Trail of Broken Treaties Collection, 1972-1973

The Trail of Broken Treaties was an initiative to gain attention for issues facing native peoples in both the United States and Canada. The Trail of Broken Treaties Caravan began on the West Coast of the United States in October of 1972 and wound its way east, stopping at reservations and picking up additional participants as it worked its way toward Washington D.C. The caravan of protestors stopped in St. Paul, Minnesota where they held educational workshops and drafted a 20 point position paper that they intended to present to the current presidential candidates, Richard Nixon and George McGovern. The caravan participants began arriving in Washington D.C. in late October and early November of 1972 with a final count of about 1000 individuals representing numerous tribes from across the United States and Canada.

Caravan members found inadequate housing upon arrival in Washington D.C. and gathered at the offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to discuss options with the commissioner, Louis Bruce. Communication broke down during the conversations and an altercation between protestors and building guards resulted in the takeover of the BIA building by Trail of Broken Treaties participants on November 2, 1972. The protestors held the building for nearly a week, eventually negotiating with the federal government for travel funds to return to their homes, protection from prosecution for the BIA takeover, and a promise by authorities to consider the points made in the position paper.

Seventeen University of Montana Native American students participated in the Trail of Broken Treaties caravan. Participation was considered an "omnibus" course in Indian Studies (now Native American Studies), similar to a field work course; if the students completed assignments, including keeping and submitting a journal, they would receive fifteen credits for the quarter. The students left Missoula, Montana on October 13, 1972 in three cars. They attended a week of workshops in Minnesota and arrived in Washington, D.C. on November 1st and left the city on November 9th.