This collection contains digital representations of select documents from the archives of Lenape Elder John Thomas of the Delaware Tribe of Indians. These objects pertain to activism and the American Indian Movement and relate to topics such as self-rule, treaty rights, education, prisons, natural resources, environmental activism and genocide. Items are on loan to Ursinus College as part of the Welcome Home Project.
Special thanks to Ursinus College students Katherine Slater, Class of 2026, and Seamus Clune, Class of 2027, for their assistance with organization, research, digitization and description of these items.
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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.
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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.
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Declaration of Principles for the Defense of the Indigenous Nations and Peoples of the Western Hemisphere
NGO Conference Participants
This two-page typed Declaration of Principles for the Defense of the Indigenous Nations and Peoples of the Western Hemisphere was drafted at an international Non-Governmental Organizations Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1977. It addresses the following principles: Recognition of Indigenous Nations, Subjects of International Law, Guarantee of Rights, Accordance of Independence, Treaties and Agreements, Abrogation of Treaties and Other Rights, Jurisdiction, Claims to Territory, Settlement of Disputes, National and Cultural Integrity, Environmental Protection, and Indigenous Membership.
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All-African Peoples Revolutionary Party Educational Brochure Number One
All-African People's Revolutionary Party
This four-page typed document, billed as an "educational brochure," is titled: "Israel Commits Mass Murder of Palestinian and African Peoples; Zionism is Racism ... It Must be Destroyed." Printed and distributed in 1977 by the All-African People's Revolutionary Party, this document defines Zionism, discusses the creation of Israel and recounts atrocities committed against the Palestinian people. It describes connections between Israel, the United States and South Africa and calls for an anti-Zionist movement to help Palestinian and Arab people regain their land and build better lives for these people as well as African, Native American and other oppressed peoples.
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Hopi Prophecy: Gather With Us in Spiritual Unity
Thomas Banyacya
This article, from an unknown newsletter or periodical published in Fall 1976, presents the first portion of a speech delivered by Hopi spokesman Thomas Banyacya at the United Nations' Habitat Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1976. The speech outlines the history of the Hopi prophecy concerning destructive forces being wrought against Mother Earth and attempts to deliver this warning message to the world.
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A Statement to All American Citizens on Conditions at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Citizens Review Commission
This three-page typed document is a report of the findings of the Citizens Review Commission concerning living conditions at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation conducted from July 6-8, 1976. The Commission, a volunteer group from Cedar Rapids, heard testimony from residents of Pine Ridge as well as AIM members and concluded that residents had been victimized both by corrupt local officials and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It also discusses the possibility of hosting a convention in Cedar Rapids to bring further awareness to these issues.
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Advisory Notice on American Indian Movement "Dog Soldiers"
Unknown
This five-page typed photocopied unclassified document was sent to the Director of the FBI, Clarence M. Kelley, on May 21, 1976. It compiles information from an unknown source on the surveillance of "Dog Soldiers," supposed guerrilla warriors loyal to the American Indian Movement. The document alleges that these soldiers have been training since the Wounded Knee Occupation in 1973. It further states that the Sioux Sun Dance and International Treaty Conference will serve as a cover for these soldiers to be assigned various targets throughout South Dakota, including a court house, Mount Rushmore, the Governor of South Dakota and the State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. This document mentions various high-ranking members within the American Movement, including Russell Means.
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United Methodist Church Draft Statement on Russell Means
United Methodist Church
This single-page typed document is a draft from the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church concerning Russell Means' incarceration. It outlines Means' leadership role in programs supported by the Church and lists the many trials and attempts made on his life. It resolves that Russell Means be recognized as a political prisoner and demands his immediate release.
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Preamble to the Declaration of Continuing Independence
International Indian Treaty Council
This typed page, dated June 8, 1974, contains the preamble to the Declaration of Continuing Independence adopted by the first International Indian Treaty Council held at the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. Organized by the American Indian Movement, the conference represented ninety-seven tribes.
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Letter from Carlos Fonseca to Indian Brothers of the United States, January 30, 1973
Carlos Fonseca
This typed letter (in Spanish with an English transcription) is addressed to the Indian Brothers of the United States from Carlos Fonseca, Secretary General of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). It discusses the history of United States imperialism and intervention in Nicaragua as well as prominent figures in the fight against this aggression. Fonseca seeks solidarity with the American Indian Movement.
