8.8 Contemporary activism

Native American activism has evolved significantly since the 1960s, shifting from assimilation-era policies to demands for tribal sovereignty and cultural revitalization. This movement addresses historical injustices, treaty rights, and socioeconomic conditions across Native communities.

Key issues include land rights, environmental protection, cultural preservation, and education reform. Activists use diverse strategies, from occupations and legal challenges to media campaigns and grassroots organizing, to advance their causes and raise public awareness.

Origins of contemporary activism

Contemporary Native American activism emerged in the 1960s and 1970s alongside broader civil rights movements in the United States. This period marked a decisive shift: rather than accepting federal assimilation policies, Native activists began demanding tribal sovereignty and cultural revitalization. Their work focused on enforcing treaty rights, confronting historical injustices, and improving socioeconomic conditions in Native communities.

Red Power movement

The Red Power movement was a grassroots effort that emerged in the 1960s to advocate for Native American civil rights and self-determination. It drew direct inspiration from other civil rights movements, particularly the Black Power movement, and emphasized pride in Native identity while rejecting assimilationist policies.

Red Power activists used direct action tactics to force public attention onto Native issues. One notable example: fish-ins in the Pacific Northwest during the 1960s, where Native fishers deliberately exercised treaty-guaranteed fishing rights in defiance of state regulations. These actions led to arrests and media coverage that highlighted broken promises, and they eventually contributed to the landmark United States v. Washington (1974) decision affirming tribal fishing rights.

American Indian Movement (AIM)

The American Indian Movement was founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, originally to address issues facing urban Native Americans, including police brutality and discrimination. It quickly expanded into a national organization focused on sovereignty, cultural preservation, and treaty rights.

• Organized high-profile protests and occupations, including the Trail of Broken Treaties march to Washington, D.C. in 1972
• Provided direct community services such as survival schools and legal aid to Native communities
• Faced significant government repression, including FBI surveillance and infiltration through COINTELPRO
• Internal conflicts and legal battles weakened the organization in later years, though its legacy shaped all subsequent Native activism

Alcatraz occupation

In November 1969, a group of Native American activists calling themselves "Indians of All Tribes" occupied Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. The occupation lasted 19 months, ending in June 1971.

The occupiers cited the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868), which they argued entitled Native people to claim surplus federal land. They demanded the establishment of a Native American cultural center and university on the island. Though federal authorities eventually removed the remaining occupiers, the action attracted sustained national media attention and directly inspired similar occupations across the country. It's widely considered the spark that ignited the broader Native rights movement of the 1970s.

Key issues and causes

Contemporary Native American activism addresses a wide range of interconnected issues. These causes reflect the ongoing struggle for sovereignty, cultural survival, and social justice, spanning both historical injustices and present-day challenges.

Land rights and sovereignty

Land is central to nearly every dimension of Native activism. Tribal nations assert their inherent sovereignty and self-governance rights, often fighting to reclaim ancestral lands and protect sacred sites from development.

• Advocacy for the federal government to honor treaty obligations and settle outstanding land claims
• Resistance to resource extraction projects (mining, drilling, pipelines) on or near tribal lands
• Promotion of traditional land management practices, which often conflict with federal land-use policies
• Legal battles over jurisdiction: who controls what happens on tribal land remains a constant source of tension between tribal, state, and federal governments

Environmental protection

Environmental issues hit Native communities especially hard because many reservations sit near or on top of resources that extractive industries want to exploit. Uranium mining on Navajo land, for instance, left a legacy of contamination that continues to cause health problems decades later.

• Opposition to pipelines, mining operations, and waste disposal sites on or near tribal lands
• Advocacy for clean water and air, particularly in communities where contamination has gone unaddressed for decades
• Promotion of sustainable energy alternatives and climate change mitigation strategies
• Efforts to address environmental racism, the pattern of siting polluting industries disproportionately near communities of color, including Native communities

Cultural preservation

Centuries of forced assimilation policies (boarding schools, bans on ceremonies, removal of children) devastated Native cultures. Contemporary activism works to reverse that damage.

• Language revitalization through immersion programs and documentation efforts. Many Native languages have fewer than 100 fluent speakers remaining, making this work urgent.
• Protection of sacred sites and artifacts from desecration or commercial exploitation
• Repatriation of cultural items and ancestral remains under NAGPRA (the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990), which requires federally funded institutions to return certain items to tribes
• Resistance to cultural appropriation and misrepresentation in media and popular culture

Education reform

Native students face some of the widest achievement gaps in the country, rooted in underfunded schools and curricula that ignore or distort Native history.

