Dennis Banks

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Lore & Background

Dennis Banks was born on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota in 1937; he was also known as Nowa Cumig (Naawakamig in the Ojibwe Double Vowel System). At age five, Banks was taken from his reservation and family to be forcibly moved to a federal Indian boarding school run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, where children were prohibited from speaking their native languages or practicing their traditions. He ran away often, returning to live with family at Leech Lake. He attended Pipestone Indian Boarding School in Minnesota, which closed in 1953. At 17, Banks joined the US Air Force and was stationed in Japan. In 1956 he was ordered to shoot to kill anti-base protesters during the Sunagawa Struggle, an event that had a profound influence on him. After going AWOL, he was dishonorably discharged. He returned to Minnesota, participated in a burglary, was convicted, and served two and a half years in prison. In 1968, Banks co-founded the American Indian Movement (AIM) in Minneapolis. He participated in the 1969–1971 Occupation of Alcatraz. In 1972, he helped organize AIM's 'Trail of Broken Treaties,' a caravan to Washington, D.C., and helped lead a takeover of the BIA offices. In 1973, under Banks' leadership, AIM led a protest in Custer, South Dakota, and later occupied Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The occupation lasted 71 days under siege by federal armed law enforcement. Banks was the principal negotiator and leader of the occupation. He was acquitted of Wounded Knee charges but convicted of incitement to riot and assault stemming from the Custer confrontation. Refusing the prison term, Banks jumped bail and worked with Anna Mae Pictou Aquash in AIM. He was given amnesty in California by then-Governor Jerry Brown, who refused to extradite him to South Dakota. Banks also traveled to Germany, where he set up an AIM office in West Berlin and traveled behind the Iron Curtain to meet with East German AIM supporters. Some thirty years later, Banks returned to Robeson County, North Carolina, where he reconnected with Hatteras Tuscarora/Lumbee Attorney and Activist JoJo Brooks Shifflett, remaining in a committed relationship with her during the last years of his life.

Reader's Guide

Dennis Banks was a central figure in the Native American civil rights movement. As a co-founder and longtime leader of the American Indian Movement, he helped shift public awareness toward the systemic injustices faced by Native Americans, including forced assimilation through boarding schools and broken treaties. His leadership in high-profile protests—such as the Occupation of Alcatraz, the Trail of Broken Treaties, and the 71-day Wounded Knee occupation—forced government concessions and brought national media attention to the oppression and poverty on reservations. Banks' activism also exposed the violent suppression of Native activists, including the murder of Anna Mae Pictou Aquash, which remained unsolved for decades until convictions were secured in the 2000s. His willingness to defy authority, including jumping bail and receiving amnesty from California's governor, underscored his commitment to Native sovereignty. Banks' legacy is that of a persistent advocate who, despite legal battles and personal risk, elevated the cause of Native Americans in the national consciousness.

Did You Know?

• Dennis Banks was also known as Nowa Cumig (Naawakamig in the Ojibwe Double Vowel System).
• At age five, Banks was forcibly taken from his family to a federal Indian boarding school run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
• In 1956, while stationed in Japan with the US Air Force, Banks was ordered to shoot to kill anti-base protesters during the Sunagawa Struggle.
• Banks was the principal negotiator and leader of the 71-day Wounded Knee occupation in 1973.
• California Governor Jerry Brown gave Banks amnesty, refusing to extradite him to South Dakota to face charges from the Custer protests.

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