The New Indian Militancy: Its Roots, its Message, and its Significance for the Church

The term \u27Indian militancy will immediately bring to mind in some readers the images of Black militancy and Black power. For others, Indian militancy may create impressions of direct-action groups, violence and intimidation. However, in using the term Indian militancy or its correllary term, Red Power, this paper does not attempt to limit them to the narrow meanings ascribed to the corresponding terms of the Black civil rights movement. For the purposes of this study, Indian militancy and Red power will include those who advocate direct action through peaceful or disruptive means as well as those who are now beginning only to vocalize the needs, feelings and frustration of their people. Therefore, Indian militancy in this paper will be defined in its broadest possible sense; the opposite of which would be described as those Indians who do not feel compelled to do anything about their current conditions, or who are willing to accept and abide by the current attitudes and programs of American society