[Group of Three Posters Concerning the Activism and Incarceration of Leonard Crow Dog]

[Various locations, 1976. Very good.. Three illustrated posters. Generally minor wear. A trio of illustrated posters advertising events to benefit Leonard Crow Dog, a Lakota activist, medicine man, and spiritual leader who participated in the takeover of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in 1973. Crow Dog was a lifelong advocate for Native American rights and an early and important leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM), founded in 1968. For his part in the occupation of Wounded Knee, Crow Dog served about two years in prison, but was released in 1977 following a wave of public support for his case. Crow Dog was convicted on August 5, 1976; as such, the present collection of posters emanate from before and just after he was sent to prison. The posters are detailed as follows, in chronological order:

1) A Rally in Support of the Struggles of Native American People [caption title]. [New York: Native American Solidarity Committee, 1975]. 14 x 10.75 inches. Minor creasing and wrinkling. The rally included attorney William Kunsler and most notably Leonard Crow Dog himself, described here as "Spiritual Leader of the American Indian Movement." The rally took place at the Walden School in New York City, included a reception and "photographic exhibit" by author and photographer Richard Erdoes, and was "followed by the premiere showing of the film Ghost Dance of the Red Nations." The event was sponsored by the Native American Solidarity Committee.

2) A Benefit for the Crow Dog Defense [caption title]. [New York City: ca. 1976]. 14 x 8.5 inches. Light wear. The benefit for Leonard Crow Dog included "Two Ceremonials," one of which was given by Crow Dog himself, likely while he was awaiting his trial for the events at Wounded Knee in a few years earlier. The poster is illustrated with a drawing of Crow Dog, likely from a photograph. The rally took place at Washington Square Church in New York City, and was touted as "A New Wilderness Event."

3) Crow Dog Sun Dance August 5-8 1976. Crow Dog Is In Penitentiary But the Sun Dance Will Go On [caption title]. [South Dakota: 1976]. 22.5 x 17.25 inches. Minor soiling, central horizontal fold, pinholes at corners. The Sun Dance took place on the Rosebud Reservation. The poster includes a monotone photograph of Leonard Crow Dog at top. The text includes an invitation to "All Spiritual Leaders, Chiefs, and traditional people" for the Sun Dance, which "occurs when the chokecherries are ripe."

We locate only one copy of the third poster in OCLC, at the University of Michigan, and no copies of the first two. (Inventory #: 4817)