Most people take for granted the right to pray, or worship as they choose.
But for many years, Native Americans were denied that right. In 1890, as part of the U.S. government's assimilation policy, American Indian religious practices were outlawed. Eighty-eight years later, in 1978, Congress passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, restoring religious freedom to Indian people. Clyde Bellecourt, founder and Director of the American Indian Movement, participated in the decade-long effort to force Congress to pass the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, which was signed into law in 1978. His clothes reflect a pride in his Ojibwe heritage.