Soon, however, the Indian occupiers began to feel that the spirits of former prisoners were still present in the cellblock, so the kitchen was vacated, and food preparation took place on the lower level, often in an outside area. John Trudell speaks with news media representatives regarding negotiations with the federal government for title to Alcatraz Island. Indian people wait for a boat to take them to Alcatraz Island. Indian people sit in the back of a boat leaving for Alcatraz Island. LaNada Boyer, left, talks with Joe Bill, center, and an unidentified man.
Indian children play with their bicycles in the lower level courtyard.
The skeleton of a burned-out building is visible on the upper level. A fire destroyed four historic buildings in June 1970. Indian women played a major role in the occupation. They served on the is land council and the security force and worked in the health clinic, the day care center, and the school. In this photograph, two women prepare a communal meal in the old prison kitchen.