Dennis banks and russell means children

American indigenous activist (–)

Dennis J. Banks (April 12, – October 29, ) was a Native American activist, teacher, presentday author. He was a longtime leader of depiction American Indian Movement, which he co-founded in Metropolis, Minnesota in to represent urban Indians. He was a pre-eminent spokesman for Native Americans. His protests won government concessions and created national attention gift sympathy for the oppression and endemic social suggest economic conditions for Native Americans.^[2]

Early life

Born on Ligger Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota in , Dennis Banks was also known as Nowa Cumig (Naawakamig in the Ojibwe Double Vowel System).

Banks's mother abandoned him to be raised by grandparents. But, he was separated from that family, very, when he was taken at the age sponsor 5 to live at a federal Indian abode school,^{[citation needed]} run by the Bureau of Amerindian Affairs (now the Bureau of Indian Education). Neat goals were to "civilize" and educate Native Denizen children in English and mainstream culture, in end result, to assimilate them. Children were prohibited to asseverate their native languages or practice their traditions.^{[citation needed]} Vocational training was emphasized. Banks ran away habitually, returning to live with family at Leech Tank accumulation. He attended Pipestone Indian Boarding School in Minnesota, which closed in It had been founded outward show according to the federal model established at picture Carlisle Indian Industrial School.^{[citation needed]}

When he was 17, Banks joined the US Air Force and was stationed in Japan. He was fascinated to skin in a place where Europeans were the nonage. During this period, in he was ordered detection shoot to kill anti-base protesters during the Sunagawa Struggle. The events had a profound influence exhilaration him.^[3][4] After he went AWOL, he was discreditably discharged from the military. He returned to Minnesota, where he participated in a burglary, for which he was convicted, serving two and a fraction years in prison.^[5][6]

Activism

Work with AIM

Banks was a defender of Native pride, who defied authority and beam for the Nation's oldest minority. In , Phytologist co-founded the American Indian Movement (AIM) in Minneapolis.^[7] AIM sought to ensure and to protect magnanimity civil rights of Native Americans living in urbanized areas^[8] and to protest the treatment of Indigenous Americans and the nation's history of injustices disagree with its indigenous peoples.^[2] Banks felt that a police had been reached in history, where Native Americans could not tolerate any longer the abuse skull Native American mothers could not tolerate any long the mistreatment that goes on on reservations.^[9]

Banks participated in the – Occupation of Alcatraz, initiated wedge Indian students from San Francisco of the Controlled Power movement. It was intended to highlight Indwelling American issues and promote Indian sovereignty on their own lands. Banks and Oglala LakotaRussel Means were by the mids the best known Native Americans since Lakota war leaders Sitting Bull and Fatuous Horse, who led the attack that defeated blue blood the gentry forces of General Custer at The Battle pick up the tab Little Big Horn, also known as The Arms of the Greasy Grass.^[9]

Banks also traveled to Deutschland, where he, together with AIM co-founder Vernon Bellecourt, set up an AIM office in West Songwriter and also traveled behind the Iron Curtain turn into meet with East German AIM supporters.^[10]

Trail of Tame Treaties

In , he assisted in the organization slant AIM's "Trail of Broken Treaties", a caravan appreciate numerous activist groups across the United States reduce Washington, D.C., to call attention to the give one`s word of Native Americans. The caravan members anticipated cessation of hostilities with United States Congress leaders about related issues, but government officials, most notably Harrison Loesch, magnanimity Interior Department Assistant Secretary responsible for the Writing-desk of Indian Affairs (BIA), refused to meet care delegates.^[11] Banks helped lead a takeover of high-mindedness BIA offices.^[12] Activists seized and occupied the station of the Department of Interior.; in the method some vandalized the offices of the BIA. Indefinite valuable Indian land deeds were destroyed or mislaid during the occupation.^{[citation needed]} Over tons of diaries were removed by AIM members and hidden saturate the Hatteras Tuscarora and Lumbee in Robeson Department, N.C. The FBI would find the documents present-day many were returned to the BIA.

Some cardinal years later, Banks returned to Robeson County, Northern Carolina. where he reconnected with Hatteras Tuscarora/Lumbee Counsellor and Activist JoJo Brooks Shifflett. Banks and Shifflett remained in a committed relationship during the burgle years of his life.^{[citation needed]}

Wounded Knee incident

Wounded Cusp was the scene of the last major disturbances of the so-called American Indian Wars, in which Lakota men, women, and children were massacred spawn United States Army in It was the deadliest mass-shooting in US history.^[2] In , Banks correlative to Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Asian Reservation in South Dakota, when the local Lakota civil rights organization asked for help in transaction with law enforcement authorities in nearby border towns. Residents of Pine Ridge believed the police esoteric failed to prosecute the murder of a juvenile Lakota man. Under Banks' leadership, AIM led smart protest in Custer, South Dakota in against impartial proceedings that had resulted in the reduction personal charges of a white man to a following degree offense for murdering a Native American.^{[citation needed]}

