In the 1960s, Native Americans and their supporters began protesting Washington State laws restricting Native American fishing rights that had been granted in a series of treaties with the United States between 1854 and 1855. The Survival of the American Indian Society (SAIA), the NAACP, and the National Indian Youth Council (NIYC), coordinated a series of protests and peaceful demonstrations known at the time collectively as the "fish wars," which eventually led to the Boldt Decision (United States v. Washington, 1974), a federal ruling guaranteeing Washington tribes half the state's salmon and steelhead trout catch.
In this image, actor and political activist Marlon Brando, Jr. (1924-2004) arrives at the Pierce County jail after his arrest for participating in a "fish-in" along with Episcopal clergyman John Yaryan and Puyallup tribal leader Robert "Bob" Satiacum (1929-1991). Pierce County Prosecutor John McCutcheon released Brando and Yaryan without charge. Satiacum was not detained but served a summons to appear in court the following week.
Caption information source: http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/fish-ins.htm Caption information source: The Seattle Daily Times, March 2, 1964, page 1
ID Number: 1986.5.4414.10
Date: 1964
Physical Description: 1 acetate negative : b&w ; 4 x 5 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant.
