19 - Indian Occupation

WAYSIDE LAYOUT: Cream colored, horizontally oriented panel with a dark banner running across the top. The banner reads “Golden Gate National Recreation Area” on the left and the National Park Service logo on the right. The panel has two columns and a separate side section with information. First column has text, second column has 3 images and a quote and the side section features text with 3 images.  

FIRST COLUMN: 

TEXT: Indian Occupation: 1969 – 1971. In 1969, six years after the penitentiary closed, a group of American Indians claimed Alcatraz for “Indians of All Tribes.” For almost 19 months, they occupied the island to call attention to the plight of the Native Americans and make a stand for native peoples’ fundamental right to their cultural identities.  

The occupiers hoped to establish several institutions on Alcatraz. Their vision included a center for American Indian studies, a job training school, a spiritual center, an ecology center, and a museum.  

The occupiers did not achieve their goals for Alcatraz. However, the occupation of the island was a historical turning point for American Indians across the country. Public sympathy generated by the occupation played a key role in ending the U.S. government’s policy of terminating tribal governments, and the relocation of Indians from their reservation lands and communities. This led to an official government policy recognizing tribal self-rule, which protects Indian lands, languages, culture, and identity.  

SECOND COLUMN:  

QUOTE: “In the name of all Indians...we reclaim this island for our Indian nations...” The Alcatraz Proclamation, Indians of All Nations, 1969. 

DESCRIPTION #1: Black and white photograph of a tipi on Alcatraz Island with the bay and the city visible in the background.  

CAPTION: The occupiers erected this tipi, symbolic of traditional American Indian life, as a sign of their reclamation of the island.  

DESCRIPTION #2: Black and white photograph of Native American women standing behind a table filled with cooking supplies and various containers. Visible directly behind them are the bars to the jail cells.  

CAPTION: The Alcatraz occupation was a milestone in intertribal cooperation, involving Indians from diverse tribes and communities.  

DESCRIPTION #3: Black and white photograph of 5 men in a meeting. Some of them men are sitting and behind them is a photograph on the wall.  

CAPTION: The former Warden’s office was used by occupiers to hold meetings. A photograph of Geronimo was mounted over the fireplace.  

SIDE SECTION:  

TEXT: Historic Graffiti: Vestiges from the occupation have been preserved as important historic artifacts. 

DESCRIPTION: Photograph of the wall of the prison as seen from the docks. It features an eagle, with wings spread, above a shield decorated like the American flag. Scrawled across the shield is the word “FREE”. Below this is a “United States Property” sign that has been vandalized to now say “Welcome United Indian Property” and spray painted underneath the sign is “Indian Land”.