American Indian Movement and Activism

Follow

• 

  The FBI and the Media

  Chip Berlet

  This 21-page typed document discusses the impact of the FBI's counterintelligence program (COINTELPRO) on the media and its violations of constitutional rights. It reveals how journalists were fed misinformation by the FBI and details how some journalists willingly worked with the FBI in order to receive tips, knowing that they were participating in counter-intelligence programs. The paper highlights various targets of the program such as the communist party, black nationalist organizations, New Left groups, anti-war groups and college students. It describes how newspapers and television pushed the FBI's narrative and the various methods used to discredit and harass activists.

• 

  Plan of Action Drafted at the Second International Conference in Solidarity with the Independence of Puerto Rico

  Independence for Puerto Rico Conference

  This two-page typed draft plan of action was written at the Second International Conference in Solidarity with the Independence of Puerto Rico, held in Mexico City November 30th to December 2nd, 1979. It provides fourteen points of agreement which outline a plan of action for the international community to better support the cause of independence for Puerto Rico. This includes the desire to recognize Puerto Rico as a Caribbean country with ties to the Latin American family of nations.

• 

  Trinidad and Tobago Peace Council Statement

  Executive Committee, Trinidad and Tobago Peace Council

  This typed document from the Trinidad and Tobago Peace Council delegation likely originates from the International Conference in Solidarity with the Independence of Puerto Rico, held in Mexico City November 30th to December 2nd, 1979. The statement condemns United States imperialism and expresses support for independence movements in Puerto Rico and other countries around the world. It notes that the "Puerto Rican model of development" is threatening the independence of Trinidad and Tobago and others in the Caribbean.

• 

  Itinerary of Cultural Activities: Second International Conference in Solidarity with Independence for Puerto Rico, 1979

  Independence for Puerto Rico Conference

  This two-page typed document is an itinerary of cultural activities at the Second International Conference in Solidarity with Independence for Puerto Rico, held in Mexico City from November 27th to December 2nd, 1979. Events included roundtable discussions on topics related to Puerto Rican culture and politics, a radio program and art exhibitions.

• 

  Statement of the U.S. Delegation to the Second International Conference in Solidarity with the Independence of Puerto Rico

  United States Delegation Members

  This four-page typed document is a statement from the United States delegation presented at the Second International Conference in Solidarity with the Independence of Puerto Rico, held in Mexico City November 30th to December 2nd, 1979. It provides a history of U.S. colonial rule in Puerto Rico and the negative impacts this has had on its people. It also discusses the role of propaganda in the U.S. which has kept many ignorant of U.S. imperialism and states the importance of educating the American people.

  The document may be incomplete.

• 

  Sample Resolution on Transfer of Powers to Puerto Rico

  Puerto Rico Solidarity Committee

  This two-page typed document is a sample resolution on the Transfer of Powers to Puerto Rico. The document outlines the United Nations resolution of August 15, 1979 that calls for decolonization of non self-governing territories and calls on the United States Congress to enact legislation to transfer power to the people of Puerto Rico. It also lists chapters and contact information for the Puerto Rico Solidarity Committee.

• 

  Letter From William and Russell Means to John Lewis, October 15, 1979

  Russell Means and William A. Means

  This typed letter to associate director of ACTION John Lewis from Bill and Russell Means, on behalf of the International Indian Treaty Council, requests the sponsorship of twenty VISTA positions to address health concerns and alcoholism among the Navajo and Lakota Nations. It notes that Wally Feather may be able to provide additional information about this program.

• 

  International Indian Treaty Council News Release, October 12, 1979

  International Indian Treaty Council

  This press release from the International Indian Treaty Council provides a brief history of the founding and function of the Council and its recognition by the United Nations. It discusses how Indigenous people must turn to the international community for political support to help address grievances and lists the plights of oppressed people around the world, including South America, Norway and Palestine.

• 

  Letter from the League for Human Rights and Freedoms, October 1, 1979

  Tapio Varis

  This October 1st, 1979 letter from the Chairman of the League for Human Rights and Freedoms, Tapio Varis, provides a history of the League and its goals, which are to cooperate with other nations in the fight against oppression, racism, apartheid and genocide. The letter outlines its methods for distributing information and asks like-minded organizations to share their strategies in the promotion of basic human rights.

