On this day in 1978, Indigenous activists began a cross-country journey on foot to defend treaty rights.

Pictured: A tipi sits opposite the White House as some 30,000 demonstrators gather in the Capital at the close of The Longest Walk. Photo credits to Daniel Luna, Roots Of Plenty and Plenty International.

In the wake of the federal crackdown on Indigenous activism following the occupations of Alcatraz and Wounded Knee, eleven bills which sought to restrict the rights guaranteed to tribes and tribal members in treaties were introduced in Congress. In response, Native leaders mobilized activists to set out on The Longest Walk - a nearly-3,000 mile journey of nonviolent resistance to threats against tribal sovereignty. Symbolizing the forced removal of Indigenous Peoples from their traditional lands throughout history, the Walk aimed to call attention to the proposed bills and the ongoing injustices faced by Native communities.

Thousands of Indigenous people and supporters participated in the five-month walk from San Francisco to Washington D.C. Along the way, organizers engaged in teach-ins in towns across the country to raise public awareness around Indigenous cultures, broken treaties, and the continued persecution of Native peoples. Upon the Walk's arrival to the nation's Capital on July 15th, 1978, tribal elders and movement leaders met with government officials to discuss the proposed legislation. All eleven bills which the Walk had protested were subsequently defeated in Congress. While The Longest Walk was the final major event of the American Indian Movement, its legacy continues to inspire Native advocacy today.

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Sources include: Resources on this topic from Indian Country Today, the National Library of Medicine's Native Voices Initiative, Histories of the National Mall, Plenty International, the Global Nonviolent Action Database, and the Willson Center Digital Humanities Lab