On Nov. 20, 1969, a group of Native students landed on the abandoned federal prison island of Alcatraz and claimed it as Indian land. Their occupation lasted 19 months, until June 11, 1971, and the National Park Service says it launched the Native American movement for sovereignty, power and independence.
Three occupations
According to the NPS essay "We Hold the Rock," there were three separate occupations: a short one on March 9, 1964; a symbolic landing on Nov. 9, 1969, when Richard Oakes, an Akwesasne Mohawk, and supporters sailed out on a chartered boat, the Monte Cristo; and the long occupation that began on Nov. 20. The group took the name "Indians of All Tribes" because so many tribes were represented.
Bay Area students led it
NPS says leaders included Oakes, who chaired the Native American student group at San Francisco State College, and LaNada War Jack, a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes who chaired the Native American students at UC Berkeley. Thousands of Native people joined the original group of 80. They demanded that the federal government honor its treaties with tribes, build a Native American cultural center and return land.
See it today
Messages the occupiers painted, some recently restored, are still visible on the island. NPS opened the exhibit "Welcome to Indian Land: Resistance, Resilience and Activism" on Alcatraz in September 2025. Note that Alcatraz is closed for dock repairs through Nov. 18.