John Trudell

Born of mixed tribal blood, John Trudell grew up in and around the Santee Sioux reservation near his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. The struggle against economic and cultural deprivation would, in time, become the raw material for his uncompromising artistic vision.
Trudell, a Vietnam Veteran, served in the U.S. Navy from 1963-1967, attended college for a while and then dropped out. In 1969, Trudell participated in the occupation of Alcatraz Island by Indians of All Tribes, becoming a spokesman for Indians of All Tribes. After the Indians of All Tribes occupation ended in 1971, Trudell worked with the American Indian Movement, becoming national Chairman of AIM in 1973. Trudell was chairman of AIM from 1973 until 1979. In February of 1979, Trudell's mother-in-law, wife and three children were killed in a fire of unknown origin.
It was through this horrific tragedy, that Trudell began to find his voice as an artist and poet, writing, in his words, "to stay connected to this reality. The lines were my bombs," he continues, "my explosions, my tears."
[taken from JohnTrudell.com]
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Please check out the new documentary film about John Trudell. Info at - www.TrudellTheMovie.com