American Indian Movement (AIM) Analysis in Lakota Woman

The American Indian Movement (AIM) was a political and cultural movement founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1968. Its original purpose was to protest the police brutality and systemic poverty that affected urban Native Americans, but it eventually expanded to advocate for the civil rights of indigenous tribes across North America.

American Indian Movement (AIM) Quotes in Lakota Woman

The Lakota Woman quotes below are all either spoken by American Indian Movement (AIM) or refer to American Indian Movement (AIM). For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

I haven’t touched a drop of liquor for years, ever since I felt there was a purpose to my life, learned to accept myself for what I was. I have to thank the Indian movement for that, and Grandfather Peyote, and the pipe.

Related Characters: Mary Crow Dog (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 45

Explanation and Analysis:

In the beginning AIM was mainly confined to St. Paul and Minneapolis. The early AIM people were mostly ghetto Indians, often from tribes which had lost much of their language, traditions, and ceremonies. It was when they came to us on the Sioux reservations that they began to learn about the old ways. We had to learn from them, too. We Sioux had lived very isolated […] AIM opened a window for us through which the wind of the 1960s and early ‘70s could blow, and it was no gentle breeze but a hurricane that whirled us around. It was after the traditional reservation Indians and the ghetto kids had gotten together that AIM became a force nationwide. It was flint striking flint, lighting a spark which grew into a flame at which we could warm ourselves after a long, long winter.

Related Characters: Mary Crow Dog (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 76

Explanation and Analysis:

[Leonard Crow Dog] could not understand why the government was after him. He did not consider himself a radical […] He thought himself strictly a religious leader, a medicine man. But that was exactly why he was dangerous. The young city Indians talking about revolution and waving guns find no echo among the full-bloods in the back country. But they will listen to a medicine man, telling them in their own language: “Don’t sell your land, don’t sell Grandmother Earth to the strip-mining outfits and the uranium companies. Don’t sell your water.” This kind of advice is a threat to the system and gets you into the penitentiary.

Related Characters: Mary Crow Dog (speaker), Leonard Crow Dog (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 216

Explanation and Analysis:

American Indian Movement (AIM) Term Timeline in Lakota Woman

The timeline below shows where the term American Indian Movement (AIM) appears in Lakota Woman. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Assimilation, Tradition, and Identity Theme Icon

...12, Mary was drinking copious amounts of hard liquor. But she eventually quit, crediting the American Indian Movement and traditional Native American religion for giving her a sense of purpose. But while she... (full context)

...sexually harass them. Once, while staying in Pierre, South Dakota for the trial of some AIM (American Indian Movement) members, some white men sexually harassed Barb while she was walking to... (full context)

...of Native American men at the motel, Tom Poor Bear had reinforcements, as several other AIM supporters rushed out of the motel to help him, as soon as they realized what... (full context)

...on the line—the police have a reputation for carelessly firing at Native Americans—one of the AIM members phoned one of the trial’s lawyers who was staying in another room in the... (full context)

...idea of “what being an Indian within a white world meant.” And when she joined AIM, the aimlessness that plagued her disappeared. (full context)

The American Indian Movement (AIM) was a powerful force, captivating many peoples’ interest. Mary’s first encounter with AIM was at... (full context)

Unity, Inclusion, and Equality Theme Icon

AIM originated in Minnesota in 1968, when its primarily Ojibway leaders focused on improving the conditions... (full context)

Mary credits Black civil rights leaders for some of AIM’s rhetoric. While Native Americans and Black people share the status of being systematically discriminated against... (full context)

Mary states that she, along with many other AIM members, hated white people because they were so accustomed to enduring racist hostility and brutality... (full context)

Romantic relationships abounded between AIM members. The marriages were conducted by medicine men; some lasted a few days, others several... (full context)

Throughout her pregnancy, Mary traveled with AIM, which older generations of Native Americans joined as well. While the middle-aged adults were considered... (full context)

Wherever the AIM members went, the white people of the area—particularly in the Dakotas—were terrified. Gun stores sold... (full context)

Of course, the AIM members weren’t perfect, and there were some AIM members—or people who claimed to be members—who... (full context)

In addition to the ritual, this Sun Dance was an occasion for AIM leaders and members to discuss recent and occurring events. Shortly before the Sun Dance, several... (full context)

...ordered lawmakers to ignore the protesters. As the mood turned sour, Mary—along with many other AIM members—began to realize that they would have to stir up some trouble in order to... (full context)

Mary stresses that AIM was a spiritual movement, with traditional Native American beliefs playing a central role. Because their... (full context)

While active in AIM, Mary, along with many Native Americans, turned back to Native American traditions. She adds that... (full context)

Around this same time, AIM members gathered in nearby Rapid City to protest the discrimination and police brutality against Native... (full context)

Several hundred AIM activists drove to Custer that February of 1973. When they arrived at the courthouse, the... (full context)

As the AIM protestors tried to enter the courthouse, the police beat the protestors—including Sarah Bad Heart Bull,... (full context)

When Mary and the other AIM activists who weren’t arrested returned to Rapid City, they received calls from OSCRO. OSCRO needed... (full context)

The AIM activists drove to a community hall outside of Pine Ridge where OSCRO members often met.... (full context)

At this point, the AIM and OSCRO leaders were realizing that they couldn't storm Pine Ridge—it was too well-defended by... (full context)

Before the AIM and OSCRO activists drove to Wounded Knee, Leonard and Wallace Black Elk (another medicine man)... (full context)

Even though the federal officers were far better equipped than the AIM and OSCRO activists, they were generally unable to really tighten the perimeter, as they avoided... (full context)

...first, Mary’s mother ranted at Mary, shouting that she should have never spent time with AIM members. But she suddenly switched topics and raged about the cruelty of the officers who... (full context)

...when the federal officers were suspicious of the surprisingly small number of firearms that the AIM activists turned in. (full context)

...diligent, hard-working, and eager to help—both around the home and in the community as an AIM activist and a director for various Native American youth and anti-alcohol organizations. Annie Mae was... (full context)

...divorced him, won custody of their children, and left him. Shortly afterward, Annie Mae joined AIM to fight for Native American rights. (full context)

...love with another Native American man named Nogeeshik Aquash. They were both dedicated to the AIM cause and often worked together. Like Mary, they were both at the siege of Wounded... (full context)

...one felt safe at this time. In addition to Wilson’s murderous goons, the FBI infiltrated AIM with spies and informers, which only added to the paranoia. Leaders began suspecting one another;... (full context)

...mourns the loss of her dear friend Annie Mae, who had sacrificed herself for the AIM cause. (full context)

...leader, not a revolutionary—Mary knew then and knows now that, because the militant youth of AIM would listen to a medicine man, Leonard was a threat to the system. For example,... (full context)

...the FBI had decided to frame Leonard. The reason is tied to a shoot-out between AIM activists and FBI agents that took place in 1975. The gunfight resulted in the death... (full context)

The FBI eventually decided to charge a radical AIM leader named Leonard Peltier for the deaths of the two FBI agents. They threatened several... (full context)

From the moment that Leonard went to jail, the friends and activists of AIM rallied and raised money to set him free. Over the two-year struggle to free Leonard,... (full context)

Mary also discusses the lives of several AIM leaders, from Dennis Banks, who became a professor before starting a limousine service, to Russel... (full context)

American Indian Movement (AIM) Term Analysis

American Indian Movement (AIM) Quotes in Lakota Woman

American Indian Movement (AIM) Term Timeline in Lakota Woman