NPR

Dennis Banks, Native American Activist And Wounded Knee Occupier, Dies At 80

Banks was a founding member of the American Indian Movement and a leader of the armed occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973.
Dennis Banks, a leader of the American Indian Movement, burns a government proposal that would have let the AIM occupiers leave Wounded Knee in 1973. The Native American protesters then put the ashes into an envelope and sent it back to the government.

Dennis Banks, a Native American activist who co-founded the American Indian Movement and helped lead the 1973 armed occupation of Wounded Knee, has died at 80.

His death was announced on Facebook, and confirmed by his family in a statement to The Associated Press.

Banks was Ojibwe and Turtle Clan, and his Ojibwe name was Nowa Cumig. He died surrounded by his family on Sunday.

He co-founded the American Indian Movement, or AIM,

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
The Original 'Harry Potter' Book Cover Art Is Expected To Break Records At Auction
Sotheby's June 26 auction of Thomas Taylor's watercolor illustration for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is estimated to sell for $400,000-$600,000.
NPR2 min readCrime & Violence
Canadian Police Arrest 3 Suspects In The Slaying Of A Sikh Separatist Leader
Police said they arrested three Indian nationals in the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar last June that became the center of a diplomatic spat with India.
NPR2 min read
Mystik Dan Wins The Kentucky Derby By A Nose
In a close finish, Mystik Dan won the Kentucky Derby by a horse's nostril over Sierra Leone. Contenders waited with bated breath in the seconds before the official decision was made. The thoroughbred had entered the race with 18-1 odds — a longshot c

Related Books & Audiobooks