Trail of Broken Treaties

THE Broken Treaties Caravan was a car caravan from various Indian reservation locations in the
U.S. that was to end in Washington D.C. with demonstrations at Arlington and the Iwo Jima Memorial,
as well as discussion with government officials related to a 20 point position paper. Instead the Trail of
Broken Treaties ended in a take over and occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs national office
building for a week. No one was killed.
When did this happen? November 3-9, 1972.
Who was involved? On the Native American side, the most well know people were Clyde Bellecourt
(picture below), Russell Means, Dennis Banks, Mary Crow Dog, Wes Studi ( a famous actor today).
There were many groups involved in this event, many people (such as the names above) came from
American Indian Movement. Other groups involved were the National Indian Brotherhood (a
Canadian organization), the Native American Rights Fund, the National Indian Youth Council, the
National American Indian Council, the National Council on Indian Work, National Indian Leadership
Training, and the American Indian Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. A man named David
Yarrow claims to have filmed 50 hours of footage from November 3-9, 1972 which includes the
occupation of the BIA building.
Why did the march happen? The goal of the march was to gain positive media attention and
support from the public to get the government to support a policy of self determination for American
Indians. The participants of the march/caravan also wanted to have an effect on the Presidential
election of 1972, as they thought the government would be forced to listen to their requests. The
organization's involved also hoped the government would be convinced to enforce past treaty's with
the help of public pressure. Much of this was to be done with trying to get the government to agree to
a 20 point plan, which was drawn up with Bellecourt's help. The American Indian Movement issued a
press statement explaining the philosophy of that plan.
Did everything go according to plan?

The idea for a Trail of Broken Treaties caravan began at the Sioux
Rosebud Reservation in 1972. "American Indian Movement (AIM)
activist Robert Burnette and others conceived of the project, with
support from people like Clyde Bellecourt (right), in which a caravan
of Indians from all over the country planned to converge on
Washington , D.C. , in a protest just before the presidential
elections." Part of this plan was that once in D.C. they would hold a
demonstration at Arlington Cemetery as well as the Iwo Jima
Memorial. They were hoping to be well received and have the
support of various organizations, such as the BIA, churches and the
park service.
How did things not go according to plan?

When the various caravans arrived in Washington and found that the
accommodations promised them were not available because, the number of protesters was higher
than expected. The reason for this seems to be that many Eastern tribes showed up as well as the
tribes from the Great Plains. This put the number around 2,000 and a strain on accommodations.
Churches did offer to put the protesters up at various locations around D.C. but the real sticking point
was that the park service denied the groups a permit to gather at Arlington Cemetery and the Iwo
Jima Memorial. The protesters went over to the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters and sat down.
Police in riot helmets showed up and tried to remove them. This caused the large group of people to
take refuge in the BIA building where approximately six to eight hundred Indians barricaded
themselves in the building. The Indians took over the buildings for seven days, while sympathetic civil
rights groups donated food. People like Stokley Carmichael and Dr. Benjamin Spock showed up and
made speeches of support. Eventually, the government promised to negotiate the demands, refrain
from making arrests, and pay the Indians' expense home.
What was the significance of the outcome?

One of the most significant outcomes of this week was that while in the
offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a large number of the BIA's most
confidential files were seized by the people involved in the protest. Many
of these documents revealed a range of questionable government
actions/practices related to reservation land and mineral rights. (At the
right is a photo of Floyd Crazy Horse, a Sioux from Cherry Creek,
holding a table leg that looks like a gun at the occupation of the BIA
headquarters in 1972)
Another outcome was the protesters were not prosecuted, the

government paid approximately $66,000 for return transportation for the
participants/occupants. "The occupation was seen as a great moral
victory for the Indians, who for the first time faced white America as a
united people."
There is a great article reflecting on the march 30 years later at Indian Country Today newspaper
from 2002.

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THE Broken Treaties Caravan was a car caravan from various Indian reservation locations in the

When did this happen? November 3-9, 1972.

Did everything go according to plan?

How did things not go according to plan?

What was the significance of the outcome?

Another outcome was the protesters were not prosecuted, the

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