Belva Cottier
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Belva Cottier was an American Rosebud Sioux activist and social worker. She proposed the idea of occupying Alcatraz Island in 1964 and was one of the activists who led the protest for return of the is
Cottier, 1975
Occupation of Alcatraz
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The Occupation of Alcatraz was a 19-month long occupation of Alcatraz Island and its prison complex, then classified as abandoned surplus federal land, by 89 American Indians and their supporters. The
Belva Cottier
…of occupying Alcatraz Island in 1964 and was one of the activists who led the protest for return of the island to Native Americans. She planned the first Occupation of Alcatraz, and the suit to claim the property for the Sioux. Concerned for the health of urban Indians, she conducted a study for the Department of Health…
Markings from the occupation of Alcatraz as it appeared in 2010
Graffiti on the water tower
Markings from the occupation, featuring a Navajo greeting, "Yata Hey"
Alcatraz 03182006