• 

  Statement from the U.S. People's Delegation to the Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries, August 14, 1979

  United States People's Delegation

  This typed nine-page document contains a statement from the U.S. People's Delegation presented at a session of the Decolonization Committee of the United Nations. The statement describes the history of the United States' exploitation of Puerto Rico and the methods it has used to make Puerto Rico completely dependent on the United States for survival. It urges support for measures that would grant power to the Puerto Rican people to determine their own future and provides a list of people and organizations who endorse the statement.

• 

  Native Women’s March Position Paper to the Government of Canada, July 20, 1979

  Tobique First Nation Women

  This ten-page typed Position Paper to the Government of Canada was presented by a group of Tobique First Nation women who organized a march from the Oka Reserve in Quebec to Ottawa. The paper lists many problems and recommendations for solutions to issues facing indigenous women and children including housing and health. Criticisms of the amendment to the Indian Act of 1951 also focus on the retention of Indian status and rights which are often unknowingly given up by women.

• 

  A Fight Back Position Paper on Racism and Nuclear Technology: Interrelated Threats to Humanity

  Fight Back

  This 5-page photocopied paper examines how uranium mining and the development of nuclear technology is impacting Native American communities. It claims that capitalism and racism continue to dehumanize the population of the United States and suggests that an educational and political campaign is needed to combat racism and unite workers.

• 

  Letter from Lynn Adams Greenwalt to Cecil Andrus, May 15, 1979

  Lynn Adams Greenwalt

  This typed eight-page letter to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior from the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service was sent on May 15, 1979. The letter reviews the impact of Fish and Wildlife Service policies on Native American religious practices in light of the passage of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978. It examines conflicts with bald and golden eagle regulations, migratory bird regulations, and endangered species regulations and outlines exceptions and steps taken to comply with the Act such as religious permits and the establishment of depositories for eagle parts.

• 

  Rosebud Sioux Tribe Resolution No. 79-36

  Edward Driving Hawk and John King Jr.

  This typed two-page Rosebud Sioux Tribe resolution from 1979 outlines the history of governmental administration of the Tribe and its territorial boundaries in South Dakota. It alleges that Indian voting rights, as established in Little Thunder v. the State of South Dakota, are being undermined. The resolution demands that the United States Department of Justice and the Bureau of Indian Affairs investigate these matters.

• 

  Founding Declaration of the League for Human Rights and Freedoms

  League for Human Rights and Freedoms

  This typed two-page document, circa 1979, contains the Founding Declaration of the League for Human Rights and Freedoms based in Finland. It discusses the historical development of the recognition of basic human rights by organizations such as the United Nations and defines crimes against humanity that require intervention. It calls for cooperation with other countries striving for the same goals.

• 

  Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe of the Lake Traverse Reservation Tribal Council Resolution No. 78-74

  Clayton Adams and Jerry Flute

  This original three-page typed document introduces Tribal Council Resolution 78-74 of the Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe of the Lake Traverse Reservation and charges that the Sisseton Independent School District is failing to properly educate Indian children due to prejudicial issues. It supports the Reservation Education Board in its decision to request assistance and support from the National Advisory Council on Indian Education and the National Congress of American Indians.

• 

  Testimony of Jill Raymond Before the Senate Subcommittee on Administrative Practices and Procedures, August 24, 1978

  Jill Raymond

  This 15-page typed document is the witness testimony of Jill Raymond, who spoke at a hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on Administrative Practices and Procedures on August 24, 1978. Raymond provides a history of harassment and threats by the FBI for refusing to provide information about the whereabouts of fugitives Katherine Ann Power and Susan Saxe in 1975. She details her subsequent incarceration, without evidence, by a grand jury and the conditions in Kentucky prisons where she was held and abused. The testimony reveals how she was targeted by the FBI for her participation in socialist and feminist causes as a college student.