• Advocacy for culturally responsive curriculum in schools serving Native students
• Establishment of tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), which now number over 30 institutions across the U.S., providing higher education grounded in tribal culture
• Efforts to increase Native representation among faculty and administrators
• Promotion of Native American studies programs in mainstream colleges and universities

Protest strategies and tactics

Native American activists employ a diverse range of strategies, combining traditional forms of resistance with modern organizing techniques. The approach varies depending on the specific issue and political context.

Occupations and sit-ins

Physical occupation of significant sites has been one of the most visible tactics in Native activism.

• Occupations of symbolic locations like Alcatraz and Wounded Knee drew national attention by forcing confrontations that the media couldn't ignore
• Blockades to prevent resource extraction or construction on disputed lands
• Prayer camps and spiritual gatherings as forms of peaceful resistance, most notably at Standing Rock in 2016
• Use of traditional ceremonies during occupations to assert cultural rights and spiritual connection to the land

Legal challenges

The courtroom has been a critical arena for Native rights, often producing more durable victories than protest alone.

• Filing lawsuits to enforce treaty rights and protect tribal sovereignty
• Challenging discriminatory laws in federal and state courts
• Utilizing international legal forums, including the United Nations, to address indigenous rights violations
• Developing tribal legal systems and courts to assert self-governance, building an independent legal infrastructure

Media campaigns

Controlling the narrative has always been a challenge for Native activists, who have historically been misrepresented or ignored by mainstream media.

• Creating independent Native-run media platforms: newspapers, radio stations, and websites that cover Native issues from Native perspectives
• Producing documentaries and films to educate the broader public
• Leveraging social media to share real-time information and mobilize supporters
• Actively countering stereotypes and misrepresentations of Native people in mainstream media

Grassroots organizing

Much of the most effective Native activism happens at the community level, where trust and relationships already exist.

• Building community-based organizations to address local issues
• Conducting outreach and community education initiatives
• Organizing protests, marches, and rallies to demonstrate public support
• Developing leadership training programs for Native youth
• Creating coalitions with other social justice movements and organizations

Notable activists and leaders

Russell Means

An Oglala Lakota activist, Russell Means became one of the most recognizable faces of AIM. He played a key role in organizing the Wounded Knee occupation in 1973 and led a demonstration at Mount Rushmore to protest the seizure of the Black Hills. He ran for president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and later sought the Libertarian Party nomination for U.S. president. His later career included acting in films, but he continued advocating for indigenous rights until his death in 2012.

Dennis Banks

An Anishinaabe activist, Dennis Banks co-founded AIM in 1968. He helped organize major actions including the Trail of Broken Treaties and the Wounded Knee occupation. His activism focused on police brutality, treaty rights, and Native American education. Banks faced legal persecution for his activism and spent years living in sanctuary on the Onondaga Reservation in New York before eventually returning to public life and continuing his advocacy through speaking and writing.

Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller became the first woman elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1985. Rather than focusing on protest, she channeled her activism into governance, improving healthcare, education, and economic development for the Cherokee people. Her Bell Water Project brought running water to a rural Cherokee community through a model of community self-help that became a template for other tribal development efforts. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.

Winona LaDuke

An Anishinaabe activist, environmentalist, and economist, Winona LaDuke co-founded Honor the Earth, an organization focused on indigenous environmental justice. She ran for Vice President on the Green Party ticket with Ralph Nader in both 1996 and 2000. Her work centers on sustainable energy and food systems on Native lands, protecting sacred sites, and opposing fossil fuel infrastructure projects. She remains one of the most prominent voices in indigenous environmental activism.

Major events and demonstrations

Wounded Knee occupation

In February 1973, AIM activists and local Oglala Lakota residents seized the town of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The site was chosen deliberately: it was the location of the 1890 massacre of Lakota people by the U.S. Army.

