the tribal court system. In a report to Congress,
the commission discusses complaints that tribal
officials have interfered with or disregarded the de-
cisions of tribal court judges. The report attributes
these problems to the inadequate funds available to
tribal courts.
Paula Gunn Allen’s Sacred Hoop is published.
In The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in
American Indian Traditions, scholar and novel-
ist Paula Gunn Allen examines the central role of
women in tribal traditions and their long-ignored
significance in Indians’ cultural and literary his-
tory. The essay collection will have a great influence
on the teaching of Native American cultures and
literatures.
October
The Tunica-Biloxi are awarded the
Tunica Treasure.
In the late 1960s, a non-Indian treasure hunter dug
up an Indian graveyard in lands in Louisiana that
were occupied by the Tunica between 1731 and
- He unearthed an enormous collection of arti-
facts made by the 18th-century Tunica or obtained
through trade with the French and other Indian
groups. Nicknamed the Tunica Treasure, the col-
lection becomes the focus of a legal battle, as the
Tunica-Biloxi demand that they are the rightful
owners of their ancestors’ goods. A U.S. Court of
Appeals affirms a lower-court ruling that awarded
the Tunica Treasure to the tribe. In 1989, the Tu-
nica-Biloxi will open a museum showcasing objects
in the Tunica Treasure.
November 19
The Native American Vietnam Veterans
Memorial is dedicated.
A plaque placed near the grave site of World War II
hero Ira Hayes (see entries for FEBRUARY 24, 1945,
and for JANUARY 23, 1955) is dedicated as the first
national memorial for Native American veterans.
The two-by-three-foot bronze slab is engraved with
the words, “Dedicated To Our Indian Warriors and
Their Brothers Who Have Served Us So Well—The
Vietnam Era Veterans—We Are Honored To Re-
member You—The Indigenous People of America.”
Designed and cast by Crow Indian Bob Kelly, the
plaque was originally donated to the Bureau of
Indian Affairs in 1979. Only after seven years of
pressure from Indian veterans groups does the Ar-
lington National Cemetery finally agree to establish
the memorial.1987The American Indian Dance Theater is
founded.
To provide a showcase for Indian dance, theater
producer Barbara Schwei and Kiowa playwright
and theater professor Hanay Geiogamah organize
the American Indian Dance Theater. Representing
many tribes, the company’s dancers will introduce
traditional dances as well as powwow “fancy” danc-
ing to non-Indian audiences by touring throughout
the United States and abroad. The troupe will also
be the subject of two PBS television specials.Wings of America is established.
The Full Moon Foundation of Santa Fe, New Mex-
ico, founds Wings of America. The organization
sends teams of athletes to reservations in the West
and Midwest to conduct running camps for Indian
children and teenagers. The goal of the camps is
to resurrect Indian running traditions and teach
young Indians about health and fitness. Wings of
America also sponsors regional teams to attend na-
tional championship track meets.Congress considers opening an Arctic refuge
to oil companies.
The Reagan administration lends its support to
legislation that would open up the coastal plain of
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.
Created in the 1950s, the 20-million acre refuge is
one of the largest protected wilderness areas in the
United States. It is also the home of the Gwich’in