Mary Brave Bird

Born Mary Ellen Moore-Richard in 1954 on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota, she was a member of the Sicangu Oyate, also known as the Burnt Thighs Nation or Brulé Band of Lakota. She was raised primarily by her grandparents while her mother studied in nursing school and was working. Brave Bird was influenced by several relatives who followed traditional practices, including her granduncle Dick Fool Bull, who introduced her to the Native American Church. During the 1960s, Brave Bird attended the St. Francis Indian School, in St. Francis, South Dakota, a Roman Catholic boarding school. ==Career==

In 1971 Brave Bird was inspired by a talk by Leonard Crow Dog and at age 18 joined the American Indian Movement (AIM). She participated in such historical events as the 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties and subsequent occupation of the BIA headquarters in Washington, DC. She was also part of the 1973 Occupation of Wounded Knee. ==Marriage and family==

Brave Bird married AIM spiritual leader Leonard Crow Dog. The couple later divorced. She had six children in total. She was a grandmother and remained active in the Native American Church. ==Writing career==

Brave Bird was the author of two memoirs, Lakota Woman (1990) and Ohitika Woman (1993), and a shortlived newspaper when she was in a boarding school. Richard Erdoes, a long-time friend, helped edit the books. Lakota Woman was published under the name Mary Crow Dog and won the 1991 American Book Award. It describes her life until 1977. Crow Dog and Brave Bird made cameo appearances in the 1991 Oliver Stone film The Doors. ==Movie==

Brave Bird's memoir was adapted as the 1994 movie Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee, produced by TNT and Jane Fonda. The film starred Irene Bedard as Mary Brave Bird. The movie depicted the events that occurred during the 1973 uprising of the AIM (American Indian Movement) organization and their stand-off at Wounded Knee. Brave Bird has a cameo appearance in the film. ==Published works==

• Brave Bird, Mary, with Richard Erdoes. Ohitika Woman. New York: Grove Press, 1993. ; • Crow Dog, Mary, with Richard Erdoes. Lakota Woman. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1990. ; (ebook) ==References==