John Trudell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Trudell
Trudell in 1997
Born	(1946-02-15)February 15, 1946 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Died	December 8, 2015(2015-12-08) (aged 69) Santa Clara County, California, U.S.
Nationality	Santee Dakota-American
Occupation	Indigenous rights activist, poet, musician, actor
Organization	American Indian Movement
Spouse(s)	Fenicia Ordonez ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1970)​ Tina Manning ​ ​ (m. 1972; died 1979)​
Partner(s)	Marcheline Bertrand (unknown–2007)
Children	5
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1963–1967

John Trudell (February 15, 1946 – December 8, 2015) was a Native American leader. He was a writer, poet, actor, and musician. He also worked as a political activist.

He became well-known in 1969. He was the voice for the "Indians of All Tribes" group. This group took over Alcatraz Island. During this time, he broadcasted a radio show called Radio Free Alcatraz. For much of the 1970s, he led the American Indian Movement. This group worked for the rights of Native Americans.

In 1979, a fire tragically killed his pregnant wife, three children, and mother-in-law. After this, Trudell focused on writing, music, and acting. A documentary film called Trudell (2005) was made about his life. It showed his work as an activist and artist.

Early Life and Education

John Trudell was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on February 15, 1946. His father was Santee Dakota. His mother was Mexican. He grew up in small towns in northern Nebraska. These towns were close to the Santee Sioux Reservation. He learned in local schools. He also learned about Santee Dakota culture.

Military Service

In 1963, when he was 17, Trudell left high school. He joined the U.S. Navy. He served during the early years of the Vietnam War. He stayed in the Navy until 1967.

After his military service, he went to San Bernardino Valley College. This college is in San Bernardino, California. He studied radio and broadcasting there.

Activism for Native American Rights

After leaving the Navy, Trudell became involved in Native American activism. In 1969, he became the spokesperson for the United Indians of All Tribes. This group occupied Alcatraz Island. Most members were students from San Francisco.

Trudell joined the occupation a week after it began. He used his broadcasting skills to run a radio station from the island. It was called Radio Free Alcatraz. He talked about the reasons for the occupation. He also spoke about important American Indian issues. He played traditional Native American music. He believed the system at the time did not meet the needs of Indigenous people. He became a key voice for the Alcatraz occupation. He also spoke for the wider Red Power movement. This movement worked for Native American rights. He was the spokesman for nearly two years, until 1971.

When the government did not meet the protesters' demands, Trudell joined the American Indian Movement (AIM). AIM started in 1968 in Minneapolis. It first focused on police unfairness. Trudell became its national leader in 1973. He held this role until 1979.

A Family Tragedy

On February 12, 1979, a fire occurred at his parents-in-law's home. This was on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Nevada. His wife, Tina Manning, who was pregnant, died in the fire. Their three children also died. His mother-in-law, Leah Hicks-Manning, also passed away. His father-in-law, Arthur Manning, survived.

This fire happened shortly after Trudell burned a U.S. flag. He did this in Washington D.C. to protest how the government treated Native Americans. Trudell believed the fire was not an accident. He thought it was meant to silence him and his activist wife. Tina had been working to protect tribal water rights. The police investigation said the fire was accidental. However, Trudell often said he did not trust the federal government or the FBI.

Later Activism

Trudell later co-founded Hempstead Project Heart with Willie Nelson. This group worked to raise awareness. It focused on the benefits of legalizing industrial hemp in America. Hemp is a plant with many uses.

He also worked with the Seva Foundation. He performed at many concerts to support their Native American programs.

Personal Life

In 1968, Trudell married Fenicia "Lou" Ordonez. They divorced in 1970. They had a son, Wovoka Trudell, and a daughter, Tara Evonne Trudell.

In 1972, Trudell married Tina Manning. She was an activist from the Duck Valley Shoshone Paiute Tribe. They had three children: Ricarda Star, Sunshine Karma, and Eli Changing Sun. As mentioned, Tina, their children, and her mother died in a fire in 1979.

Trudell was in a relationship with Marcheline Bertrand. She was the mother of actress Angelina Jolie. She passed away in 2007.

