Native-American Civil Rights Activist. He was a Assiniboine-Sioux and a member of the Franks Landing Indian Community who was widely referred to as the "most important Indian" by Native American rights advocates. Adams was central to the fight to uphold tribal treaty rights during the 1960s and 1970s. Born on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana and raised on the Quinault Reservation in Washington State, in 1963, Adams joined the National Indian Youth Council and began focusing on tribal treaty rights just as the issue was sparking conflicts between Native American communities and local governments. He became active in the American Indian Movement which focused on addressing systemic issues of poverty and inequality for Native Americans. In 1972, he joined the group's Trail of Broken Treaties protest march across the country, which ended with participants occupying the Bureau of Indian Affairs offices in Washington, D.C. He helped resolve that occupation as well as one involving hundreds of people at Wounded Knee a year later. During negotiations over the occupation at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Adams drafted the "20 Points," a statement viewed as essential in the history of treaty rights. In 1972, he also produced a documentary entitled 'As Long As The River Runs,' which depicted violence against Native American women during protests between 1968 and 1970. In 2006, he was given the American Indian Visionary Award, and until his death, he continued to advocate for Native young people's education on treaty rights and for their participation in their community's affairs.
Native-American Civil Rights Activist. He was a Assiniboine-Sioux and a member of the Franks Landing Indian Community who was widely referred to as the "most important Indian" by Native American rights advocates. Adams was central to the fight to uphold tribal treaty rights during the 1960s and 1970s. Born on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana and raised on the Quinault Reservation in Washington State, in 1963, Adams joined the National Indian Youth Council and began focusing on tribal treaty rights just as the issue was sparking conflicts between Native American communities and local governments. He became active in the American Indian Movement which focused on addressing systemic issues of poverty and inequality for Native Americans. In 1972, he joined the group's Trail of Broken Treaties protest march across the country, which ended with participants occupying the Bureau of Indian Affairs offices in Washington, D.C. He helped resolve that occupation as well as one involving hundreds of people at Wounded Knee a year later. During negotiations over the occupation at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Adams drafted the "20 Points," a statement viewed as essential in the history of treaty rights. In 1972, he also produced a documentary entitled 'As Long As The River Runs,' which depicted violence against Native American women during protests between 1968 and 1970. In 2006, he was given the American Indian Visionary Award, and until his death, he continued to advocate for Native young people's education on treaty rights and for their participation in their community's affairs.
Bio by: Louis du Mort
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