Birthday of Clyde Warrior
Aug. 31, 1939
Clyde Warrior, 1961 (2012.201.B1396.0200, Oklahoma Publishing Company Photography Collection, OHS).
From The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture:
Born in Ponca City, Oklahoma, in 1939 and raised by maternal grandparents, he grew up in a traditional Ponca lifestyle, which later shaped his strong belief in tribal traditions. By his late teen years he was a noted powwow fancy dancer and singer.
His abhorrence for Indian discrimination, poverty, oppression, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and his strong belief in Indian pride led him to speak out against Indian injustices at every opportunity. In the mid-1960s Warrior established a national reputation as an activist with two important essays, "Which One Are You?: Five Types of Young Indians" and "We Are Not Free." His participation in Indian youth workshops and his impatience with moderate Indian organizations like the National Congress of American Indians led him to help co-found the National Indian Youth Council (NIYC) in 1961. Within a short time NIYC became a major Indian political organization, and it still exists.
Born in Ponca City, Oklahoma, in 1939 and raised by maternal grandparents, he grew up in a traditional Ponca lifestyle, which later shaped his strong belief in tribal traditions. By his late teen years he was a noted powwow fancy dancer and singer.
His abhorrence for Indian discrimination, poverty, oppression, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and his strong belief in Indian pride led him to speak out against Indian injustices at every opportunity. In the mid-1960s Warrior established a national reputation as an activist with two important essays, "Which One Are You?: Five Types of Young Indians" and "We Are Not Free." His participation in Indian youth workshops and his impatience with moderate Indian organizations like the National Congress of American Indians led him to help co-found the National Indian Youth Council (NIYC) in 1961. Within a short time NIYC became a major Indian political organization, and it still exists.