• 

  Save the River: Stop Winter Navigation on the St. Lawrence

  Save the River Committee

  This eight-page pamphlet, titled "Save the River: Stop Winter Navigation on the St. Lawrence" was prepared by the Save the River Committee in 1978. It outlines the plans of the Seaway Development Corporation to allow winter traffic on the river between Morristown, New York and Cardinal, Ontario and discusses the potential negative environmental impacts of these plans as well as damage to tourism in the region.

• 

  Affirmation of Sovereignty of the Indigenous People of the Western Hemisphere: The Longest Walk Manifesto

  International Indian Treaty Conference

  This 26-page typed document is billed as The Longest Walk Manifesto and was presented to the United States Congress on July 22, 1978. It recounts centuries of injustices brought against Native Americans, including treaty violations, forced relocations, sterilization and genocide. It calls for the release of political prisoners, the return of sacred objects stolen from graves, the restoration of stolen lands and war reparations. The document includes an addenda adopted by three indigenous nations as well as a statement from native women. It also contains a "Manifesto from the Algonquin Nation."

• 

  Letter Regarding Judge William Webster, January 26, 1978

  Kenneth E. Tilsen

  This three-page typed letter was written by attorney Kenneth E. Tilsen on January 26, 1978 regarding the nomination of Judge William Webster as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The letter provides a history of Judge Webster's past rulings involving civil rights cases of Indian people in the Dakotas, including Wounded Knee Legal Defense Committee v. FBI, Russell Means v. Dick Wilson and United States v. Dodge. Tilsen warns that Webster is unwilling to curb FBI abuses and fails to recognize First Amendment freedoms.

• 

  "We Do It All For You": Carter’s Energy Plan, the Energy Corporations and Indians

  Winona LaDuke

  This typed and annotated paper, circa 1978, by activist Winona LaDuke Westigard describes how President Carter's National Energy Plan calls for an increase in nuclear-generated electricity and how this will affect Native American lands and people. It discusses practices by energy corporations, including Mobil and Exxon, that have negatively impacted tribes such as the Navajo Nation.

• 

  Is COINTELPRO Dead?: Consejo Puertorriqueno Por La Paz v. Federal Bureau of Investigation

  Jose Antonio Lugo

  This 8-page typed document, circa 1978, was written by Jose Antonio Lugo, an attorney for the plaintiffs in a case against the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It provides a history of FBI efforts to disrupt the Puerto Rican independence movement abroad and to intimidate any groups supporting the cause in the United States. It describes the lawsuit brought against the FBI in Washington, D.C. alleging that illegal interference was continuing despite the program being officially closed.

• 

  October 12, Columbus Day, is Declared a Day of International Solidarity with American Indians

  International Indian Treaty Council and Native American Solidarity Commitee

  This one-page news report encourages the international community to support the Geneva Resolution to recognize Columbus Day as the International Day of Solidarity with American Indians. It also discusses important issues facing Native people in the United States such as treaty rights, resource protection, genocide and repression.

• 

  Letter from Robert T. Coulter to Thomas Banyacya, July 14, 1977

  Robert T. Coulter

  This two-page typed letter to Thomas Banyacya from attorney Robert T. Coulter is dated July 14, 1977. It discusses the effects of accepting payment from the United States for the claim made in the Indian Claims Commission for a parcel of Hopi land. The claim that was made was for money equal to the value of the Hopi land, and is not compensation for past wrongs. Coulter explains that if the monetary award is accepted, the Hopi would lose their claim to land.

• 

  Law Enforcement in the United States and its Relationship to the American Indian

  Native American Solidarity Committee

  This 25-page typed document was prepared for the American Indian Movement by the Native American Solidarity Committee, circa 1977. The report begins by citing statistics of poor health and living conditions as well as unemployment on Indian reservations and the exploitation of native peoples and resources by large energy companies. It details the annihilation of Indian culture in public schools and provides examples of vigilante violence against Indians. The report then provides a history of acts of resistance by the American Indian Movement culminating in the events of Wounded Knee. It lists many further activist encounters with law enforcement and FBI agents including events at the Pine Ridge Reservation.