Many students are aware of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and the Women's Movement, however, the stories of the American Indian Movement during the early 1970s are often overlooked or not explored.

In light of Native American Heritage Month in April, Arthur Short Bull, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, conducted a presentation "Red Road, Black Road: Reflections on Life on Pine Ridge in the 1970s" Monday night in the K-State Student Union.

The activist gave first-person accounts of the struggles and social problems of American Indians living on reservations.

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is known for its protest movements and several years of violent incidents.

The speaker shared painful memories from his past.

"During '60s, if an Indian boy got in a fight with white boy, the police would arrest Indian, even if a white boy attacked first," Short Bull said. "We had no voice."

The speaker said when he was a young man, he got arrested and sent to jail for no reason, "just for being an Indian," he said.

Getting a college education during the 1960s and '70s was an unattainable dream for many American Indians, he said.

During that time, authorities banned all kinds of meetings inside the reservation, including dances and funeral dinners.

"Part of our culture was destroyed," he said.

Short Bull said for past and present activist movements, most of the activists showed up only if a there was attention from the media.

"I couldn't trust them," he said. "They were doing it not for us, not for the future of our children, but for appearing in the news."

Short Bull drew the audience's attention to the personality of Anna Mae Aquash, who was one of the most famous female members of the American Indian Movement during the early 1970s.

"Her life and her death represent what activism is really about," Short Bull said.

She was murdered in 1975, and the alleged motives for the crime were the mistaken belief that Aquash was a government informant and that she also knew who killed FBI agents, he said.

According to Lakota beliefs, there are two roads in life - red and black.

"Red road is a dedication to God, it will take you to heaven. Black road is a parallel path of your daily things and choices you make every minute," Short Bull said. "Anna Mae Aquash was the best of us, she chose the red road."

The speaker also discussed the need for more professionals who can teach American Indian languages.

"A lot of Native Americans truly want to speak their language, to learn culture and practice rituals," Short Bull said.

Lisa Tatonetti, assistant professor of English and American ethnic studies, attended the lecture and said the 1970s were an important and under-discussed period in American history.

"That's why I'm really excited to attend this talk," she said.

John Diederich, sophomore in open option, found the time of the event convenient and the theme appealing.

"I'm interested in this topic because it is a part of our culture," he said.