Longest Walk 4 Return to Alcatraz

Native Americans prepare to defend homelands, walk across America

By Brenda NorrellNative Americans focused on defending their homelands and upholding the Rights of Nature during June, as they prepared for non-violent resistance to the threats of the tarsands pipeline, uranium mining and coal-fired power plants.

Native Americans also prepared to walk across America for the fourth time to affirm Indigenous rights. The Longest Walk 4 Return to Alcatraz, will depart from DC on July 15, returning home to Alcatraz Island for a ceremony on Dec. 22, 2013.And:Longest Walk 4 organizers said this weekend that the five month walk, Longest Walk 4 Return to Alcatraz, will begin with a sunrise ceremony in DC on July 15 and follow closely the route of the original Longest Walk in 1978.

The walk will affirm Indigenous sovereignty. The guiding force is land based spiritual beliefs. The walk focuses on protection from the exploitation of the land, including the tar sands development and pipelines. Further, the walk focuses on protecting and maintaining traditional spiritual beliefs, protecting sacred sites and stopping the exploitation of Indigenous women and children.

“The time has come to make our voices heard again for our own Indigenous Peoples, as the original message affirming Indigenous Sovereignty has become clouded through the efforts of the nation-states. The threats to our continued existence and way of life are more severe than ever, yet it has become better disguised. We hope to help bring the original vision back to the forefront,” organizers for the Long Walk 4 said this weekend.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Longest Walk 3--Reversing Diabetes and Indians Commemorate Alcatraz Anniversary.

Park Service restores Alcatraz graffiti

Alcatraz pays tribute to Indian occupation

American Indians Activists' painted statement is emblazoned on tower once more

By Carl NolteThe National Park Service does not usually approve of graffiti. "It's a federal offense," said Marcus Koenen, site supervisor for Alcatraz, the former prison that is now part of a national park.

However, the government has made an exception for graffiti left behind during the Indian occupation of the island--and it helped restore signs painted by hand on a landmark water tower.

"PEACE AND FREEDOM WELCOME HOME OF THE FREE INDIAN LAND," the writing says in red letters 4 and 5 feet high.

"We restored it because it has a social significance," Koenen said recently. "It is part of what this park is all about."Comment:  For more on Alcatraz, see Review of Contrary Warrior and Indian Cultural Center at Alcatraz.

Review of Contrary Warrior

I watched this documentary on PBS last week:

Contrary Warrior: The Life and Times of Adam Fortunate EagleContrary Warrior tells the story of Adam Fortunate Eagle, a contemporary activist, artist, author, ceremonial leader. At the age of five, his father dead and his mother unable to provide for eight children, Adam and his siblings are sent to an Indian boarding school where he spends his childhood. After graduating from Haskell Institute in Kansas he moves to San Francisco and becomes a successful businessman and the "perfect" urban Indian--a poster child for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Injustices met by Urban Indians motivate him to become an advocate for the rights of urban Indians.

Eventually he becomes one of the principle architects of the American Indian takeover of Alcatraz Island in 1969--an action that brings about social change. Because of this the government declares him an "enemy of the state" and he loses his business and virtually everything he owns. Forced to go back to the reservation, he hones his skills as a ceremonial pipe maker, sculptor, and author and continues his calling as a ceremonial leader and statesman for his people. Vine Deloria, Jr., author of Custer Died For Your Sins wrote, "Fortunate Eagle is one of the most outstanding Indian leaders of this generation."Comment:  Fortunate Eagle does most of the talking in this hour-long documentary. He has a few good stories to tell--mostly revolving around his early life and his role in the occupation of Alcatraz.

Unfortunately, he's not a captivating speaker. And other than Alcatraz, he hasn't had a lot of remarkable experiences. I'd say only aficionados will find his life interesting--not the general public.

You can see most of the highlights in the five-minute excerpt below. If you want more of the same, look for the full-length video.

For more on Native documentaries, see "Thick Dark Fog" = PTSD and "Poverty Porn" Column in ICTMN.

Indian cultural center at Alcatraz

American Indian Occupation Gets Permanent Exhibit At AlcatrazSome forty years after a group of protesters—which swelled at one point to 800 people—occupied the island of Alcatraz for 19 months to protest the unfair seizing of Native American lands, a room in the prison's basement is getting a permanent exhibit including video and sound recordings about the occupation. The occupation ended in 1971, after protesters had hoped for almost two years to turn the island into an American Indian university or cultural center.And:The new American Indian cultural center and exhibit will become a permanent part of the tour of the island. As one occupation alum puts it, "we did get our cultural center after all. It just takes time."Comment:  For more on Alcatraz, see Alcatraz Inspired Nixon to Act and "Swim for Life" from Alcatraz.

Alcatraz inspired Nixon to act

Alcatraz Occupation Four Decades Ago Led to Many Benefits for American Indians

By Dean ChaversWhen 78 Indian college students took over the Alcatraz Island prison in San Francisco Bay on November 19, 1969 to protest the poor treatment of Indians in schools and the hated termination policy, none of us had any idea that our actions would have such a lasting impact on Indian policy in the U.S. But since that time, the federal government has clearly changed from anti-Indian to pro-Indian, at least according to some Indian people.

