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The Bureau of Indian Affairs building takeover refers to a protest by Native Americans at the Department of the Interior headquarters in the United States capital of Washington, D.C., from November 3 to November 9, 1972. On November 3, a group of around 500 American Indians with the American Indian Movement (AIM) took over the Interior building in Washington, D.C.[1] It being the culmination of their cross-country journey in the Trail of Broken Treaties, intended to bring attention to American Indian issues such as living standards and treaty rights.
The incident began with a group of AIM protesters traveling to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) offices at the national headquarters building, intending to negotiate for better housing on reservations and other related issues. But after interpreting a government refusal of their demands as a double cross,[2] the protesters began the siege, occupying the building. And after denying a federal court order to vacate the premises issued after the first night of the occupation.[3] The takeover quickly gained national media attention.
The AIM affiliated protesters overturned tables and desks against windows, fortifying against potential police attack. Some set fires in interior offices and the marble lobbies, destroying many historic documents. The demonstrators started to run out of provisions after several days. They would not allow police or any government representative to approach the building, so two children of BIA employees were recruited to bring in provisions. After a week of occupation, the protesters left, with some taking BIA documents with them, and having caused an estimated $700,000 in damages.[4] And with the loss of the documents, the Washington Post claimed that the destruction and theft of records could set the Bureau of Indian Affairs back 50 to 100 years.[5]
Then President Richard M. Nixon had an interest in promoting tribal sovereignty, as having ended the termination of tribes that was part of 1950s policy. Alongside being interested in the decentralization of government, Nixon fundamentally agreed that tribes should manage their operations. Which as a result of the AIM occupation if the BIA's offices, Nixon signed law the Menominee Restoration Act to restore one tribe to federally recognized status and supported legislation that offered tribes control over their own operations and programs.