the tribal police force is disbanded in 1981, but the
tension on the reservation will continue (see entry
for April 24, 1990).
July
A Canadian Native delegation is denied an
audience with Elizabeth II.
In an effort to secure recognition of the treaty rights
of Natives in the Canadian constitution, a delega-
tion of 300 Natives travels to London and asks to
present its case to Queen Elizabeth. The delegation
hopes that she, as a member of the monarchy that
had been an original party to the treaties, will be
persuaded to support their cause and use her influ-
ence to make Canadian officials listen to Native
demands. The Tory government, however, will not
allow the delegation to meet with the Queen.
July 12
Jay Silverheels is honored with a
Hollywood “star.”
Mohawk actor Jay Silverheels, costar of the Lone
Ranger television series of the 1950s, becomes the first
American Indian to receive a “star” on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame. Throughout his career, Silverheels has
chosen roles in television shows and films that depict
Indians and whites cooperating with one another. He
is widely credited with changing public perceptions
of Indians by refusing to play the stereotypical savage
Indian warrior. (See also entry for 1966.)
July 16
Radioactive material escapes from a Navajo
(Dineh) reservation mine.
In one of the largest nuclear accidents in American
history, more than 11,000 tons of uranium mining
wastes escape from a mine on the Navajo Indian Res-
ervation. Some 100 gallons of polluted water rush
through a dam near Church Rock, New Mexico, and
contaminate the Rio Puerco. Shortly after the acci-
dent, the river is measured as having 7,000 times the
acceptable level of radioactivity for drinking water.
July 20Leonard Peltier attempts a prison escape.
Amidst rumors that he is targeted for assassination,
Leonard Peltier escapes with two other inmates from
the federal prison in Lompoc, California. A mem-
ber of the American Indian Movement, Peltier was
convicted of murdering two FBI agents on the Pine
Ridge Reservation (see entry for APRIL 18, 1977)
but has long maintained his innocence. The police
soon recapture Peltier and return him to Lompoc.
The next year, for his escape attempt, seven years
will be added to the two life sentences he is already
serving.(See also entries for DECEMBER 15, 2000,
and for JANUARY 20, 2001).October 31The Archaeological Resources Protection Act
regulates excavations on federal lands.
Through the passage of the Archaeological Re-
sources Protection Act, Congress exerts greater
control over archaeological excavations on federal
lands. It requires excavators to apply for permits be-
fore digging at sites and to keep thorough records
of their findings. The act is the first federal law de-
signed to prevent the archaeological looting that
historically has robbed Indian groups of many of
their ancestors’ remains, sacred objects, and other
artifacts.AutumnThe first Native American Film and Video
Festival is held.
To showcase films and videos by and about
American Indians, the Native American Film and
Video Festival is held in New York City. The festi-
val will become a biennial event sponsored by the
Film and Video Center of the National Museum of
the American Indian (see entry for NOVEMBER 28,
1989). The center provides information about
Indian productions and film professionals to the
mainstream film and video industries.