Alcatraz Indian Sovereignty

Alcatraz Island and The Fight for Indian Sovereignty Alcatraz Island has had a long history of being a place of Incarceration, a place where all American outcasts (Indian and non-Indian) where sent to be put away, far from society. Yet, Natives managed to make Alcatraz a symbol of unity within the Indian community and also a symbol of resistance against Anglo colonist. Indians have managed to change a symbol of isolation into a symbol of brotherhood and peoplehood. With the occupations of Alcatraz Island Indigenous people raised awareness amongst themselves to stand together in achieving sovereignty, while also raising awareness amongst non-Indian communities about Indian discrimination. It is worth nothing that the movements “changed the

The occupation started to gain momentum when Indians received the support of many non-Indian peoples, and many celebrities, including Anthony Quinn who gave his support. Quinn stated that, “Alcatraz is a small price for all the sins we committed and indignities we forced on the Indians.” He also felt like the movement not only supported Indians but expanded on to include other minorities like Blacks and Mexicans. At one point the population of Alcatraz reached levels of about six hundred plus occupiers. They began to receive donations to support their cause, including fifteen thousand dollars by rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, and a color TV from a football team Washington Redskins. With the expanded support and the amount of media attention the movement received, the federal government was forced to meet with them on the Island in attempts to negotiate terms, but neither side agreed to anything. One of the reasons they could not come to an agreement was due to the fact that Indians would not settle for anything less than the rights to the Island. Another reason was that the government was not willing to negotiate much and instead they were playing a waiting game to tire out the activist until they themselves gave up on their

Alcatraz was converted from a symbol of imprisonment to a representation of tribal unity and sovereignty. The useful and peaceful, yet irrepressible tactics used by Indians generated media attention, which in turn engendered social support for the movement ultimately ending in the inability of the American government to further ignore the discrimination towards the Indian nation. Furthermore, the occupation became a precedent for additional movements to take place and to seek further improvements of Indian Equality and representation. Upon this model the Washington BIA take over and the Siege of Wounded Knee arose and managed to once again capture the attention of the community which caused the Indian nation be able to stand up for their rights. Above all, the movement granted Indians the tools necessary to succeed in further developing their communities by giving them access to certain necessities such as better education, employment, healthcare and