The protesters hope to bring public attention to
an array of contemporary Indian issues, foremost
of which is the fight for clemency for Leonard
Peltier, the activist imprisoned for murdering two
FBI agents in South Dakota (see entry for APRIL 18,
1977). Other demands include returning the Black
Hills to the Lakota Sioux; ending U.S. government
interference in land disputes between the Navajo
(Dineh) and the Hopi; and halting the construction
of the James Bay Project, which has destroyed Cree
and Inuit lands in Quebec, Canada.
April 29
Indian leaders meet with President Bill
Clinton at the White House.
To announce that he intends to follow a more
benevolent Indian policy than his Republican
predecessor, President Bill Clinton invites leaders
from all federally recognized tribes to the White
House, the first such meeting since 1822. Repre-
sentatives of more than 300 tribes convene at the
White House, where they are asked to discuss the
issues of most concern to their peoples. Among the
topics broached are the inadequacy of health care
and housing available to many Indians, the need
for more tribal control over natural resources on In-
dian lands, the eroding respect for the sovereignty
of Indian governments, and the desire for increased
protection of sacred sites on and off reservations.
As a result of the meeting, Clinton circulates
two memos to every executive department. One di-
rects employees to try to accommodate Indians who
need eagle feathers to perform traditional ceremo-
nies (see entry for 1986). The second makes a more
general request that government officials consult
with Indian governments before making decisions
that affect them, particularly when the use of Indi-
ans’ natural resources is at issue.
August
A white buffalo calf is identified as an
incarnation of the White Buffalo Calf Woman.
Indians throughout the United States gather at a
farm in Jamesville, Wisconsin, where a white female
buffalo calf has been born. Named Miracle by the
farm owner, the calf is seen as the embodiment of
White Buffalo Calf Woman, a sacred figure in sto-
ries told by many Plains tribes. According to these
stories, White Buffalo Calf Woman gave Indians
the pipe, then turned into a white buffalo calf and
ran away, promising one day to return.AugustThe Nez Perce fend off a neo-Nazi group.
Indians and non-Indians come together at the “A
Gathering of Culture and Unity,” a powwow to or-
ganize resistance to a neo-Nazi group that intends
to develop 440 acres of land near Kamiah, Idaho,
in the center of Nez Perce territory. The plan was
announced by James “Bo” Gritz, who in 1988 was
the Populist Party vice-presidential candidate, shar-
ing the ticket with David Duke, then the Grand
Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan.AugustJoanne Shenandoah performs at
Woodstock ’94.
Oneida singer Joanne Shenandoah is the opening
act at Woodstock ’94—a concert held at Saugerties,
New York, to commemorate the 25th anniversary
of the 1969 Woodstock music festival. Performed
before the crowd of more than 250,000, Shenan-
doah’s folk songs display her penetrating voice
and unique blending of native and contemporary
instrumentation.August 1Minnesota bans Indian names as liquor
brands.
A Minnesota state law goes into effect that revokes
state approval of any beer brand that “states or
implies in a false or misleading manner a connec-
tion with an actual living or dead American Indian
leader.” The law effectively bans the sale of the Orig-
inal Crazy Horse Malt Liquor and Chief Oshkosh
Beer. It is passed in response to criticism of these