This month marks the 50th anniversary of the occupation of Alcatraz, when a group of Native Americans landed on the San Francisco Bay island, launching a 19-month occupation based on an established legal principle of reclaiming abandoned federal lands for Native use.
Now, for the next 19 months — the same amount of time that the Indians of All Tribes called the island home — an exhibition in the New Industries Building on that occupation, titled "Red Power on Alcatraz: Perspectives 50 Years Later," will be open to the public.
But the cliffside building was more than a gallery in recent days. It was a site of reunion, reflection and celebration.
The events commemorating the occupation on Saturday included an opening prayer and dedication to the exhibit by Geneva Seaboy, an original occupier. She thanked the National Park Service, which she called "instrumental in putting the exhibit together."
Exhibitors Ilka Hartmann, Stephen Shames and Kent Blansett were present for the display to answer questions. Blansett and Dr. LaNada War Jack, another original occupier, gave presentations.
Blansett's display, "Not Your Indians Anymore," features ephemera, original artifacts and rare media from his personal collection.
David Leach, who was the first to set foot on the island as an occupier, brought his son, Dana (Joe) Leach, to Alcatraz for the first time for the anniversary.
"I never came here before because I couldn't afford it," Joe said.
Some photos of Joe's grandmother, Stella Means, who was a nurse on the island during the occupation, are in the show.
Toward the end of the event, Mutsun-Ohlone educator, singer and activist Kanyon Sayers-Roods read a letter written by her Ohlone relatives, whose ancestral land Alcatraz belongs to.
The letter said: "Those on Alcatraz say they speak for all Indian people everywhere, but they do not... There is not one Ohlone Indian among those now on Alcatraz island."
Sayers-Roods said that although she supports the occupation herself, she chose to read the letter to honor the history and acknowledge differing perspectives.
"I will do as much as I can for as long as I can, whenever I can and wherever I can, to honor truth in history and to be a good ancestor-in-training," said Sayers-Roods.
