1990 passed a revision of the Indian Arts and Crafts
Act, criminalizing such misrepresentation.
In the last years of the 20th century, many
non-Indians adopted a heartfelt (if disconcertingly
superficial) respect for Indian peoples and societies.
However misguided and inauthentic, popular mov-
ies such as Dances with Wolves (1990) and Pocahontas
(1995), and New Age–influenced interpretations of
Indian religious beliefs, at least revealed a desire to
learn about, rather than suppress or destroy, Indian
cultures. U.S. government agencies also made in-
creased efforts to honor Indian heroes and legends.
In two examples, the Pentagon in 1992 sponsored
an exhibit celebrating the work of the Navajo Code
Talkers, and the U.S. Mint in 1995 issued a new
dollar featuring the likenesses of Sacagawea and her
baby Jean-Baptiste Carbonneau.
Some legislation also reflected this shift in at-
titude toward Native peoples. For instance, the
United States offered new protections for sacred
Indian sites with 1990’s Native American Grave
Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPR). This
landmark law also called for the return to tribes
of all Indian remains and artifacts collected from
burial grounds that were held in the collections of
government agencies. Enforcement of NAGPR has
led to the repatriation of thousands of bones and
ceremonial objects, as well as sparking a number of
new controversies.
The 1990s also saw American Indians taking
prominent roles in government and politics. In
1992, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a member of the
Northern Cheyenne tribe, was first elected to the
Senate, where he became a leader in the fight for
Indian rights until his retirement in 2005. In 1993,
Ada Deer became the first Indian woman to head
the Bureau of Indian Affairs. And in 1996 (and
again in 2000), Ojibway activist Winona LaDuke
ran for vice president on the Green Party ticket.
President Bill Clinton also signaled his desire to
work closely with the leaders of all federally recog-
nized tribes by inviting them to the White House in
1996, the first meeting of its kind since 1822.
Perhaps the most significant event to Indian
peoples’ of the last years of the twentieth century
was Canada’s return to Native control of nearly
one-fifth of the country’s land mass through the
formation of the new territory of Nunavut in- Governed by an Inuit-dominated parlia-
ment, Nunavut represents an impressive victory for
Indian demands for a return to self-government.
Yet, it is only one battle of many still being fought
by Indians seeking more control over their lives,
their lands, and their destinies. And, increasingly,
these are battles that both Indians and non-Indi-
ans are fighting together. As activist Suzan Shown
Harjo wrote on the occasion of the Columbus
Quincentennial, “It is necessary and well past time
for others to amplify our voices and find their own
to tell their neighbors and institutions that 500
years of this history is more than enough and must
come to an end.”
1980 to 1999