News and Headlines : Native American Poet/Activist John Trudell Comes to CWU

Native American Poet/Activist John Trudell Comes to CWU

November 1, 2005

Contact: Djordje Popovic (509-963-963-1687/fax 509-963-3561/e-mail: popovicd@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - John Trudell, the son of a Santee Sioux father and a Mexican mother, grew up around the Santee reservation near Omaha, Neb. He became involved in American-Indian activism and participated in the takeover of Alcatraz Island from 1969-71.

He would go on to become the national spokesman for American Indian Movement from 1972 until 1979. In 1979, his mother-in-law, pregnant wife, and three children were killed in a suspicious fire, a tragedy that led him to poetry. A meeting with Jackson Browne in 1979 introduced him to the musical world.

Trudell will visit Central Washington University for the university's 2005 Indian Country Celebration.

The movie about his life, "Trudell" will be shown as part of the Classic Film Series on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. in the Hertz Hall Auditorium. The documentary weaves archival footage and contemporary interviews together with his words and music. The free, public screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Trudell.

Trudell's music is said to be a fusion of poetry, traditional native music and unrestrained rock and blues. He has also worked as an actor, with roles in "Thunderheart," "On Dangerous Ground" and "Smoke Signals."

Trudell's visit to CWU is sponsored by the Diversity Education Center, Indian Country Committee, Native American Student Association and Campus Activities.

For more information, or for persons to arrange for reasonable accommodation call (509) 963-1687 or (for hearing impaired) TDD 963-2143.