Welcome to Indian Land Virtual Exhibit

Members of the Indians of All Tribes pose on Broadway in the Alcatraz cellhouse during the 1969-71 occupation of the island.

©Art Kane

 

"I hope this exhibit plants a seed for visitors' ideas, and that those ideas would be for change -- for the betterment of humanity and the way that humanity treats the world and each other." Jonny Bearcub (Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Nation)

 

 

In 2019, a “canoe journey” of traditional boats from many tribes culminated in a paddle to Alcatraz to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1969-1971 occupation. Tule reed boast like this were used by local Ohlone inhabitants.

Image courtesy Marisa Leshnov

We Are Still Here

The Ramaytush are the original peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula, including Alcatraz Island. The Ohlone life ways were severely disrupted by the arrival of the Spanish in the early 1770s. Native peoples were forcibly relocated from their ancestral lands to Mission Dolores. Spanish, and later Mexican and American, colonization had a disastrous impact. Despite that, the Ohlone maintain strong cultural and spiritual connections to these lands.

“Alcatraz is a sacred place to my tribe from the East Bay, the Lisjan Ohlone people…. Our ceremonies happen when our people pass away. For four days, we have ceremonies while our relatives’ spirits rest on this particular island…. On the evening of the fourth day, as the sun is setting, we believe those spirits leave through our western gate, which is now where the Golden Gate Bridge is. When I come here, I believe that I can feel the spirits of our ancestors who are here, and I try to walk quietly while I am in this land because I know they are making their journey to that next place.” Corrina Gould (Lisjan Ohlone)

Read more: Ohlones and Coast Miwoks (U.S. National Park Service)

 

“Proclamation for the Indian Occupation of Alcatraz,” written by Adam Fortunate Eagle and the United Bay Area Council of American Indians

Ilka Hartmann

Why Alcatraz?

“We looked up all the history and found out that many Indians had been held prisoner there, so in a way it was already Indian land. We studied the tides, planned strategy, and looked for someone to take us to the island." Belva Cottier (Sicangu Lakota)

Before Alcatraz was a prison, it was a military fort. Many Native Americans were imprisoned here for resisting or rebelling against the U.S. government. For hundreds of years, invaders broke all government treaties with tribes and stole Indian territory for its valuable natural resources.

The 1950s-1960s were a time of upheaval for Native Americans. The government moved to seize more Indian lands. “Relocation” policies encouraged Indians to leave reservations, and “termination” policies began eliminating Native tribes’ legal status and land rights.

Native Americans who had moved to cities, especially on the West Coast, began organizing. Students and activists began planning resistance to these policies. From these groups and discussions arose a radical idea: to turn the tables on the government.

On November 20, 1969, Native American men, women and children landed on Alcatraz and reclaimed it as “Indian Land” in a non-violent protest to highlight the historic mistreatment of indigenous people in the country. They stayed for 19 months.

Read more: Hopi Prisoners on the Rock (U.S. National Park Service)

 

Federal Marshals and FBI agents remove the last remaining occupiers

NPS Photo/GOGA 6474-254

And End… And a Beginning

The Occupations changed history. President Nixon halted the elimination of reservations. Indians finally gained religious freedom. Congress increased funding for Indian health care and education. The Occupations also saved Alcatraz. The government reversed its plan to sell off the island to developers. Instead, Alcatraz became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1972.

“It’s easy to pass off the Alcatraz event as largely symbolic, but the truth is the spirit and dream of Alcatraz never died. It simply found its way to other fights.... Native sovereignty, repatriation, environmental justice, the struggle for basic human rights — these are the issues Native people were fighting for then, and are the same things we are fighting for today.” Benjamin Bratt (Quechea)

Occupiers became tribal leaders and educators, environmental and political activists, judges, historians, artists, and much more. They fought peacefully for justice, improved their communities and inspired their descendants to do the same. Today, frequent programs, events, and exhibits inform 1.4 million annual visitors to the island about the Occupation’s impact on Alcatraz and the nation.

Read More: Creation of Golden Gate National Recreation Area - Golden Gate National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)

 

Learn More

Hear from Occupiers in their own words, see photos, and learn more about this important event.

Occupation Resources