More than half a century after a violent encounter on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation saw him incarcerated, Leonard Peltier remains resolute.
Despite his release, which resulted from a clemency granted by former President Joe Biden, Peltier continues to profess his innocence in the 1975 deaths of two FBI agents. He considers his newfound freedom a catalyst for renewing his activism.
“I’m dedicating the rest of my life to advocating for our people, as our struggle is far from over. We are still under threat,” Peltier, now 80, shared in an exclusive interview at his new residence on the Turtle Mountain Reservation, his ancestral land in North Dakota, close to the Canadian border.
Here, amid the vast snowy landscape, he will complete the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
Emerging at a time of intense conflict between the U.S. government and Indigenous communities, the former member of the American Indian Movement now steps into another era of political unrest. Peltier is acutely aware of the dangers posed by both the growing far-right movement and federal actions to tribal nations and Indigenous peoples. Peltier foresees parallels with former administrations in his belief that President Donald Trump’s government would target tribal lands for their mineral and oil resources.
“You don’t need to resort to violence; you just need to stand firm,” he remarked in his first in-depth conversation with a journalist in over three decades. “We must resist.”
During the late 1960s and 1970s, Peltier was part of a movement advocating for Native American rights and self-governance, occasionally occupying federal and tribal lands. This movement came to international attention in 1973 when activists seized control of the village of Wounded Knee on Pine Ridge, resulting in a 71-day standoff with federal forces. Their actions also included protests at Alcatraz and at the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters. For many involved in the American Indian Movement, or AIM, their activism was part of a historical lineage of resistance.
On the day of the deadly encounter, tensions on the Pine Ridge reservation ran high as the FBI’s pronounced influence was perceived as a threat to the community’s sovereignty. Peltier and fellow AIM members engaged in a confrontation with agents Jack Coler and Ron Williams when the federal officers arrived at a rural site housing AIM activists. Both agents lost their lives, alongside AIM member Joseph Stuntz.
The FBI contends that Peltier executed the agents at close range and has staunchly resisted narratives suggesting otherwise. In 2021, former FBI director Christopher Wray voiced his objections in a letter to Biden, labeling Peltier a “remorseless killer”.
The majority opinion supports his conviction, according to North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong, who stated, “Multiple federal judges upheld the verdict, and his parole plea was rejected as recently as last July. No legal grounds justified his release. He ought to remain in prison.”
Peltier did not receive a full presidential pardon; Biden commented that the decision to commute his sentence was influenced by Peltier’s age, medical conditions, and the extensive time served. While acknowledging his presence at the incident, Peltier insists he acted in self-defense, asserting he was not the one who fatally shot the FBI agents. He argues that after his co-defendants were acquitted on self-defense grounds, he was wrongly targeted.
“They wanted someone to blame,” Peltier explained from his dining area. “I was their scapegoat when they couldn’t pin the blame on anyone else. They said, ‘Let’s throw the full weight of the American government onto Leonard Peltier, we need a conviction’. When that happens, your rights just don’t matter.”
International groups like Amnesty International and various political leaders have called Peltier a political prisoner, challenging the equity of his trial. James Reynolds, the U.S. Attorney who once oversaw Peltier’s case, has since called for clemency, admitting there was no incontrovertible evidence Peltier delivered the lethal shots and describing his conviction as unjust.
Cyrus Peltier recalls visiting Leonard frequently at the federal penitentiary in Kansas. As a child, he struggled to understand why his grandfather wouldn’t apologize to the parole board to potentially secure his freedom.
“And he’d say, ‘Well, that’s not what I’m fighting for, grandson,'” Cyrus now 39, remembered. “‘I’m sorry those agents died, but I won’t confess to something I didn’t do. If that means dying in here, I will.'”
Throughout his incarceration, Peltier’s profile only grew. He accumulated support from global political leaders and U.S. celebrities, turning into a symbol for the injustices Native Americans endure. Peltier noted that these expressions of support and protest fortified his resolve.
While Peltier felt despondency in recent years, particularly after his parole denial, he attributes his survival to these advocates.
“They gave me the power to endure, reminding me of the purpose behind my imprisonment,” he remarked.
However, among some Indigenous community members, dissent persists. There are those who link Peltier to the 1975 murder of AIM member Anna Mae Pictou Aquash, although two other AIM members were convicted of the crime.
“The way they frame his release wrongfully dismisses the fact that Anna Mae never returned home,” remarked Denise Pictou Maloney, Aquash’s daughter.
Peltier, though, denies any involvement or knowledge regarding Aquash’s death.
Biden ultimately heeded advice from former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, belonging to the Pueblo of Laguna, in facilitating Peltier’s February 18th release, enabling his return to North Dakota.
Since returning, Peltier wakes up apprehensively at night, fearing that his freedom is a dream and that he hasn’t left imprisonment. While confined to his home and community, he can now access consistent medical care for his numerous health problems, including an aortic aneurysm. He moves with the assistance of a cane or walker.
Peltier thrives on the continuous visits and offerings from supporters that accumulate in his dwelling. He aims to support himself through selling his paintings and wishes to pen more books. Additionally, he plans on mentoring young activists on the challenges they will encounter.
While reflecting on his time behind bars, Peltier often pondered if his actions spurred any meaningful changes. Observing the current wave of young Native activists fighting for similar causes validates his lifelong struggle.
“It fills me with immense joy,” he expressed emotionally. “I see now that my sacrifice wasn’t in vain.”