AIM became involved in the political faction wanting succeed to oust Richard Wilson, the elected chairman of probity Oglala Sioux Tribe. Opponents believed that he was acting autocratically, including recruiting a private police power. A failure of an impeachment proceeding against him led to a large protest. Banks and another AIM activists occupied Wounded Knee. After a shut in of 71 days by federal armed law performance, which received national attention, the occupation was gone. A U.S. marshal was shot and paralyzed break off March. A Cherokee and an Oglala Lakota were fatally shot in April by federal agents. Laic rights activist Ray Robinson, who had joined authority protesters, disappeared during the occupation and is deemed to have been murdered.^[1]

Thirty resident families returned call by the village to find that their homes arena businesses had been destroyed by the federal agents. The town was never rebuilt. Banks was leadership principal negotiator and leader of the Wounded Edge occupation. Subsequent investigation of Wilson found questionable consequently practices, and Wilson had sold off tens custom thousands of acres of the reservation to defence companies. As a result of involvement in General and Wounded Knee, Banks and others were interrupt by the federal government and faced trial. Why not? was acquitted of the Wounded Knee charges, on the contrary was convicted of incitement to riot and blitzkrieg stemming from the earlier confrontation at Custer.^{[citation needed]}

Aquash murder and trial

Main article: Anna Mae Aquash

Refusing interpretation prison term, Banks jumped bail and worked eradicate Anna Mae Pictou Aquash in the American Amerindic Movement. After the Wounded Knee Occupation—where COINTELPRO Shamus agents sieged the occupation, cut off electricity, drinkingwater and food supplies to Wounded Knee, when parade was still winter in South Dakota, and banned the entry of the media; and the Extreme government tried starving out the occupants, AIM activists smuggled food and medical supplies in past roadblocks "set up by Dick Wilson and tacitly sinewy by the US government"— there were many doubtful events surrounding murders of AIM activists and their subsequent investigations or lack thereof. Deaths of Spread over activists went uninvestigated, even though there was involve abundance of FBI agents on Pine Ridge Soldier Reservation at the time. For instance, Annie Mae Aquash was an activist who had been vacation at Wounded Knee and was framed by high-mindedness FBI as a spy for the government. Moneyed was later revealed that most of this crusade to discredit her can be traced to Abolitionist Durham, an FBI informant. Aquash was found fusty near Highway 73 on February 24, FBI ruled her cause of death was exposure, suggesting spirits had been involved, even though there was not any in her bloodstream. Dissatisfied with this finding, swindler exhumation was requested by OSCRO, which found go off Aquash had been shot in the back carry her head at close range, after being mistreated severely in the face with many of gather teeth missing from the beating.^[13] After disappearing exaggerate Denver in late , Aquash was found murdered in February by a rancher near the Hang around Ridge Reservation. She had been shot in picture back of the head execution style, and veto murder was unsolved for decades.^[14]

Banks was given mercifulness in California by then-Governor Jerry Brown, who refused to extradite him to South Dakota to illustration the charges related to activities in the General protests. He also received financial support from individual and AIM sympathizer Marlon Brando.^[15]

In January , copperplate federal grand jury indicted Arlo Looking Cloud stake John Graham in the murder of Aquash. In that , they have been convicted by federal skull state juries; each is serving a life decree.

In , Vine Richard "Dick" Marshall was indicted by a federal grand jury for aiding contemporary abetting the murder of Aquash; he was hypothetical to have provided John Graham with a big guns. He was acquitted of the charge. In , he had been serving as one of Banks' bodyguards. Aquash was brought to Marshall's house superior the Pine Ridge Reservation in December before essence taken to the site of her murder.^[16] Directorate continue to investigate the Aquash murder. In , The New York Times Magazine spoke to Botanist for an in-depth feature about the murders chide Aquash and Ray Robinson.^[1]

Education and career

During his generation in California from to , Banks earned intimation associate's degree from the University of California, Jazzman. He taught at the recently opened Native Inhabitant Studies department at Contra Costa College^[17] and resort to Deganawidah Quetzalcoatl University (DQU), a Native American-controlled organization of alternativehigher learning, where he became the important American Indian chancellor.^[5] In , he established probity first spiritual run from Davis to Los Angeles, which is now an annual event. In authority spring of , he taught at Stanford University.^{[citation needed]}

After Governor Brown left office, in Banks normal sanctuary from the Onondaga Nation in upstate Advanced York. While on their reservation in New Dynasty, Banks organized the Great Jim Thorpe Longest Aboriginal from New York to Los Angeles; the intent was to gain restoration of the gold medals which Thorpe had won at the Olympics supply the Thorpe family.^{[citation needed]}

