The American Indian Movement: The Potential of a Counter Narrative

The American Indian Movement (AIM) created political mobilization, that lasted about nine months in the limelight of the media, between the fall of 1972, and the spring of 1973. It largely disappeared afterwards, leaving behind it a powerful legacy of pride, role models and mythology of Indian activism. AIM rose on the grounds of deep feelings of relative deprivation. It expanded using the tool of a counter narrative, which has been so far underappreciated as a mobilization mechanism for inward and outward mobilization. The Movement could not maintain its activity because of a lack of resources, the fragmentation of its leadership and government harassment. AIM left a powerful legacy in the form of a living counter narrative and created a clear dent in the dominant narrative. It changed the way people think of Indians and behave toward them. Statistical analysis is used to show how descriptions of American Indians changed in two newspapers while the Movement was active. The study also includes interviews, historical and archival research. The Movement is followed in four phases, starting from its rise in Minneapolis. It then expanded to a national phenomenon through leading major events such as the siege over Wounded Knee. The Movement quickly contracted, leaving a powerful counter narrative for generations to come