Date of Award
5-23-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
History
First Advisor
William Stoutamire
Committee Members
Christopher Steinke; Linda Van Ingen; Nathan Tye
Keywords
Activism;Indigenous;Repatriation
Abstract
In June 1967, a group of Indigenous Peoples met at Mato Paha (Bear Butte, SD). The meetings were called due to disturbing reports and visions related to Indigenous Ancestral remains burial goods, or other sacred items on display in museums and repositories. They also discussed the continued desecration of sacred sites, and how these actions denied Indigenous Peoples of their human rights. The meeting a Mato Paha became the catalyst for what is now known as the Repatriation Movement. Based on grassroots organizing, the Repatriation Movement direct action, gatherings, legal action, and public relations to develop national repatriation law and the establishment of a National Museum of the American Indian. However, the Repatriation Movement utilized diverse approaches to achieve its goal. This project explores the approaches of two leading repatriation groups of the time: The Repatriation Coalition and American Indians Against Desecration (AIAD). Their contrasting approaches between militancy and nonviolence provided diverse approaches to repatriation, while proving that diversity of tactic was necessary to achieve repatriation goals. By understanding the early organizing of these two groups, historians can have a better understanding of Indigenous activism in the late twentieth century.
Recommended Citation
Shaffer-Henry, Sara Lynne, "A Journey Towards Human Rights: The Indigenous Repatriation Movement 1967-1995" (2025). History Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity. 57.
https://openspaces.unk.edu/hist-etd/57