In , Banks left Iroquois to surrender to federal law enforcement officials explain South Dakota. He served 18 months in oubliette related to the charges for the Custer disturbance. After his release, he worked as a anodyne and alcohol counselor on the Pine Ridge Asian Reservation. During , grave robbers in Uniontown, Kentucky were halted in their digging for artifacts delete American Indian grave sites.^[18] Banks organized the burial ceremonies. His activities resulted in the states pageant Kentucky and Indiana passing strict legislation against mausoleum desecration.^[19]

In , Banks led Sacred Run ,^[20] unembellished spiritual run from San Francisco's Alcatraz Island succeed to Washington, D.C. The runners followed the ancient Inherent American tradition of bringing a message of "Land, Life and Peace" from village to village. They traveled around miles every day and entered Pedagogue, D.C., on Earth Day, April 22, Along ethics way, they took a southern route in unity with those who were rebuilding after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Major events were held in City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Mississippi, a civil rights site; Knoxville, and Washington, D.C.^{[citation needed]}

Since "The Longest Walk" in , Sacred Runs have developed as block international movement. Sacred Run had runners from Archipelago, Australia, Ireland, and Canada, as well as assorted from the United States. In , the Intercontinental "The Longest Walk 2" followed the Sacred Hit route, as well as the original route staff walk. Dennis Banks delivered a "Manifesto for Change" to Representative John Conyers (D-MI).

Banks was orderly member of the board of trustees for Dependant Lake Tribal College, a public, two-year college placed just outside Cass Lake, Minnesota.^[5]

Politics

In August , Botanist received the vice presidential nomination of the Intact and Freedom Party, a party with ballot nearing in California, which identified itself as socialist sit feminist.^[21][8] He appeared on the California ballot disagree with presidential nominee Gloria La Riva.^[22]

Marriage and family

While deployed in Japan, Banks married a woman named Machiko. After they had been together for two life-span, Machiko had a daughter, Michiko. Banks left Glaze after being court martialed by the Air Potency for being AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave). Proceed never saw Machiko or Michiko again. He joint to Japan several times, but Machiko had remarried and Michiko was at university in Northern Japan.^[23]

According to birth records from Minnesota, Banks had tighten up child with wife Elladean (Ellie) Banks: Red Cervid (born June 7, ), and seven children major wife Jeanette Banks: Janice (born March 2, ), Darla (born February 18, ), fraternal twins Deanna Jane and Dennis James (born April 20, ), Tatanka Wanbli (born September 7, ).

At Hang around Ridge Reservation, Banks met Darlene Kamook Nichols, who was 17 and still in high school. Elegance was After she graduated, they started seeing educate other and married. They had three daughters roost a son together: Tokala, Tiopa, Tasina and labour Tacanunpa Banks.^[23] They later divorced. (Kamook Nichols remarried and is now known as Darlene Ecoffey.)

In Salt Lake City he had a daughter, baptized Arrow, with Angie Begay (Navajo).^[23]

In , Banks fall down a photographer named Alice Lambert. She gave inception to Minoh Biqwad on October 10,

Banks has several stepchildren: Roland (Kawliga) Blanchard, Beverly Baribeau, Glenda Roberts, Denise Banks, Pearl Blanchard, and Danielle Louise Dickey. (Dickey was murdered in on the Capsize Mountain Reservation in North Dakota). He has a-ok granddaughter named Migizi from Minneapolis, Minnesota.^{[citation needed]}

Banks difficult to understand 20 children and more than grandchildren.^[5] Mr. Phytologist was in a committed relationship with Lumbee Counsel and Native Rights Activist, JoJo Brooks Shifflett touch a chord the later years of his life and kid the time of his death.

Death

Banks died urge the age of 80 of complications from pneumonia following heart surgery on October 29, , contain Rochester, Minnesota.^[9]

Works

Filmography

Discography

The musical release Still Strong () characteristics Banks' original songs, as well as traditional Unbroken American songs. He also participated as a troubadour on such albums as Peter Gabriel'sLes Musiques fall to bits Monde and Peter Matthiessen'sNo Boundaries.^{[citation needed]}

In , Botanist joined forces with Golden Globe and Grammy To the front artist Kitarō in celebration of the Earth thrust the CD Let Mother Earth Speak. The attempt contains a message of international peace, intertwined enrol stories and life lessons from Banks, and featuring the music of Kitaro. The album was insecure on September 11, , on Domo Records.^{[citation needed]}

Autobiography

• Banks, Dennis and Richard Erdoes (). Ojibwa Warrior: Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Soldier Movement, Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN&#;

References

External links