Among Tiokasin Ghosthorse’s childhood memories is the “reign of
terror” that engulfed the Lakota native reservations from 1973
to 1976 following the 72-day indigenous occupation at Wounded
Knee. The protest culminated in an armed standoff between the
federal government (the FBI, U.S. marshals, and Bureau of Indian
Affairs police) and Native American communities. Following the
incident, a period of intense local surveillance by the FBI
ensued. At the time, “Many were afraid of the government and of
white skin. You were victimised if you had long hair and spoke
indigenous language. You were persecuted if you stood up to the
government or the Bureau of Indian Affairs,” Tiokasin, a Lakota
Sioux who grew up on the South Dakota Cheyenne River
Reservation, told IPS. “But the native people stood up, and the
more you stood up the more the government harassed you, turned
you into a militant or a terrorist. “It was a time when we were
not allowed to sing our songs, speak our language, or pray,” he
said. Tiokasin is now