American Civil Rights Fund, the settlement was “far
and away the greatest Indian victory of its kind in the
history of the United States.”
November
The Fourth Russell Tribunal brings attention
to a Western Shoshone land dispute.
Supported by the Russell Peace Foundation and or-
ganized by a group of Dutch activists, the Fourth
Russell Tribunal on Rights of the Indians of the
Americas is held in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.
The tribunal, composed of international experts,
listens to 14 cases of government abuse submitted
by Indian groups from throughout the Western
Hemisphere.
One case explores complaints of the Western
Shoshone that the U.S. government is using lands
granted to them by treaty to construct an MX mis-
sile system. In addition to the tribes’ objections to
having an enormous weapons system on their land,
they charge that the construction project will sap
their water supply. The tribunal brings publicity
to the Western Shoshone’s plight. Under public
pressure, the United States will postpone the MX
project.
December 2
The Alaska National Interest Lands
Conservation Act is signed into law.
President Jimmy Carter signs the Alaska National
Interest Lands Conservation Act, which sets aside
one hundred million acres of land in Alaska for
national parks and forest lands. The law also gives
Native Alaskans the right to gather food in this
area.
1981The Okanagan Tribal Council establishes the
En’owkin Centre.
Affiliated with the University of Victoria, the
En’owkin Centre is founded in Penticton, British
Columbia, by the Okanagan Tribal Council. In ad-
dition to offering classes in the Okanagan language
and visual arts, this cultural center will later oper-
ate Theytus Books, a publishing company focusing
on the works of Native writers. It will also estab-
lish the International School of Writing, the first
Indian-run writing school, with Okanagan novelist
Jeannette Armstrong as its director.Reagan recommends enormous cuts in
Indian spending.
In his first budget, President Ronald Reagan pro-
poses cuts in federal funds to Indians amounting
to $1 billion—approximately one-third of the total
budget for programs benefiting Indian peoples. The
Reagan administration also endorses transferring re-
sponsibilities for Indian education and resources to
state governments. Although Indian leaders and the
Senate Subcommittee on Indian Affairs will resist
these measures, funding to Indian programs will be
slashed by more than $100 million during Reagan’s
tenure in the White House.April 4Activists establish Camp Yellow Thunder in
the Black Hills.
In a 20-car caravan, a contingent of Indian activists
led by Russell and Bill Means enters the Victoria
Creek Canyon in the Black Hills. There they set up
a tent settlement that they call Camp Yellow Thun-
der. The camp is named after Raymond Yellow
Thunder, an Oglala Lakota murdered by a white
man in Gordon, Nebraska (see entry for FEBRUARY
1971).
The activists declare that their right to occupy
the area dates back to the Treaty of Fort Laramie
(see entry for NOVEMBER 7, 1868), which guar-
anteed the Lakota Sioux “undisturbed use” of the
Black Hills, lands sacred to the Lakota people. The
protest is meant to draw attention to the Sioux’s re-
cent decision to reject a $106 million land claim
settlement from the U.S. government for the Black
Hills in favor of continuing their fight for the re-
turn of the land (see entry for JUNE 30, 1980).