• The 71-day armed standoff pitted activists against federal marshals, FBI agents, and military forces
• Protesters demanded that the U.S. government honor its treaties and investigate corruption in the tribal government under Chairman Dick Wilson
• Two Native activists, Buddy Lamont and Frank Clearwater, were killed during the standoff
• The occupation brought massive national attention to Native issues but also triggered increased government repression on Pine Ridge in the years that followed, a period sometimes called the "Reign of Terror"

Longest Walk

In 1978, Native activists organized a 3,000-mile march from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. The march was a direct response to 11 anti-Indian bills pending in Congress that threatened tribal lands and sovereignty.

The walk culminated in a gathering of thousands of supporters in the nation's capital. It succeeded: the anti-Indian legislation was defeated, and Congress passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA), which recognized the right of Native Americans to practice traditional religions. AIRFA was significant because many traditional ceremonies had been effectively banned or restricted for decades.

Standing Rock protests

The 2016-2017 protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation became the largest Native-led demonstration in decades.

• Thousands of Native and non-Native water protectors gathered at prayer camps to oppose the pipeline's route beneath Lake Oahe, the reservation's water source, and through sacred sites
• Social media, especially the hashtag #NoDAPL, brought global attention to the cause
• Protesters faced violent confrontations with law enforcement and private security, including water cannons used in subfreezing temperatures
• The Obama administration temporarily halted construction in late 2016, but the Trump administration reversed that decision, and the pipeline was completed in 2017
• Standing Rock demonstrated both the power of Native-led coalition building and the limits of protest against entrenched corporate and government interests

Intersectionality in activism

Contemporary Native American activism increasingly recognizes the interconnected nature of various forms of oppression. This intersectional approach acknowledges the diverse experiences within Native communities and works to address multiple layers of discrimination simultaneously.

Indigenous feminism

Native women face a unique combination of challenges rooted in both colonial/racist systems and patriarchal structures.

• The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis is a central issue: Native women experience violence at rates far higher than the national average, and many cases go uninvestigated due to jurisdictional gaps between tribal, state, and federal law enforcement
• Indigenous feminists work to revitalize traditional matrilineal systems and women's leadership roles that existed in many Native cultures before colonization
• Advocacy addresses health disparities, economic inequality, and the need for greater representation of women in tribal governance

LGBTQ+ rights

Many Native cultures historically recognized gender identities beyond the male/female binary. The term Two-Spirit refers to individuals in many Native traditions who embody both masculine and feminine qualities and often held respected roles in their communities.

• Contemporary activists work to reclaim and celebrate Two-Spirit identities
• Efforts to combat homophobia and transphobia within Native communities, some of which was introduced through colonization and missionary influence
• Creation of support networks and organizations for Native LGBTQ+ individuals

Climate justice

Climate justice activism links environmental protection directly to indigenous rights and sovereignty.

• Native communities face disproportionate impacts from climate change: coastal erosion, drought, and loss of traditional food sources. Some Alaska Native villages have already been forced to relocate due to rising sea levels and thawing permafrost.
• Activists promote traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) as a valuable resource for addressing environmental challenges
• Native-led renewable energy projects and sustainable development initiatives offer alternatives to extractive economies
• Advocacy for Native representation in climate policy decision-making at all levels of government

Digital age activism

Digital tools have transformed how Native activists organize, communicate, and build solidarity. Online platforms allow activists to reach wider audiences and bypass traditional media gatekeepers that have historically ignored or distorted Native issues.

Social media campaigns

Social media proved its power during Standing Rock, and activists have continued to build on that model.

• Hashtags like #NoDAPL, #IdleNoMore, and #MMIW have raised awareness and mobilized support across the globe
• Live-streaming from protests and actions provides unfiltered documentation that counters official narratives
• Viral content educates about Native issues and challenges stereotypes
• Online fundraising campaigns support activist causes and community needs directly

Online petitions

Platforms like Change.org allow activists to demonstrate public support for Native causes quickly and at scale. Petition campaigns work best when combined with offline advocacy, using signature counts to pressure elected officials and corporate decision-makers.

Virtual community building

Online spaces help connect Native people across vast geographic distances, which matters when reservations and urban Native communities are spread across the continent.

• Virtual events and webinars facilitate discussion of strategy and shared concerns
• Online databases preserve and share traditional knowledge, language resources, and cultural materials
• Video conferencing enables long-distance collaboration between activists and organizations

Collaboration with non-Native allies

Native American activists increasingly work with non-Native supporters to build broader coalitions. These partnerships help leverage resources and expertise while maintaining Native leadership and priorities.

