2008 Spring Symposium
Native American Rights: The People and Events behind the Movement
LIHA - LEH Symposium - Spring 2008
Bernard “Shiloh” Parresol, Ph.D.
The trial of Standing Bear, a Ponca Indian chief, in a United States District court in Omaha in l879, led to a decision by Judge Elmer Dundy that Native Americans are “persons within the meaning of the law” and have the rights of citizenship. This was the first time a Native American had won a decision in the U.S. Courts; all previous attempts had failed. It was a small first step by Indians to achieve limited justice under the U.S. Constitution. Between 1879 and 1883 Standing Bear traveled in the East and spoke about Indian rights. He was accompanied by Jounalist Thomas Tibbles, Susette LaFlesche (Standing Bear’s interpreter), and her brother Francis LaFlesche of the Omaha Tribe. Standing Bear won the support of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and other prominent people. Along with Tibbles, Susette LaFlesche appeared before a congressional committee, presenting her concerns about Native American rights. The success of the court case and the subsequent speaking engagements and appearances by Standing Bear, Susette LaFlesche (who later married Tibbles), and Francis LaFlesche (who worked closely with ethnologist Alice Fletcher) gave impetus to a movement by Native Americans and non-Indians who supported justice for native peoples and fulfillment of treaty obligations.
Since the time of Standing Bear, the “Movement” to secure justice, religious freedom, and fulfillment of treaty obligations has slowly grown into a force that has brought about significant changes and continues to influence the government and mainstream America. In the past 125 years many individuals have championed the cause. Along the way many organizations have formed to further the movement.
The Symposium will look at some of the people, events, and organizations involved in the struggle for Native American self-determination. The Symposium will review key figures like Dakota Indian Activist Zitkala-Sa (1876-1938) who insisted upon Indians’ rights to their own spiritual traditions, and Native American leaders such as Dennis Banks and Clyde Bellecourt, who formed the American Indian Movement (AIM) in 1968 to address police brutality, slum housing, unemployment, racism, and other issues. Another key figure is Vine Deloria, Jr. (1933-2005), a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, who arguably has been the most important person in Indian affairs in the past century. As best-selling author, Deloria spoke authoritatively on tribal sovereignty and self-determination. As a historian, he promoted Native science amid conflicting Western views. And as an advocate, he worked on countless initiatives, legislative and otherwise, to protect sacred sites, ancestral remains and artifacts and the federal-tribal relationship.
The Symposium will examine events such as the federal government’s policy started in the late 1940s called “Termination” which essentially tried to sever federal trusteeship and support for tribal sovereignty. The policy was disastrous and led to unrest and protest in Indian country. In desperation, Indian activists seized Alcatraz Island. The takeover of Alcatraz was one of the most successful American Indian protest actions of the 20th century, fueling the rise of modern Native American activism. From the takeover of Alcatraz Island in 1969 to the Longest Walk in 1978, the Alcatraz-Red Power Movement (ARPM) used social protest to demand that the government honor treaty obligations. In 1975 the federal government recognized the failure of its termination policy and passed the Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act.
One of the key modern organizations is the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), founded in 1970. NARF is a nonprofit law firm dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian tribes, organizations and individuals nationwide. The largest American Indian Organization is the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). NCAI was formed in 1944 in response to termination and assimilation policies that the U.S. forced upon tribal governments in contradiction of their treaty rights and status as sovereigns. NCAI stresses the need for unity and cooperation among tribal governments for the protection of treaty and sovereign rights for all Native American nations.
“Sovereignty, Land and Culture cannot endure if a people is not left in peace.” Birgil Kills Straight, Oglala Lakota, from a speech at International Peoples Summit, September 1993.
