John Trudell
John Trudell (February 15, 1946 – December 8, 2015) was a Native American author, poet, actor, musician, and political activist. He was the spokesperson for the Indians of All Tribes' takeover of Alcatraz beginning in 1969, broadcasting as Radio Free Alcatraz. During most of the 1970s, he served as the chairman of the American Indian Movement, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
John Trudell | |
|---|---|
Trudell in 1997 | |
| Born | February 15, 1946 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | December 8, 2015 (aged 69) Santa Clara County, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | Santee Dakota-American |
| Occupation(s) | Indigenous rights activist, poet, musician, actor |
| Organization | American Indian Movement |
| Spouses | Fenicia Ordonez
(m. 1968; div. 1970)Tina Manning
(m. 1972; died 1979) |
| Partner | Marcheline Bertrand (?–2007) |
| Children | 5 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1963–1967 |
After his pregnant wife, three children and mother-in-law were killed in 1979 in a suspicious fire at the home of his parents-in-law on the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Nevada, Trudell turned to writing, music and film as a second career. He acted in films in the 1990s. The documentary Trudell (2005) was made about him and his life as an activist and artist.