Partnerships with environmental groups

Native and non-Native environmental organizations share many concerns, particularly around land and resource protection. Collaboration includes joint legal challenges, policy advocacy, and direct actions against environmentally destructive projects. A key part of these partnerships involves educating non-Native environmentalists about indigenous perspectives and traditional ecological knowledge.

Solidarity with other marginalized communities

Native activists have built alliances with other racial justice movements, including Black Lives Matter and immigrant rights organizations. These coalitions address overlapping issues of poverty, healthcare, education, and systemic oppression. Cross-movement solidarity strengthens all parties through shared strategies, resources, and mutual support.

International indigenous networks

Native American activists connect with indigenous peoples worldwide through forums like the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. These international networks allow communities to share experiences and strategies, collaborate on global campaigns for indigenous rights, and leverage international pressure to influence domestic U.S. policies.

Impact and achievements

Contemporary Native American activism has produced real, measurable changes in policy, public awareness, and tribal empowerment. While many challenges remain, the movement has secured important victories.

Policy changes

• Passage of key legislation: the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (1975) gave tribes greater control over federal programs, and NAGPRA (1990) required repatriation of cultural items
• Expansion of tribal jurisdiction and self-governance authority
• Increased federal funding for Native American programs and services
• Improvements in government-to-government consultation processes
• Recognition of tribal water rights and land claims in some areas

Cultural awareness

• Growing public understanding of Native American history and contemporary issues
• Increased representation of Native people and perspectives in media and education
• Revitalization of Native languages and cultural practices
• Successful campaigns against racist mascots and stereotypes in sports (the Washington NFL team dropped its name in 2020 after decades of activism, and the Cleveland MLB team changed its name from the Indians to the Guardians in 2022)

Legal victories

• Successful lawsuits affirming tribal sovereignty and treaty rights
• Court decisions protecting Native religious freedom and cultural practices
• The McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020) Supreme Court decision affirmed that a large portion of eastern Oklahoma remains tribal reservation land under the Muscogee (Creek) Nation's jurisdiction. This was one of the most significant tribal sovereignty rulings in decades.
• Favorable settlements in land claim and resource rights cases

Challenges and opposition

Native American activists continue to face significant obstacles. Opposition comes from government entities, corporate interests, and sometimes internal community divisions.

Government resistance

• Ongoing violations of treaty obligations and trust responsibilities by federal and state governments
• Legislative and regulatory attempts to limit tribal sovereignty
• Chronic underfunding of Native American programs and services, including the Indian Health Service
• Excessive use of force and surveillance against Native activists, as seen at Standing Rock
• Bureaucratic obstacles that slow implementation of policies beneficial to Native communities

Corporate interests

• Conflicts with extractive industries over resource development on or near Native lands
• Corporate lobbying to weaken environmental and cultural protection laws
• Economic pressures on tribal governments to accept development projects that may harm communities
• Legal challenges to tribal jurisdiction and regulatory authority by business interests

Internal divisions

• Disagreements within Native communities over strategies and priorities
• Tensions between traditional leadership structures and modern governance systems
• Generational differences in perspectives on cultural preservation and adaptation
• The challenge of maintaining unity across hundreds of distinct tribal nations, each with its own history, culture, and political priorities

Future of Native American activism

The landscape of Native American activism continues to evolve as new challenges emerge and new tools become available.

Emerging issues

• Addressing climate change impacts on Native lands and resources, including rising sea levels threatening coastal communities
• Protecting Native data sovereignty and digital rights as technology companies collect data from tribal communities
• Combating health disparities, including the opioid crisis and lack of adequate healthcare infrastructure
• Developing sustainable economic models that align with traditional values

New generation of leaders

Young Native activists are reshaping the movement. They use social media and digital organizing tools fluently, bring intersectional perspectives that address multiple forms of oppression simultaneously, and place strong emphasis on cultural revitalization and language preservation. Native women and Two-Spirit individuals are increasingly visible in leadership roles, and growing numbers of Native professionals in law, academia, and policy-making bring new expertise to longstanding fights.

Evolving strategies

• Combining traditional protest with innovative digital campaigns
• Developing Native-controlled media platforms to shape their own narratives
• Building economic sovereignty through entrepreneurship and alternative economies
• Expanding international alliances and leveraging global indigenous rights frameworks
• Pursuing new legal strategies, including pushing for federal recognition of currently unrecognized tribal nations