounded Knee to try and join the protest but would be stopped by the extremely large amounts of police, but that did not stop them from smuggling in things to them. During this occupation public sympathy for the goals of the occupation were widespread, because Americans were finally becoming aware of untreated issues of inequality related to American Indians. In the end AIM leaders Dennis Banks and Russell Means were indicted on charges because of their alleged involvement to the events, but all charges were dismissed by the federal court in 1974, and it would remain one of the most important stands that Native Americans had ever made in the pursuit of equal rights.
One of the first steps that Native Americans took toward gaining equal rights was the Occupation of Alcatraz led by a group of 78 Native Americans calling themselves the Indians of All Tribes (IAT). The Alcatraz Occupation lasted for nineteen months from November 20, 1969 all the way to June 11, 1971 and was only ended when the FBI retook the prison by force. This historic prison is the place that Americans as a whole got their first good look at how far Native Americans would go for their pride and history, this was also one of the first events led by Natives that would not end in brutal conflict because they had seen how to take a stand for the return of illegally taken land without attacking innocents. It was the beginning of a way of thought that would sweep the nation and begin a new activist movement that would draw attention to a subject that had been overlooked by an entire culture for over a century with part of the movement being radical(force occupations) and the other being traditional protests(sit-ins).
Over the years Native Americans have formed their own self sufficient groups and reservations all around the country, one of these groups is the National Native American Bar Association (NNABA). The intended purpose of this organization is to help aspiring Native Americans to become lawyers, so that they are better able to create social, cultural, and legal change for American Indians in Alaska, Hawaii, and here on the mainland. But even though most of the scholarships go out to law students, they also fund seminars and conferences on topics about the legal profession and how people should prepare for law school as well as hand out articles, reports, and examples of legal issues Native Americans face today.
Native Americans are different in how even at the height of their movement almost all of the people that marched or protested were of Native American decent, little room was made for those not born into the tribe to help them gain equal rights. This does not mean that they did not have supporters around the country; in fact they would be given considerable amounts of money and land for past 'transgressions' between them and the U.S. government. While nowhere near enough for the lives and history lost in the multiple conflicts and massacres it was a considerable step into the right direction.
The occupation of Wounded Knee started on February 27, 1973 when about 200 Oglala Lakota members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) took control the town of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. This was right after the Oglala Civil Rights Organization (OSCRO) was failed to impeach the tribal president Richard Wilson, who had been accused of corruption and abuse of power while president. Oglala and AIM activists controlled the town for 71 days while the United States Marshals, FBI, and other law enforcement agencies surrounded the area. The activists chose this specific site because of the symbolic value it held after the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, both sides were armed and shooting went on almost every day, the protestors had obviously brought lots of ammunition. One Cherokee and one Oglala Lakota were killed in April and thirteen other Native American activists were injured during the gun fighting. In addition to all of this Ray Robinson a civil rights activist who joined the protesters had disappeared during the events and most people believe that he was murdered.
The occupation attracted a lot of media, especially after some of the press followed the two Senators from South Dakota to Wounded Knee after the occupation had ended. This event had given more oxygen to the fire of Native American pride, they were inspired by how such a small number of their people had defied the government which had for the last hundred and fifty years oppressed them. Thousands Indian supporters traveled to Wounded Knee to try and join the protest but would be stopped by the extremely large amounts of police, but that did not stop them from smuggling in things to them. During this occupation public sympathy for the goals of the occupation were widespread, because Americans were finally becoming aware of untreated issues of inequality related to American Indians. In the end AIM leaders Dennis Banks and Russell Means were indicted on charges because of their alleged involvement to the events, but all charges were dismissed by the federal court in 1974, and it would remain one of the most important stands that Native Americans had ever made in the pursuit of equal rights.
One of the first steps that Native Americans took toward gaining equal rights was the Occupation of Alcatraz led by a group of 78 Native Americans calling themselves the Indians of All Tribes (IAT). The Alcatraz Occupation lasted for nineteen months from November 20, 1969 all the way to June 11, 1971 and was only ended when the FBI retook the prison by force. This historic prison is the place that Americans as a whole got their first good look at how far Native Americans would go for their pride and history, this was also one of the first events led by Natives that would not end in brutal conflict because they had seen how to take a stand for the return of illegally taken land without attacking innocents. It was the beginning of a way of thought that would sweep the nation and begin a new activist movement that would draw attention to a subject that had been overlooked by an entire culture for over a century with part of the movement being radical(force occupations) and the other being traditional protests(sit-ins).
Over the years Native Americans have formed their own self sufficient groups and reservations all around the country, one of these groups is the National Native American Bar Association (NNABA). The intended purpose of this organization is to help aspiring Native Americans to become lawyers, so that they are better able to create social, cultural, and legal change for American Indians in Alaska, Hawaii, and here on the mainland. But even though most of the scholarships go out to law students, they also fund seminars and conferences on topics about the legal profession and how people should prepare for law school as well as hand out articles, reports, and examples of legal issues Native Americans face today.