Like a Hurricane: The Indian Movement from Alcatraz to Wounded Knee

by Paul Chaat Smith and Robert Allen Warrior

Book Overview

It's the mid-1960s, and everyone is fighting back. Black Americans are fighting for civil rights, the counterculture is trying to subvert the Vietnam War, and women are fighting for their liberation.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565844025
• ISBN13: 9781565844025
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: New Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Very Balanced Story of the Radical Indian Movement AIM

Well written book by Native Americans who write an objective history of the 60's style Indian movement that merged into Dennis Banks' American Indian Movement. The first section about the Alcatraz take over is very informative about the Bureau of Indian Affairs plan to move Indians off the reservation to assimilate them in Cities. Unfortunately, many of the Indians that relocated off the reservation ended up in their own Ghettos in poverty. However, these urban Indians such as the Mohawk Russell Oakes get personally involved in the take over of Alcatraz. The authors define well how the plans to take over landmarks comes about, the value of publicity and they bluntlydescribe the failures in organization. The failures botch attempts to take Ellis Island and leave the Trail of Tears caravan virtually without shelter which inadvertently results in the take over of the BIA building. Unfortunately, the movement seems to falter with acts of vandalism, burning of a building in Custer, South Dakota and the destructiuon of buldings at the seige of Wounded knee and the unfortunate circumstance of kidnapping. The damage to property, reports of alchol abuse such as the get together in Warrenton, VA. undermines the movement in my mind. Thse acts seemed to diminish the goals of the Indian Movement although the authors make a point that even Martin Luther King could not control all the elements of his movement. Although the actions of AIM do obtian publicity and sympathy for their movement, the authors ironically note that their followers never materialize in large numbers. The book peaks with the reoccupation of Wounded Knee that succeeds as a great reminder of the mistreatment Indians in the past and invoking tribal rivalry between the current council President and AIM. In the finale, the authors note the failure of AIM to maintain itself after many of its leaders such as the charismatic Russell Means are put on trial or in some cases put in jail. The authors quote admirers and critics of the movement which is punctuated with the lack of concrete ideas that could translate to realistic acheivable goals and a lack of organization. Overall a very fascinating book that I wish spent more time on the transition of its main leaders to "Reborn Capatalists" (Banks)and movie Stars (Means - Pochohontas and "the Last of the Mohicans). In addition, I wish the book provided more detail on the desires of reservation Indians, their problems and ideas for positive change. Very unfortunate that Clyde Warrior, one of the main leaders of the 60's rebirthing of an idealistic Indian movement, dies in the late 60's at the youthful age at 29. If he could have maintained his health and vision, his impact on AIM might have led to greater organization and acomplishments. It was interesting to note that the authors refer to Sitting Bull as a Oglala Sioux when in fact he was a Hunkpapa Sioux (page 190).

An eye-opener!

I knew nothing about any of the events depicted in this book. They had been referenced in some other readings I had completed so I was seeking out more information. I felt this book was a great synopsis of the events of the Indian rights movement of the 60's and 70's. I was disappointed in the lack of information on Leonard Peltier and his situation. I wanted the book to continue for a few more years! I think it is sad that the general public has forgotten, so quickly, what occurred during this time. I was born in 1965 and I think once this movement was waning from the media, it was quickly forgotten by the majority of Americans, which is sad. I would recommend this book to anyone searching to understand the plight of the Native Americans today and the history of their search for freedom and the right to exist as they choose.

A great historical read!

This book picks up where Dee Brown's Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee leaves off. I was afraid when I ordered this book that it would be too politically technical, but it wasn't at all. It really held my interest right from the beginning. It's the first insight that I've really been exposed to about the Native American Civil Rights Movement. The authors really tried to be as unbiased as possible by not only exposing the deceit of the US Government, but by also exposing the weaknesses and mistakes within the Native American factions who were originally involved in the early movement. After reading this book, my wish is that some day I'd love to have dinner with Dennis Banks and Russell Means. What interesting conversation and stories they could tell!!! What true (Native) American heroes they are!

Wonderful overview of an ignored movement

This book is a fabulous overview of a widely ignored and/or distorted movement in American and Indian history. The authors successfully led me through events that previous writers have misrepresented, in a mostly objective fashion. This book was my starting off point for a year's worth of research on the Trail of Broken Treaties of 1972. It was instramental in placing events in historical context, keeping me focused, and being a guide to other sources.

I found this book very well-written and well-researched

Unlike "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse" which was a more hysterical presentation, throwing out a patch quilt of names, bar room brawls, arrests and killing, I found this book very informative, very well written, and very even handed. I would never have guessed from Mathieson's book, for example, that the American Indian Movement, like so many others of that era, started as a movement of students and intellectuals. Also the authors seem to feel that "the incident at Oglala" which has attracted so much press and celebrity attention, basically took place after the death knell for the movement had been sounded. To some of the authors' ideas as to the reason for the demise of the movement, I would add another, from the pespective of a white student at the time. That reason is simple bad timing. We had supported Black Power, We had supported the Chicano grape-pickers, We had protested the War in Viet Nam. American white society, which has admittedly a very short attention span was growing tired of causes. When Watergate came along the baby boomers felt vindicated and so we put aside our anger, and started working toward lives which ended up to be much like those of our parents' generation. Just a few years earlier we would have supported and Indian movement. Now sadly we just didn't care.