American Indian Movement

The Siege of Wounded Knee was a Beginning for Renewed Native Resistance

by Benjamin Hedin and Nick Estes

Movement activists occupied the Wounded Knee site in 1973, in defiance of corrupt tribal leadership and federal authorities. Both the occupation and the massacre of Native people at the same place in 1890 had been cast as tragic endings. Native activists insist that they represent cultural and political rebirths. 

Native Activist Sacheen Littlefeather, Known for 1973 Oscar Protest, Dies at 75

The Academy had earlier this year issued an apology to Littlefeather for the abuses she endured after protesting the depiction of Native Americans in films during the Oscars ceremony. 

The Forgotten History of Solidarity Between Black and Indigenous Freedom Movements

by Kyle T. Mays

"We have forgotten a similar time in history when African American and Native American activists battled against colonialism and white supremacy, respecting the uniqueness of both groups’ history, but understanding that an end to US empire would require solidarity."

Eddie Benton-Banai, Co-Founder of American Indian Movement, Dies Aged 89

One of the founders of the American Indian Movement has died. Eddie Benton-Banai came to focus his activism more on education and the preservation of indigenous heritage than the militant tactics of other AIM leaders, but was key to the movement's growth. 

“Where The Waters Reflect The Clouds”: Examining Minnesota’s Indigenous History

by Katrina Phillips

"Recent events have forced Minneapolitans and Minnesotans to reckon with the state’s treatment of historically excluded populations. For the original inhabitants of what’s now Minneapolis, though, resistance and activism are nothing new."

Mankato’s Hanging Monument Excluded Indigenous Perspectives when it was Erected and when it was Removed

by John Legg

Both while it stood and when its presence became inconvenient, the Hanging Monument shows how memorials control historical narratives and elevate particular interpretations of the past.