Vine Deloria, Jr.

"When asked by an anthropologist what the Indians called America before the white man came, an Indian said simply, "Ours." –Vine Deloria, Jr

Vine Deloria, Jr. (born 1933-2005) is known as a revolutionary thinker who speaks out against the decadence of U.S. culture and insists that young Native Americans receive traditional teachings before exposing themselves to the philosophies of the dominant Euro-American culture.

His Nationality is Standing Rock Sioux, American.  He was born in Martin, SD to Vine Sr. (1901-1990) who studied English and Christian theology and became an Episcopal archdeacon and missionary on the Standing Rock.

Deloria, Jr. earned a degree in general science from Iowa State University, then served with the Marines, and in 1963 earned a theology degree from the Lutheran School of Theology in Rock Island, Illinois.  He earned a law degree from the Univ. of Colorado in 1970.

Custer Died For Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto, New York: Macmillan, 1969, remains one of the most significant non-fiction books written by a Native American. The book was noteworthy at the time for its relevance to the American Indian Movement that was in its infancy.