A history of Native Americans standing up to the U.S. government, in photos

From Alcatraz to the steps of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Sioux tribe member John Trudell overlooks the San Francisco Bay during an occupation of Alcatraz Island which lasted 19 months in the early 1970s. (AP Photo)

In recent weeks, the ongoing protests against construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline have finally begun drawing national attention. When indigenous activists started congregating last spring, they were making a statement about Sioux tribal authority over their native lands in North Dakota. Since then, they have been joined by thousands of allies from across the country, effectively creating the largest inter-tribal gathering in over 100 years. September saw heightened tensions when construction workers attempted to bulldoze a stretch of sacred lands in Standing Rock, and clashes with armed security and police have increased through October. Protestors don’t seem anywhere close to backing down.

If nothing more, the #NoDAPL movement is a reminder of the rampant mistreatment suffered by Native Americans since the nation’s inception. In almost every iteration of westward expansion indigenous tribes have been swindled, betrayed and beaten back by the forces of “settlement.” The spirit of tribal rebellion, however, remains fully intact. Standing Rock makes that clear, as do the many instances where Native Americans have expressed sovereignty through forceful occupation and armed insurgency.

The Modoc War (1872 to 1873)

Captured Modoc’s photographed in 1873 by Eadweard Muybridge. (California Historical Society)

Also known as the Lava Beds War, 150 members of Northern California’s Modoc tribe resisted the U.S. Army for months from strategic positions near Tule Lake. Their leader Chief Kintpuash, aka “Captain Jack,” was tried for war crimes after killing two army representatives sent to negotiate a peace settlement. He was hanged. The remaining Modoc followers were held as prisoners of war in Oklahoma until 1909.

Occupation of Alcatraz (1969–1971)

A group of Native Americans approach Alcatraz Island with the aim of reclaiming it from the U.S. government in 1969. (Ralph Crane/Getty)

A fire destroyed the lighthouse, warden’s home and hospital during the occupation of the former Alcatraz Island federal penitentiary. (Bettmann/Getty)

American Indian Movement leader and spokesman John Trudell during the 1969 Alcatraz Island occupation in San Francisco. (AP Photo)

Eighty-nine American Indians occupied San Francisco’s Alcatraz Island for 19 months until they were forcibly removed by government forces. The Indians of All Tribes (IOAT) claimed rights to the former prison island under 1868’s Treaty of Fort Laramie, which returned all unused, abandoned, or retired government land to its original Native inhabitants.

Chicago (1971)

(AP Photo/Charles E. Knoblock)

Native Americans set up a “community of occupation” near Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, in June 1970. About 30 American Indians took part in the demonstration, calling attention to inferior housing for indigenous people in Chicago.

Nike Missile Facility (1971)

In June, 1971, Native American activists occupied an abandoned Nike Missile site in the East Bay city of Richmond, CA, for three days. (Bettmann/Getty)

Following the occupation of Alcatraz, a smaller faction of activists briefly took control of a former Nike Missile facility outside of Richmond, California. The site had been abandoned and fallen into disrepair, and IOAT members claimed ownership on the same grounds as during their previous occupation in San Francisco.

Milwaukee (1971)

AIM members fly their flag from the top windows of a disused Coast Guard facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1971. (Bettmann/Getty)

Twenty-five members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) took over an abandoned U.S. Coast Guard station on Milwaukee’s lake front on August 14th, 1971. The activists said they were securing the building, again under the 1868 treaty.

Bureau of Indian Affairs takeover (1972)

Members of the American Indian Movement stand guard with clubs in front of the Bureau of Indian Affairs building in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 4, 1972. (AP/Harvey Georges)

The U.S. Court of Appeals stayed a Federal judge’s order that Indians holding the Bureau of Indian affairs building should be evicted, avoiding a clash between the protesters and police. A protestor carries a picture of President Nixon in one hand and a club and a gas mask in the other. (Bettmann/Getty)

In November, 1972, a group of 500 AIM members occupied the Bureau of Indian Affairs building in Washington, D.C. They had travelled to Washington to raise awareness about sub-standard housing on reservations. After six days they disbanded, removing or destroying government records on treaties, land deeds, and water rights.

Wounded Knee incident (1973)

Dennis Banks, leader of the American Indian Movement, wears a pistol as he talks with the press at Wounded Knee. (Bettmann/Getty)

The stand-off between federal agents (foreground) and militant Native Americans centered on the Sacred Heart Church in Wounded Knee, South Dakota. (Bettmann/Getty)

An armed militant shields his identity as he walks toward the Sacred Heart church in Wounded Knee. Members and supporters of AIM held the small South Dakota village for more than two months in 1973. (Bettmann/Getty)

In late February 1973, around 200 AIM members and Lakota tribespeople seized the town of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. They demanded the reopening of treaty negotiations and the removal of tribal president Richard Wilson. The standoff with FBI and U.S. marshals lasted 71 days, during which back-and-forth shooting was frequent and two activists were killed.