Smoke Signals 3
DECEMBER 15, 2005
Indian Activists Reunited In Grand Ronde As Elders, Leaders
Tribal Elder Beryle Contreras meets with Wilma Mankiller after 30 years apart.
By Toby McClary
In autumn of 1969, thousands of Na
tive Americans occupied the abandoned
remains of Alcatraz, a federal peniten
tiary isolated on an island in San
Francisco, California. The occupation,
as well as the fight for Native rights,
is something that Tribal Elder Beryle
Contreras remembers well.
When she was 21, Contreras and her
family were relocated by the Bureau of
Indian Affairs (BIA) from their home in
Tillamook to the San Francisco Bay
area. Many Native Americans from
around the country were also moved to
San Francisco, but for Contreras, this
may have been one of the most influen
tial moves of her life.
Wanting to be involved in the Na
tive communities that surrounded
her, Contreras volunteered her time
at the San Francisco Indian Center
and the Oakland Inter-Tribal House
organizing fundraisers and other
events that supported Native Ameri
can progress. During this time in
1968, Contreras befriended an Indian
woman who was also donating time to
benefit Tribal communities. The
friendship blossomed. The woman's
name was Wilma Mankiller.
"Wilma and I had a lot in com
mon in those days," said Contreras.
"We were both going through some
hard times and I guess we kind of
commiserated."
As their friendship grew, Contreras
and Mankiller attended a lot of the
same functions and at one point, they
even lived together. They devoted
their time to helping members of the
Indian communities that were strug
gling, while all along their bond grew
tighter and tighter.
"We would take in a lot of kids
from the court," said Contreras,
"kids that were considered incorri
gible. We just lived and taught
them how to live in society."
In late 1969, by way of the "mocca
sin telegraph" (word of mouth through
Indian Country), Contreras and
Mankiller heard word of the Alcatraz
occupation. With both of them being
very intrigued by Tribal issues, they
decided to drop what they were doing
to help show support.
The 19-month occupation began on
November 20, 1969 and lasted until
June 11, 1971. Over 5,600 Native
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Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay
Americans, from all across the coun
try, took part. Some stayed for a day
and some stayed for the entire 19
months. Contreras lived three months
on the island, going back and forth
from the island to town in order to take
care of her business.
"One of the fishermen had a boat,"
said Contreras, "and he transported all
of the Indians to the island."
Native American students from the
University of California, Berkeley,
helped organize the occupation of
Alcatraz, making a stand for Indian
rights. The thousands of Native
Americans that occupied Alcatraz
identified with the call for self-determination,
sovereignty and respect for
Indian cultures. Today, the Alcatraz
occupation is recognized as a spear
head of Indian activism. Approxi
mately 74 occupations of federal
facilities and private lands followed the
Alcatraz occupation and were either
planned by or included people of the
19-month protest on Alcatraz.
"Alcatraz was a changing experience
for a lot of Indian people," said
Contreras. "It gave them a chance to
find their identity and relate to what
was really happening."
On June 11, 1971, a large force of
federal marshals, GSA Special Forces,
Coast Guard, and FBI agents removed
the final 15 people. There were six
men, four women and five children
remaining on the island. They offered
no resistance, and after 19 months and
nine days, the occupation was over.
"For a long time I had known that
Indians weren't treated right and I
wanted to be Indian," said
Contreras. "I didn't want to be any
thing else and I was willing to fight
for it."
After the Alcatraz occupation,
Contreras wanted to continue her ef
forts for a better life for the Indians
and thought that furthering her edu
cation would be beneficial. She en
rolled at San Francisco State
University and took general studies
for two years. She again met with
Mankiller, who was also enrolled
there, and they began paving their
path to a better Indian Country.
"It was after the occupation that
Wilma and I became really close," said
Contreras. "It was when we were go
ing to school together and shared some
classes together."
Getting an education was just one
of the many things on their list of ac
complishments. They were attend
ing many board meetings for Indian
programs and they also volunteered
their time at the Oakland Adult Edu
cation Program in 1974. Also in
1974, Contreras, Mankiller and two
other "California Indians" opened the
Survival School in Oakland.
"We just moved into a great big house,
pooled all of our money for the bills and
took in kids," said Contreras. "We were
doing so much at that time, gosh!"
Contreras remembers a time while
attending San Francisco State that
her and Mankiller took a whole week
off of school and wrote up three pro
posals for different Indian education
programs in Oakland.
"We made good money, but we had
to work hard everyday and some
times into the night to get them
done," she said. "I would proofread
because Wilma could type more than
80 words a minute. I never seen any
one type like that."
All three proposals were acknowl
edged and adopted by the state.
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Emotional Reunion Wilma Mankiller (1) and Grand Ronde Tribal Elder Beryle Contreras meet again after 30 years.
Guard Tower on Alcatraz
Contreras and Mankiller continued
these ways until each decided they
needed to go home in 1977. Contreras
moved back to Oregon and Mankiller
to Oklahoma.
Both led very busy lifestyles after
returning home. Contact between
the two was scarce and ultimately
they lost contact, though trying on
numerous occasions.
Then, on November 29, 2005, after
almost 30 years of being apart,
Contreras and Mankiller were re
united at the Grand Ronde Commu
nity Center. As Mankiller entered
the room, Contreras welcomed her at
the door with open arms. The two em
braced for several minutes, laughing
and crying and reminiscing like best
friends that had just spent the last
three decades apart.
As the two embraced, the emotion took
over the room and for a brief second, you
could have heard a pin drop.
When remembering Wilma
Mankiller, her best friend and one of
the most inspiring woman leaders in
all of Indian Country, Contreras, with
tears filling her eyes, had this to say:
"Wilma was always very sensitive
and generous. She was like everybody's
mother and everybody's sister. I want
to be around her and do things with her
again. I believe that we are soul
mates. I am so proud of her for all the
things she has accomplished."
Contreras and Mankiller ex
changed phone numbers and plan to
stay in contact. As both of them
head in different directions and lead
their different lifestyles, they will al
ways hold on to a friendship that has
lasted over 30 years.
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