Annie Mae Pictou Aquash (1945-1975) was a Mi'kmaq activist from Nova Scotia, Canada, who became a prominent figure within the American Indian Movement (AIM) during the 1970s. Born on March 27, 1945, she worked tirelessly for the rights of Indigenous peoples in North America. Aquash was tragically murdered in 1975, under circumstances that remain the subject of speculation and investigation.
Early Life:
Annie Mae Pictou Aquash was born in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, Canada, to Mary Ellen Pictou and Francis Thomas Levi. She grew up in a close-knit Mi'kmaq community and experienced firsthand the discrimination and struggles faced by Indigenous peoples.
In 1962, Aquash married Jake Maloney and moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where she became involved in social work and local activism. Although the marriage eventually ended, it produced two daughters, Denise and Debbie.
American Indian Movement:
In 1970, Aquash joined the American Indian Movement, a grassroots organization advocating for the rights and self-determination of Indigenous peoples in the United States. She quickly became a prominent member, working closely with other AIM leaders such as Russell Means and Dennis Banks.
Aquash participated in numerous AIM actions, including the 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties, a cross-country caravan that culminated in a six-day occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs building in Washington, D.C. In 1973, she took part in the Wounded Knee standoff on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where AIM members and local Oglala Lakota people protested against government corruption and treaty violations. The 71-day standoff resulted in a violent confrontation with federal law enforcement agencies.
Murder and Investigation:
In 1975, following the Wounded Knee incident and amidst a period of heightened tension and violence on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Aquash was found murdered in South Dakota. Her death was initially ruled as the result of exposure, but a later autopsy revealed she had been shot in the back of the head. The circumstances surrounding her murder have been the subject of much debate and speculation.
In the years following Aquash's death, several investigations have taken place. In 2004, Arlo Looking Cloud was convicted of her murder, and in 2007, John Graham was also found guilty of her murder. However, there are lingering questions about the extent of law enforcement and government involvement in Aquash's death, with some suggesting that she was targeted for her activism.
Legacy:
Annie Mae Pictou Aquash is remembered as a courageous and dedicated advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples in North America. Her work with AIM, her participation in key events such as the Trail of Broken Treaties and Wounded Knee, and her tragic death have all contributed to her status as a symbol of Indigenous resistance and the ongoing fight for justice and self-determination.
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March 27, 1945 Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia
Mid-December, 1975 (age 30)
Information on the gunpoint interrogation of Annie Mae Pictou ...
Letters from Leonard.
By Denise Pictou Maloney in Justice for Annie Mae Pictou Aquash Woman Warrior
In 1999, shortly after indictments were issued for the murder of my mother, Leonard sent me a letter from Leavenworth warning us to be wary of what the feds told us regarding his involvement in my mother’s murder, that he had not interrogated my mother who he considered to be like a sister to him and that he loved her very much. The irony at that time was that I had not talked to any authorities or "feds". I had only been in contact with John Trudell, Dino Butler, Nilak Butler and Rob Robideau who all confirmed that, yes indeed, it was members of AIM who carried out the execution orders to execute Annie Mae on false accusations that she was a fed. Robideau also re-confirmed the gun in the mouth interrogation of my mother by Leonard (my mother had told our family of her interrogation when she came to see us last in the fall, a few months before her death).
When I replied to Peltiers letter I stated that if he seemed so convinced that my mother was murdered by the FBI, he would surely have no problem in helping "his sisters" daughters campaign for her justice and sharing the details and proof that he had to support those claims. His response to my requests for help was that he “would not participate in incarcerating another NDN man" and that he had indeed interrogated my mother but he did not use a gun. Robideau had warned Peltier to leave Annie Maes murder investigation alone and not to get involved. At the same time one of Peltiers minions had contacted me separately and said Leonard would support justice for Annie Mae if we would support him in his clemency campaign for his freedom.
The problem was, is that I had already had several phone conversation and emails with his co accused cousin Robideau who shared many details with me of how "Leonard was a fool to involve himself in the Annie Mae murder by voicing an opinion and that he should have just let sleeping dogs lie" which ended with Leonard publically deciding to support Graham (the man accused and now convicted of the murder of Annie Mae) when we refused to sign a letter of support for Leonard. Robideau said “Leonard was an idiot and he deserved to be where he was and he would go down with the rest of them". During the five years I had corresponded with Robideau he confirmed many suspicions and details I had been told by other witnesses over the years. When I specifically asked him if Leonard shot those agents he paused for a few seconds and blurted out “I can't answer that! I am Leonard’s first cousin" and I responded " you just did" and he nervously laughed and said I didn't understand what was going on then and that it was a war...it was self defense.
It was during Grahams Trial that Kamook Banks Eccoffey testified that Leonard had bragged to my mother, her sister Bernie and herself about shooting one of the agents point blank while he begged for his life. Leonard Peltier, Dennis Banks, Russell Means, the Bellecourt Brothers, David Hill, Leonard Crow Dog , Bruce Ellison, Madonna Gilbert, Loralie Decora Means, and at least a dozen other witnesses watched as my mother’s was interrogated, kidnapped, beaten , raped, dragged off to her death and then dumped on the side of the road like a bag of garbage. They have all known for 36 years it was not the fbi who murdered Annie Mae and they chose to lie and deceive NDN country to save their own asses.
Currently Leonard and AIM support Graham who was just convicted in Dec. of 2010 for the kidnapping felony murder of Annie Mae. Heros?? I think not . For 28 years our family sat in silent mourning while these cowards postured and reinvented history, and not once did they bother to contact their so called “friends” family. For those with the courage to learn the real truth and not the lies that I am a fed ( lol.... aim and Peltiers only rebuttal towards me, the same title I will remind everyone that they gave to my mother before they executed her) please feel free to contact me with your questions and for more details.
Wounded Knee Questions Revisited Part I - John Trimbach 40min
Published on Apr 30, 2012
WK-PART I, John Trimbach gives his presentation regarding his father, Joseph Trimbach's book, American Indian Mafia during the session entitled Revisiting Key Questions Concerning the 1973 Takeover and Occupation of Wounded Knee. The session at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on April 27th is disrupted at the end by American Indian Movement founder, and National Director Clyde Bellecourt is a named co-conspirator in the murder execution case of Annie Mae Pictou Aquash. 40min.
Wounded Knee Questions Revisited Part II - Denise Pictou Maloney 29Min
Published on Apr 30, 2012
WK-PART II, Denise Pictou Maloney gives her presentation regarding her mother, Annie Mae Pictou Aquash during the session entitled Revisiting Key Questions Concerning the 1973 Takeover and Occupation of Wounded Knee. The session at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on April 27th is disrupted at the end by American Indian Movement founder, and National Director Clyde
Here's a Facebook Page dedicated to her.
http://www.facebook.com/AnnieMaePictouAquash
Jim Page's song for Anna Mae Aquash