Mary Brave Bird facts for kids

Mary Brave Bird, also known as Mary Brave Woman Olguin and Mary Crow Dog, was a Lakota writer and activist. She lived from 1954 to 2013. Mary was a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) in the 1970s. She took part in important events, like the Wounded Knee Occupation, when she was 18 years old.

Mary Brave Bird lived with her children on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Her book, Lakota Woman, was published in 1990. It won an American Book Award in 1991. Later, it was made into a TV movie in 1994.

Early Life and School

Mary Ellen Moore-Richard was born in 1954. Her birthplace was the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. She was part of the Sicangu Oyate, also called the Burnt Thighs Nation. This is a group within the Lakota tribe.

Mary's grandparents mostly raised her. Her mother was busy studying and working as a nurse. Mary was influenced by relatives who followed traditional ways. Her granduncle, Dick Fool Bull, taught her about the Native American Church. In the 1960s, Mary went to St. Francis Indian School. This was a Roman Catholic boarding school in St. Francis, South Dakota.

Joining the American Indian Movement

In 1971, Mary Brave Bird heard Leonard Crow Dog speak. She was inspired and joined the American Indian Movement (AIM) at age 18. AIM worked for the rights of Native Americans.

Mary took part in several important historical events. In 1972, she joined the Trail of Broken Treaties. This was a march to Washington, DC. After the march, people occupied the BIA headquarters. She also participated in the 1973 Wounded Knee Occupation. This was a stand-off at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

Family Life

Mary Brave Bird married Leonard Crow Dog, who was a spiritual leader for AIM. They later divorced. In 1991, she married Rudy Olguin. They had two children, Summer and Rudy. Mary had six children in total. She was also a grandmother. She remained active in the Native American Church throughout her life.

Writing Her Story

Mary Brave Bird wrote two books about her life. The first was Lakota Woman (1990). The second was Ohitika Woman (1993). Her friend, Richard Erdoes, helped her edit these books.

Lakota Woman was published under the name Mary Crow Dog. It won the 1991 American Book Award. This book tells her story up to 1977. Ohitika Woman continues her life story from that point.

Her books describe what life was like for the Lakota people. She wrote about growing up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. She also wrote about the nearby Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Her books talk about how Native Americans and their children were treated. They also discuss the roles of the FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Her writing often focused on themes of identity and race.

Mary Brave Bird and Leonard Crow Dog had small roles in the 1991 movie The Doors.

Movie About Her Life

Mary Brave Bird's book, Lakota Woman, was made into a movie in 1994. The movie was called Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee. TNT and Jane Fonda produced it.

The film starred Irene Bedard as Mary Brave Bird. It showed the events of the 1973 Wounded Knee Occupation. This was when the AIM organization had a stand-off at Wounded Knee. Mary Brave Bird herself had a small role in the movie.

Books by Mary Brave Bird

• Brave Bird, Mary, with Richard Erdoes. Ohitika Woman. New York: Grove Press, 1993. ISBN: 0-8021-1436-9
• Crow Dog, Mary, with Richard Erdoes. Lakota Woman. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1990. ISBN: 978-0-8021-4542-0