Termination of Indian treaties was the law of the land in 1969. President Richard Nixon reversed that policy and declared termination to be dead in 1970 as a direct result of the Alcatraz occupation. Since then, Congress has passed at least 16 laws that make life better for Indians.

Browning Pipestem, Otoe, was the lawyer for the occupiers of Alcatraz. He had gone to law school with a young attorney on the White House staff, and the two of them “back-channeled,” according to Browning, for months. (The occupation lasted until June 11, 1971, a total of 19 months.) Nixon constantly wanted to know what was happening with the occupation—he wanted to know when the Indian college students had occupied the island, why they had done it and what they wanted to happen because of what they were doing. Nothing official was written or declared, but whenever Nixon wanted to know what was going on with the occupation, Browning would call either me or Richard Oakes, the leader of the Alcatraz occupation, and then pass along whatever information he had gathered to his lawyer-friend in the White House. Browning, who also pushed for the end of the destructive termination of Indian treaties and for the right of tribes to govern themselves, apparently told the president (through his conduit) almost everything that happened on the island.

Up to that time, Congress had passed some 5,000 laws dealing with Indians, and most of them were bad for Indians. Nixon was an early supporter of termination in the 1940s and 1950s, but he announced the most important change in Indian policy in 1970—the year of his “self-determination” speech, which was delivered on July 8, 1970. He said federal policy would no longer call for terminating the treaties between the U.S. and Indian tribes; instead, the federal policy would be self-determination. I see Browning’s input all over that Nixon declaration—he wrote this type of rhetoric in frequent messages to the White House. Congress supported Nixon’s policy a few years later and started passing laws that were positive for Indians.Comment:  The story of why Nixon passed a slew of Indian legislation seems to be getting more complicated. There are several claimants for who or what inspired him to him act.

For more on the Nixon administration, see Unsung Hero of the Nixon Administration, "Dickie, Don't Forget the Indians," and Why Nixon Did It. For more on Alcatraz, see Indians Commemorate Alcatraz Anniversary and Alcatraz Changed Course of History?

"Swim for Life" from Alcatraz

American Indians ‘Swim For Life’ From Alcatraz to San Francisco Shore

By Pete VerralIt’s about 1.2 miles from Alcatraz to the San Francisco shore, which doesn’t seem a long swim until you consider the frigid, mid-50 degree water and perilous currents of the San Francisco Bay. On October 17, Native Americans from South Dakota, Alaska, Washington and the San Francisco Bay Area completed the swim—with just six days training.

Fred Crisp, one of the organizers and a San Francisco resident said, “Today’s swim was truly the ‘Magnificent Twelve,’ with the oldest swimmer being 62 years old, and the youngest being 15 years old. Three of the 12 swimmers had only one swim before this, and all of the members had little or no experience on open water, especially cold waters such as the San Francisco Bay.”

The event concluded the ninth annual PATHSTAR Alcatraz Swim Program, a week-long event, which ran from October 9-17. PATHSTAR, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, inspires active lifestyle and healthy nutrition practices in communities throughout Indian Country.

One goal of PATHSTAR is to counteract the diabetes epidemic affecting American Indians and Alaska Natives at disproportionate rates. When compared with the population as a whole, American Indians are three times more likely to die from diabetes-related complications, according to federal Indian Health Service statistics.
 Obesity is a leading risk factor of diabetes, and Native youth are twice as likely to be overweight than are young people in the general population.Comment:  For more on Indians against diabetes, see Nike N7 Sport Summit and It's Up 2 You Available.

Lakota swim from Alcatraz to shore

Documentary on Lakota Alcatraz program will be shown in state

By Melanie BrandertAlcatraz isn’t just a prison. It was also a symbol of freedom for five South Dakotans.

A San Francisco pediatrician with South Dakota ties has splashed a light on the plight of poverty and lack of healthy eating choices on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and a program she created to help fight it.

Dr. Nancy Iverson produced and directed “From the Badlands to Alcatraz,” which chronicles the journey of five young Oglala Sioux tribal members who take part in her Pathstar program that culminates in a swim in San Francisco Bay from Alcatraz to the shore.

Iverson said via e-mail that she knew the story better than anyone else and wanted to share the vision of the impossible becoming possible. She said she wants viewers to be awestruck with the bay’s beauty and heroism of each Lakota participant.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Native Documentaries and News.

Below:  "Alkapoane White Calf, an Oglala Sioux tribal member from Pine Ridge, swims from Alcatraz to San Francisco for the Pathstar Alcatraz swim program in this 2005 photo. Dr. Nancy Iverson, who has South Dakota ties and is program founder, produced and directed a documentary, From the Badlands to Alcatraz, based on the program’s experience." (Submitted photo)

Pix of Alcatraz sunrise ceremony

Photo albums of Indians and others commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Alcatraz occupation:

Simba1947's Alcatraz1126092 set

Pamela Peters's Photos--Alcatraz on Thanksgiving Morning

For a writeup of the event, see Thousands Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Alcatraz Occupation. For more on the subject, see Alcatraz Changed Course of History?

