including the Trail of Broken Treaties (see entry for
NOVEMBER 2 TO 8, 1972) and the Wounded Knee
occupation (see entry for FEBRUARY 28, 1973).
June 14
The Indians of All Tribes take over a San
Francisco Bay missile base.
Activists ousted from Alcatraz Island (see entry for
JUNE 11, 1971) move their protest to an abandoned
Nike missile base in the Berkeley Hills on San Fran-
cisco Bay. The protesters intend to occupy the base
indefinitely, but truckloads of military police de-
scend on their camp, forcing them to leave the base
three days after the takeover begins.
July 7
Deganawida-Quetzalcoatl University begins
holding classes.
Established at a former army communications
station near Davis, California (see entry for NOVEM-
BER 3, 1970), Deganawida-Quetzalcoatl University
(also known as D-Q University) opens its doors to
Indian students. Unique among Indian-operated
universities, Deganawida-Quetzalcoatl University is
not located on a reservation or affiliated with a sin-
gle tribe. Instead it is founded to serve indigenous
peoples throughout North and Central America.
Its diverse student body and educational vision is
reflected in its name: Deganawida was the great
Peacemaker of Iroquois oral tradition (see entry for
CA. 1400), while Quetzalcoatl was a god of several
Mesoamerican peoples, including the Toltec, Maya,
and Aztec (see entry for CA. 900 TO 1200).
August
The Iroquois protest interstate
construction.
Protesters from the Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk,
and Tuscarora tribes lie down on Interstate 81 to
prevent New York State from building an additional
lane on lands owned by the Onondaga. Following
meetings between Onondaga leaders and Governor
Nelson Rockefeller, the conflict ends when the state
abandons its plans to widen the highway and agrees
to consult with the Onondaga Council about any
future construction.December 18The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act is
signed into law.
Under pressure from the Alaska Federation of Na-
tives (see entry for OCTOBER 1966) and several large
energy corporations, Congress passes the Alaska
Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). The goal
of the legislation is to settle long outstanding land
claims disputes between the Alaskan Natives and
the state of Alaska. After becoming a state, Alaska
was authorized by the federal government to take
control of more than a quarter of the state’s land
base for its own use (see entry for JANUARY 3, 1958).
The Natives of this land, however, have never for-
mally relinquished their claims to this territory.
The ANCSA gives Native groups title to 44
million of Alaska’s 375 million acres. In compensa-
tion for the remaining land, the Natives are awarded
$462.5 million and mineral royalties worth $500
million. In a radical departure from earlier policies,
the Native lands in Alaska are not established as
reservations held in trust by the U.S. government.
Instead, in an effort to assimilate Alaskan Natives
into the larger economy, Native groups are granted
fee simple patents to their 44 million acres. These
lands are to be managed by for-profit corporations,
the shares of which are owned exclusively by Native
peoples. The ANCSA calls for the creation of 12
regional corporations and about 200 village corpo-
rations. (See also entry for FEBRUARY 3, 1987.)1972The first Indian radio station begins
broadcasting.
KTDB-FM becomes the first radio station owned
and operated by Indians. Based in Ramah, New
Mexico, the station defines its mission as providing