John Trudell

The documentary about John Trudell was interesting. I could definitely draw some similarities between what he was saying in the film and the text. One of the first things I noticed is that he felt like he had “been born 100 years too late.” I got the feeling that he felt out of place in his life but that he accepted his role as a political activist because of these feelings. You got the sense that he respected his heritage and was willing to fight for independence. He took pride in his role and that showed when he talked. He was passionate for what he was doing but in a quiet kind of way.
It was really sad to learn about his wife and family. I think John Trudell and Tina Manning were probably soul mates. He said that he reconnected to the earth after “putting my love into the ground.” That reiterates everything that we’ve talked about so far about American Indians feeling connected to the ground and that everything revolves around the relationship with the earth. He seemed to be understated after his family died but still had purpose and meaning in behind what he was doing for the American Indian tribes.