In December 2015, it was announced that Trudell had terminal cancer. He passed away on December 8, 2015. One of his last statements was: "I want people to remember me as they remember me."

Musical Career

In 1979, Trudell met musician Jackson Browne. This made him more interested in music. He started recording albums and performing his own songs.

He recorded an album called AKA Grafitti Man with guitarist Jesse Ed Davis. This album was first available on cassette tape. In 1992, he re-released AKA Grafitti Man as a CD. It was very popular.

His album Johnny Damas & Me (1994) was also a big success. Critics said it blended traditional sounds with rock and roll. His band was called Bad Dog.

His music often combined rock, blues, and Native American beats. It also included pop and protest songs. He used his poetry as lyrics. His music was known for being both thoughtful and sometimes funny.

Writing Career

About six months after his family died, Trudell began writing poetry. He said his poems were "lines given to me to hang on to." He wrote many poems, like "Baby Boom Che" and "Rant and Roll."

In the 2010s, he often shared his new poems and writings online. He posted them on social media like Facebook.

Trudell often used his poetry in his songs. In 1982, he started setting his poems to traditional American Indian music. This led to his album A.K.A Graffiti Man. He used writing and music to help him understand the difficult things he faced.

In 1988, the Australian rock band Midnight Oil invited Trudell to tour with them. This tour brought his music and activism to new and larger audiences. He also toured with Peter Gabriel's WOMAD (World Music and Dance) production in 1993.

In 2008, Trudell published a book. It was called Lines From a Mined Mind: The Words of John Trudell. It was a collection of his poetry, lyrics, and essays from 25 years.

Film Career

John Trudell also became an actor. He appeared in several films in the 1990s. These included Pow Wow Highway (1989), Thunderheart (1992), On Deadly Ground (1994), and Smoke Signals (1998). In Smoke Signals, he played a radio speaker named Randy Peone.

He also advised on the film Incident at Oglala. This documentary explored events related to a shooting at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975. In the movie Thunderheart, Trudell played a character similar to Leonard Peltier. Peltier was convicted for the 1975 shooting.

In the 2003 film Dreamkeeper, Trudell played a character named Coyote. This film featured traditional Native American stories.

Documentary About Trudell

Filmmaker Heather Rae spent over ten years making a documentary about Trudell. It was released in 2005 and is simply called Trudell. Rae wanted to show how his political and cultural work connected to history. She also wanted to show how he inspired people.

The film first showed at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. It received mixed reviews. Some people found it thought-provoking. Others felt it only showed one side of his life. The song at the end of the film is "Johnny Lobo." It is about Trudell and was written by Kris Kristofferson.

Discography

John Trudell's music albums include:

• 1983 Tribal Voice
• 1986 aka Graffiti Man (with Jesse Ed Davis)
• 1987 ...But This Isn't El Salvador (as Tribal Voice)
• 1987 Heart Jump Bouquet (with Jesse Ed Davis)
• 1991 Fables and Other Realities
• 1992 Child's Voice: Children of the Earth (vocals performed by Trudell's daughters)
• 1992 AKA Grafitti Man
• 1994 Johnny Damas & Me
• 1999 Blue Indians
• 2001 Descendant Now Ancestor (spoken word)
• 2001 Bone Days (produced by the actress Angelina Jolie)
• 2003 The Collection: 1985-1992 (anthology of first six albums)
• 2005 Live à Fip
• 2007 Madness & The Moremes (double album)
• 2010 Crazier Than Hell
• 2010 Out Live This Beast (with Cempoalli 20)
• 2010 Rare Breed: The Songs of Peter La Farge (Bad Girl)
• 2014 Through the Dust (with Kwest)
• 2014 Generations of Evolution (with Meds Hawk)
• 2015 Wazi's Dream (feat. Bad Dog: Quiltman, Mark Shark, Billy Watts, Ricky Eckstein)
• 2015 Ancestors Song and The Fire Is Hungry (with Thana Redhawk)
• 2016 Time Dreams (with The Pines)
• 2016 Like Broken Butterflies (with Kwest)
• 2016 We Are the Halluci Nation (with A Tribe Called Red)
• 2020 Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane & Able(Black Thought)
• 2021 MADA (with Sin Soto)