Indians commemorate Alcatraz anniversary

Indians return to Alcatraz 40 years later

By John KingThe Park Service was not involved in organizing the morning-long ceremony to commemorate a 19-month event that remains a keystone in the turbulence of the late 1960s and early '70s. Nor was the ceremony linked to other events related to the anniversary, including an academic conference in Berkeley held last Friday and plans to project a movie about the occupation onto Coit Tower on Thanksgiving.

But where the government 40 years ago was the enemy--and in June 1971 removed the last of the occupiers--the Park Service Saturday provided free ferry rides for the participants. Once on shore, rangers loaded folding tables onto a pickup truck along with refreshments brought to the island by the organizers.

Later, while the 50 or so participating in the ceremony chanted and prayed, rangers walked back and forth behind them bringing out folding chairs.

The event was organized by Nila Northsun, whose father was one of the occupation's initial leaders, and Lorenzo Baca, an "artist-activist" from the Central Valley.Comment:  Lorenzo Baca was an early supporter of PEACE PARTY. He was also the center of this controversy: Native Enters Off-Limits Roundhouse.

For more on the anniversary, see Alcatraz Changed Course of History? and 40th Anniversary of Alcatraz Occupation.

Below:  "Lorenzo Baca (center) leads a procession of Indians and supporters to the ceremony." (Photo: Paul Chinn/The Chronicle)

Alcatraz changed course of history?

1969 Alcatraz takeover 'changed the whole course of history'

By Nicole Lapin and Jason Hanna"Forty years later, Native people still recognize the occupation for what it was and remains: a seminal event in American history that brought the plight of American Indians to the world's attention," Bratt and his brother Peter said in a statement.

"It's easy to pass off the Alcatraz event as largely symbolic, but the truth is the spirit and dream of Alcatraz never died, it simply found its way to other fights," the Bratt brothers said. "Native sovereignty, repatriation, environmental justice, the struggle for basic human rights--these are the issues Native people were fighting for then, and are the same things we are fighting for today."And:The occupiers didn't get their demands. But President Nixon ended the U.S. tribal termination policy in June 1970, while they still were on the island. This was a result of the public spotlight that the occupation put on Indian issues, Johnson and Glassner said.

"It might have happened anyway, but Alcatraz had the attention of the nation, and it led to those changes being initiated in the White House," Glassner said.Comment:  Funny, the Wounded Knee episode of the We Shall Remain series assured us that the 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee was the turning point in modern Native history. Now we're hearing it was the occupation of Alcatraz. Which is it: Wounded Knee or Alcatraz?

For more on the subject, see 40th Anniversary of Alcatraz Occupation.

Below:  "Adam Fortunate Eagle says the occupation was the most significant Native American event in more than a century."

40th anniversary of Alcatraz occupation

Tower of films to recall Alcatraz takeover

By Rachel GordonCoit Tower will be turned into a huge outdoor movie screen to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the American Indian Movement's occupation of Alcatraz Island.

Projectors will be used to cast digital images on the 210-foot concrete tower that sits atop Telegraph Hill.

At least five films will be shown, one after another, on the evenings of Nov. 25 and 26. The two-night event is titled "Indigenous Renewal: Alcatraz Occupation Remembrance + Ohlone Presence Celebrated."Comment:  For more on the subject, see Native Documentaries and News.

Fortunate Eagle, Contrary Warrior

Fortunate Eagle:  Fallon artist and activist in new film

By Frank X. Mullen Jr.Adam Fortunate Eagle of Fallon, the architect of the American Indian takeover of Alcatraz Island in 1969, will mark his 80th year next month.

But that doesn't mean he's slowing down.

A film crew has been following the American Indian activist around to make a documentary called "Contrary Warrior," a movie about his life and times that the producers hope to sell to the Public Broadcasting System. His latest book, "Pipestone: A Boy's Life in an Indian Boarding School" has been accepted for publication by the University of Oklahoma Press.

And then there's the usual sculpting, carving, researching, writing and general political agitating with a big dose of satire.And:When Fortunate Eagle gets passionate about an injustice, he doesn't get mad, he gets funny.

"He's always very positive," and never strident, Ferry said. "His weapon is humor."

Years ago, Fortunate Eagle went ashore in Italy and Sweden in full Indian regalia, stuck a war lance in the ground and claimed Europe for American Indians. On a visit to the Vatican, he offered his outstretched hand to Pope Paul IV, but the pontiff declined to kiss Fortunate Eagle's turquoise ring.

During a Columbus Day ceremony in San Francisco he once "scalped" the actor playing the navigator by snatching off his wig and then doing a "war dance."Comment:  For more on the subject, see Native Documentaries and News.