John Trudell (1946-2015)

by Sean Aaron Cruz

John Trudell (Santee-Dakota) was a poet and philosopher, an original thinker and political activist, an author and a U.S. Navy veteran. He was a highly charismatic speaker. He became the spokesperson for the Indians of All Tribes’ 1969 - 1971 takeover of Alcatraz, broadcasting as Radio Free Alcatraz, and served as National Chairman of the American Indian Movement (AIM) from 1973 to 1979.

He became a spoken word artist and bandleader, an actor and a recording artist in the process of working through his grief at the loss of his pregnant wife Tina, their three children (Ricarda Star, Sunshine Karma and Eli Changing Sun), and his wife’s mother when someone burned her parent's house down while his family slept inside it in 1979. Their unborn son was named Josiah Hawk.

John Trudell was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1942. His father was Santee Dakota, his mother Mexican Indigenous. They made their home on the Santee Dakota reservation.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1963 and served off the coast of Vietnam on a ship doing search-and-rescue missions for downed pilots.

“In addition to Trudell's lifelong advocacy for Indigenous peoples, he was deeply committed to encouraging clear and coherent thought - for all peoples to remember what it means to be human, and to return to living in balance with the earth. Trudell promoted the use of hemp as a renewable resource to aid in our return to balance. He also advocated for women's wellness, including access to healthcare for women and children.” (Source: Artist website)

In 1981 he wrote his first book, Living in Reality.

In 1994 he published his second book, Stickman.

In 2008, Trudell published Lines From a Mined Mind: The Words of John Trudell, a collection of 25 years of poetry, lyrics and essays.

Trudell developed a career as an actor, appearing in nine films

Year                Title                                         Role

1989 - Pow Wow Highway                Louie Short Hair

1992 - Thunderheart                         Jimmy Looks Twice

1994   On Deadly Ground                 Johnny Redfeather

1996 - Extreme Measures                        Tony

1998 - Smoke Signals                          Randy Peone

2003 - Dreamkeeper                             Coyote

2004 - Sawtooth                                    Worm

2012 - Dark Blood                               Indian #2

2017 - Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World     Himself

He was an adviser to the production of Incident at Oglala, directed by Michael Apted and produced by Robert Redford

In 2008, Trudell published a book, Lines From a Mined Mind: The Words of John Trudell, a collection of 25 years of poetry, lyrics and essays.

Years active as a Spoken Word artist 1979 - 2015

Rock, blues, traditional

Poet, spoken word artist, author, actor, activist

Vocals