John Trudell is an acclaimed poet, national recording artist, actor and activist whose international following reflects the universal language of his words, work and message. Trudell (Santee Sioux) was a spokesperson for the Indian of All Tribes occupation of Alcatraz Island from 1969 to 1971. He then worked with the American Indian Movement (AIM), serving as Chairman of AIM from 1973 to 1979. In February of 1979, a fire of unknown origin killed Trudell’s wife, three children and mother-in-law. It was through this horrific tragedy that Trudell began to find his voice as an artist and poet, writing, in his words, “to stay connected to this reality.”
Trailer for 'Trudell'
"I'm not looking to overthrow the American government, the corporate
state already has." - John Trudell
"John Trudell is intellligent and articulate, therefore dangerous." -
FBI memo
From: Interview: John Trudell, Poet and Songwriter - An Un-Mined Mind!
When I reviewed Lines From A Mined Mind I tried to explain what you meant by a "Mined Mind" but I'm not sure how clear I was on it - can you take me through it?
Well you read the introduction right (Me: Yeah but you know I'm still not sure whether I got what you were after) Okay they've got us believing that believing is thinking, but the reality is we're not really thinking cause believing is accepting without thinking about it. Because we're not thinking we end up focusing on our fears, doubts and insecurities. The "being" part of human is being mined and that allows us to be programmed by the beliefs they tell us is thinking.
If we ever want to use the power of creative thinking we must become focused on the conscious power of thought. It's also got to be an awareness that's beyond just the self - it's a recognition of the power of intelligence in of itself without anything tied to it. It's all about energy, because thought is energy, and when you take energy away from humans we're flat - we're mined out.
[ ... ]
What do you hope that listeners, or readers take away from your work?I don't believe in hope - hope is a sedative - it's something you do instead doing something - you sit around and "hope" things will get better. You know when Pandora was given her box of evils by the Gods and told not to open it, and she did anyway letting loose all the evils on the world, the last of the things that was in that box was hope!
Earth the living entity
From: Testimony of John Trudell in the Trial of Arlo Looking Cloud
February, 2004
Q. What is your occupation?
A. I am a writer and a performer, actor, speaker, in that area.
Q. You currently have a band?
A. Yeah, Bad Dog.
Q. Have you been an entertainer for quite a while?
A. Twenty years.
Q. Where were you born and raised?
A. I was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and I was raised in small
communities around Omaha, and my reservation is Sante in
Northern Nebraska. So I enlisted when I was seventeen, and up
until that time maybe I had lived in both communities, both
worlds equally.
Q. You did what at seventeen?
A. I enlisted in the Navy.
Q. In the Navy, okay. How long were you in the Navy?
A. Four years. Three years and ten months.
Q. Where did you go after that?
A. I stayed in southern California, because I was home
ported in Long Beach. I went to school for a while in San
Bernardino, and figured out that wasn't really working out for
me, and then I went to the Alcatraz occupation in 1969.
Q. What do you had mean by the Alcatraz occupation?
A. In 1969 collective native community, we called ourselves
Indians of all Tribes Alcatraz, but we occupied the former
prison under the 1868, in relationship to the 1868 Fort
Laramie treaty about surplus government lands reverting to
native use.
Q. About 1969 or so did you become somewhat of an activist?
A. Yes, 100 percent.
Q. How old are you now?
A. I will be 58 next week.
Q. Have you ever been involved with the AIM organization?
A. I was chairman of AIM from 1973 to around 1979.
Q. What did you do as chairman of AIM?
A. Me, I think basically I acted as a spokesman. You know,
really what, I mean the title is chairman, but in reality I
acted as a spokesman. I looked at that as what my role was.
It wasn't so much, because AIM at that time with the
leadership, you know, we all had different supporters. I mean
each leader had their own group of people around them, but I
never really looked at my role as being an order giver, it was
more to speak, because that is, I always felt that's why.
When I was nominated to be, actually was named cochairman, and
there was an incident and I became chairman, but I always felt
it was the people liked my analysis of things.
Crazy Horse
[Crazy Horse, from Bone Days by John Trudell. To those who have gone on before us.
Wounded Knee Massacre December 29, 1890.
Lest we forget]
Crazy Horse
We Hear what you say
One earth one mother
One does not sell the earth
The people walk upon
We are the land
How do we sell our mother
How do we sell the stars
How do we sell the air
Crazy Horse
We hear what you say
Too many people
Standing their ground
Standing the wrong ground
Predators face he possessed a race
Possession a war that doesn't end
Children of god feed on children of earth
Days people don't care for people
These days are the hardest
Material fields material harvest
decoration on chains that binds
Mirrors gold the people lose their minds
Crazy Horse
We Hear what you say
One earth one mother
One does not sell the earth
The people walk upon
We are the land
Today is now and then
Dream smokes touch the clouds
On a day when death didn't die
Real world time tricks shadows lie
Red white perception deception
Predator tries civilising us
But the tribes will not go without return
Genetic light from the other side
A song from the heart our hearts to give
The wild days the glory days live
Crazy Horse
We Hear what you say
One earth one mother
One does not sell the earth
The people walk upon
We are the land
How do we sell our mother
How do we sell the stars
How do we sell the air
Crazy Horse
We hear what you say
Crazy Horse
We hear what you say
We are the seventh generation
We are the seventh generation
John Trudell spoken word
Quiltman Traditional Vocals
Mark Shark slide guitar and percussion
Ricky Eckstein Keyboards and percussion
Billy Watts Electric guitar
Tribes of Europe
from the talk:
"What it means to be a human being"
Given by John Trudell at a benifit for the O'wa indians and there resistance to oil drilling on there ancestoral land.
Full talk can be downloaded for free
www.tucradio.org/native.html
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