acclaim. Through 14 self-contained stories, each
narrated by a different character, the work tells the
story of several Chippewa families living on the
Turtle Mountain Reservation between 1934 and
- In addition to appearing on several best-seller
lists, Love Medicine also receives the prestigious Na-
tional Book Critics Circle Award and Los Angeles
Times Book Prize.
The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife
Commission is formed.
Founded by activist Thomas Maulsen, the Great
Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
(GLIFWC) organizes the Ojibway of Wisconsin
so that they can better exercise their treaty rights
to fish and hunt in their former homeland. The
GLIFWC, based on the Bad River Reservation,
also offers Ojibway bands information and tech-
nological expertise to help them manage their
resources.
April 7
Eastern and Western Cherokee meet in a
joint council.
Leaders of the two branches of the Cherokee—those
in Oklahoma and those in North Carolina and Ten-
nessee—come together in Red Clay, Tennessee, to
hold the first joint council since 1838. In that year,
the majority of the Cherokee were forced to journey
on the tragic Trail of Tears to Indian Territory (see
entry for MAY 1838), while a minority, hiding in
the hills from white authorities, remained in their
southeastern homeland. Approximately 10,000
Cherokee gather in Red Clay to celebrate the re-
union of the tribe.
June 6
The Senate establishes a permanent
committee on Indian affairs.
By Senate vote, the Senate Select Committee on
Indian Affairs becomes a permanent organization.
Charged with studying Indian issues and develop-
ing new federal Indian policy, the committee was
first established in 1820 but disbanded after World
War II, only to be reestablished in 1977 as a re-
sponse to the Indian activism of the late 1960s and
early 1970s.SummerIndian athletes participate in the
“Longest Run.”
Ojibway activist Dennis Banks, while living as
a fugitive on the Onondaga Reservation in New
York State (see entry for SEPTEMBER 13, 1984),
organizes the Jim Thorpe Longest Run. During
this event, teams of Indian runners run a relay
from the reservation to Los Angeles, California,
the site of the summer Olympic Games. At the
Olympics, the Indians hold a powwow to honor
Jim Thorpe, the great Sac and Fox athlete who
won gold medals for the decathlon and pentathlon
at the Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden (see entry
for SUMMER 1912).September 13Activist Dennis Banks surrenders to the
South Dakota police.
Stating that he wants to “get on with his life,”
American Indian Movement (AIM) leader Den-
nis Banks turns himself in to state and local law
enforcement officers in South Dakota. Banks was
convicted on riot and assault charges stemming
from his involvement in AIM protest outside the
courthouse in the town of Custer (see entry for FEB-
RUARY 6, 1973). To avoid a jail term, he first went
underground and later moved to California, where
he was given amnesty by Governor Jerry Brown (see
entry for APRIL 19, 1978). When Brown left office,
the Onondaga Reservation in New York offered the
activist sanctuary before he decided to surrender to
authorities.
On October 3, Banks is sentenced to two con-
current terms of three years in prison. Released after
serving 18 months, he will move to South Dakota’s
Pine Ridge Reservation, where he will work as a
drug and alcohol counselor.