The Occupation of Alcatraz 1969-1970
- A group of Native Americans including Timm Williams (in headdress) of the Yurok tribe, on one of the trips to Alcatraz Island, c1969. Ralph Crane.
- Games outside the prison wall, with the sign altered from “United States Property” to “United Indian Property.” November 26, 1969. AP photo.
- Occupants cook and eat outside of the Alcatraz Cell Block, 1970 University of Illinois.
- John Trudell, a Sioux activist, looks out across San Francisco Bay from a tipi (aka tepee or teepee) on Alcatraz Island, 1969. AP photo.
- Another view of the tipi, looking towards the Golden Gate. 1970.
- Left to right, Richard Oakes, Earl Livermore, and Al Miller, leaders of the American Indian Movement hold a press conference at Alcatraz on December 24, 1969.
Richard Oakes and others photographed in the Exercise Yard on Alcatraz Island, in November 1970, Kent Blansett.
Alcatraz island was the location of a fort and military prison established during the 1850s, and later the infamous Alcatraz jail from 1934 until its closure in 1963.
Some years after its abandonment, over 120 Native Americans and other supporters siezed and occupied the vacated island from November 20 1969 until June 1971, seeking to reclaim it as indigenous land in accordance with treaties made between the US government and Native Americans. Alcatraz was part of the traditional territory of the coastal Ohlone, Ramaytush and Miwok peoples.
During the occupation period, it is estimated that over 10,000 indigenous people from across North America and beyond spent some time at the island to support the movement. The Black Panthers also provided assistance during the initial move to secure the island.
The group was led by a young former ironworker and Akwesasne Mohawk called Richard Oakes, who was a student at San Francisco State College. Also by LaNada Means, a student at Berkeley who was a Shoshone/Bannock citizen from the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho, and who had come to San Francisco as part of the Bureau of Indian Affair’s (BIA) inept relocation programme. They were leaders of the newly formed organisation, Indians of All Tribes (IAT). Another notable figure was the Sioux actor/poet John Trudell who later went on to lead the American Indian Movement (AIM).
They and others within the core of the group were also accompanied by their families.
Above: Activists view the main cell block, November 1969. AP photo.
Through the technical assistance of the occupiers and support from donors, IAT set about restoring water, sanitation and electricity to the former prison.
IAT created its own Bureau of Caucasian Affairs, requiring all whites to register with the bureau before setting foot on the island. It also staged a mock trial to hold the federal government responsible for past and contemporary injustices.
The occupation, though unsuccessful in restoring the land to Native Americans, did succeed in bringing together many of the indigenous (and non-indigenous) peoples in a common cause, and raised global awareness of the still unresolved issues: the theft from and the neglect, abuse, and racial discrimination against Native peoples.
Above: Some of the community gathered in the prison yard, November 26, 1969 Robert W. Klein/AP photo
After the end of the Alcatraz occupation, Richard Oakes and others of IAT organised several further occupations or takeovers. Many of them were successful. The takeover of Fort Lawton, a military base in Seattle that had been declared surplus property, led to the creation of the Daybreak Star Indian Center. The occupation of a former US Army communications centre in northern California resulted in the site being turned into a Tribal college, or D-Q University.
The occupation also encouraged indigenous movements across the world, from Mexico and Norway to Australia, to continue or revive their fights against discrimination and colonization.
Above: John Trudell on Alcatraz during the occupation with his family: his then-wife, Fenicia Ordóñez; Tara Trudell (left) and Mari Oja (right). At the time, Ms. Ordóñez was pregnant with the couple’s son, Wovoka, who was born on the island on July 20, 1970. Bengt af Geijerstam.
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