a need for leadership

Vernon Bellecourt died yesterday. Bellecourt was one of the founding leaders of the American Indian Movement, or AIM. Founded in the late 1960s, AIM is a radical activist group that seeks to advance the interests of American Indians (they prefer the term American Indian over Native American for pragmatic and historical reasons). Although controversial and at times extreme, they have been perhaps the most vocal of advocates for the rights of those who are indigenous to this country. Among their more memorable actions have been the Occupation of Alcatraz in (1969-71), the Trail of Broken Treaties (1972), and the Wounded Knee Occupation (1973). Certainly these events are horrific reminders of the continued plight of the Native American peoples. An equally poignant reminder came from a former student of mine. During a lesson in 11th grade US history, this student asked if there were any Native Americans left. All of this demonstrates to me that Native people still live lives that are largely segregated from the rest of society, and that much of the rest of society is largely ignorant of this fact. As I sat in church today, daydreaming as I often do, I couldn't help but wonder why this is the case. Other minority groups seem to have their causes advocated well and continually. With no disrespect meant to the late Mr. Bellecourt, I can't help but think that part of the problem might be leadership and advocacy. One glaring difference between the plight of Native Americans and African Americans is that the former has never had an advocate such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. While leading proponents of Native American rights have advocated armed resistance, their leading counterparts in the African American Civil Rights movement have advocated peaceful and civil disobedience. I am not convinced that there is not a place for radical action. Looking particularly at these two examples however, I can't help but feel that the leadership of Dr. King might serve as a more effective, if not ethical, modality for the leaders of AIM. Bellecourt, along with the other founders of AIM, helped bring Native American concerns at least partially into the American spotlight. Perhaps time will provide a better perspective on the merits of their actions. As the next generation of advocates for Native Americans emerges, there is still a long way left to go. It will be interesting to see if change can and will be made. I want to provide a list of examples from history and contemporary society that might serve as a bit of food-for-thought on this situation. Each (in addition to the earlier 3)will be linked to reading on the event. I have purposely tried to vary the types of sources used so as to bring balance. More variety can be found by googling each of these individually. I have also included some personal thoughts on each so as to explain why I included them.

1. Treaty of Fort Laramie of 1868
-the US government is still in violation of this treaty that set aside the Black Hills for the exclusive use of Native Peoples. It lasted only until the 1870s when gold was discovered. The Supreme Court awarded the Sioux over $100m in 1980, but can money correct something like this?

2. Andrew Jackson's address to the Creek Indians in 1829
-after evicting them from Georgia to a forced settlement west of the Mississippi, Jackson promised the Creeks that "There your white brothers will not trouble you; they will have no claim to the land, and you can live upon it you and all your children, as long as the grass grows or the water runs, in peace and plenty." I think he broke this promise.

3. The Case of Leonard Peltier
-the conviction of Peltier for the murder of two FBI agents in 1975 remains to this day of one the most controversial in recent American history. I personally go back and forth. I tried to select as objective a link as possible, but particularly encourage cross-referencing on this one.

4. Wounded Knee Creek Massacre
-called a "Battle" by the US military, this slaughter of 300 Indians, mostly very young or old, effectively brought an end to formal resistance to the US government by nomadic plains Indians

5. The Dawes Act
-this 1887 US government action attempted to Americanize the American Indian by introducing more "civilized" social practices into their societies. It was generally a failure.

6. Carlisle Indian School
-similar in theory to the Dawes Act, the goal of this and other Indian schools was to force American culture onto the Native Americans. The results of this were particularly disastrous.