A Legend

John Trudell is an American Indian speaker, writer, poet, activist, and songwriter. He has been working at raising awareness of the unique positions and problems of American Indians for more than 35 years. His activist career began when American Indians took over Alcatraz Island in 1969. Throughout the 70's, he was deeply involved in the American Indian Movement (AIM). The FBI had a file 17,000 pages long based on his subversive activities. In 1979, Trudell burnt a flag on the steps of the FBI Building because he said the government had desecrated the flag and the only way to dispose of it was to burn it. A few days later, his wife and children in a house fire whose cause is still in question today.
After that, Trudell went thru a rough period, but came out of it as a poet and songwriter. He has performed and written since that point, blending spoken word poetry with traditional American Indian music.

What struck me the most about Mr. Trudell was his eloquence on the positions of American Indians. Especially when speaking about the idea that the government is still at war with American Indians, although they no longer use bullets. Instead, they ignore American Indian sovereignty and allow corporations to have the resource rights for cheap. This ties directly into the concepts of the land and sovereignty. His belief in what he says comes through with every word. Also, it was interesting to see how the government reacted when American Indians asked to have treaties honored. It shows that though the treaties are supposedly between equal nations, the federal government is not willing to honor that intention.