Deloria, Vine, Jr. (1933-2005), was a leader in the fight for Native American rights in the United States. He was a principal spokesman in the struggle of Native Americans to gain greater control over their own affairs. Deloria, a Sioux, supported a return to tribal religions and certain other Indigenous (native) attitudes toward life. He wrote several books about Native American life of his day. His best-known work, Custer Died for Your Sins (1969), deals with the treatment of Native Americans by whites and the goals of Indigenous leaders.
From 1964 to 1967, Deloria directed the National Congress of American Indians. This private organization serves the economic and legislative interests of Native Americans. In 1971, he cofounded a law firm called the Institute for the Development of Indian Law. The institute defended treaty rights of various tribes.
Vine Victor Deloria, Jr., was born on March 26, 1933, in Martin, South Dakota, and graduated from Iowa State University in 1958. He earned a master’s degree at the Lutheran School of Theology in 1963 and a law degree at the University of Colorado in 1970. His other books include We Talk, You Listen (1970), God Is Red (1973), and Behind the Trail of Broken Treaties (1974). Deloria died on Nov. 13, 2005.
