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Article: Native Americans and Alcatraz.
- Article from:
- Faces: People, Places, and Cultures
- Article date:
- September 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Alcatraz. The name sounds mysterious and forbidding, and conjures images of criminals attempting escape from this desolate, fog-cloaked island. Yet Alcatraz is a symbol of hope and pride for Native Americans because of an event that began there in 1969.
Long before Alcatraz was a federal prison, the island had been used by Native Americans. On November 9, 1969, young Native Americans reclaimed Alcatraz Island for their people. They did this to spark a change in the way Native Americans--who had been mistreated by the government for centuries--viewed themselves, their culture, and their rights as United States citizens.
A Mohawk named Richard Oakes, and ...