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John Trudell (born February 15, 1946 in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American author, a poet, musician and a former political activist.
Personal background
Trudell is the son of a Santee Sioux father and a Mexican mother. He grew up around the Santee reservation near Omaha. He joined the Navy in 1963 and served in the Vietnam war. After getting out of the military he became involved in Indian activism and became the disc jockey for the Indians of All Tribes occupation of Alcatraz Island. He joined the American Indian Movement and, although not officially voted in, was its national Chairman from 1972 until 1979 after Carter Camp went to jail. In 1979, his mother-in-law, pregnant wife (Tina Manning), and three children were killed in a tragic fire, an event that led him to his "hanging on lines", his spoken word. A meeting with Jackson Browne in 1979 introduced him to the musical world. His first album, originally made with brilliant (according to Bob Dylan) Kiowa guitarist Jesse Ed Davis and originally available only on cassette tape, was A.K.A Graffiti Man. In 1992 he remade A.K.A Graffiti Man; more recent endeavors include Blue Indians (1999) and Bone Days.
Film career
Trudell has worked in a second career as an actor, with roles in Thunderheart (1992), On Deadly Ground (1995) and Smoke Signals (1998). One of his most significant contributions to film was in the production of "Incident at Oglala", a documentary produced by Robert Redford back in the mid 1990s. The film traces and reveals facts surrounding the shootout on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation which left two FBI agents and one Indian man dead, and ultimately led to the arrest and sentencing of AIM activist, Leonard Peltier. Trudell played a key role in keeping the movie true to both facts and events of the times.
Trudell the Movie
Filmmaker Heather Rae has spent more than a decade making the documentary, entitled Trudell (2005). Her intent was to utilize Trudell's rich political and cultural life to create a relevant piece that reflected contemporary history and educated and inspired world citizens. This documentary premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. documentary competition.
The movie has received mixed response among film critics and ordinary viewers. Some claim it to be thought-provoking and touching while others accuse Rae's biopic of one-dimensional hagiography.
Samples
Discography
- 1983 Tribal Voice
- 1986 Original A.K.A. Graffiti Man
- 1987 ...But This Isn't El Salvador
- 1987 Heart Jump Bouquet
- 1991 Fables and Other Realities
- 1992 Child's Voice: Children of the Earth
- 1992 A.K.A. Graffiti Man
- 1994 Johnny Damas & Me
- 1999 Blue Indians
- 2001 Descendant Now Ancestor
- 2001 Bone Days (produced by the actress Angelina Jolie)
External links
ca:John Trudell
de:John Trudell
pl:John Trudell
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