Dennis Banks (April 12, 1937 – October 29, 2017) was a Anishinaabe Native American activist, teacher, and author. He was a longtime leader of the American Indian Movement, which he co-founded in 1968.

Born on Leech Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota, he was also known as Nowa Cumig (Naawakamig in the Double Vowel System) which in the Ojibwe language means "in the center of the universe."

Artist Statement

This is a Ken Burns style video I made for my Digital Storytelling class at WSUV. It was a challenging project to do. I used the orated manuscript of Dennis Banks about the rites of passage for the boys of the Ogitchida and paired his words with images I thought would reflect his thoughts I hope you enjoy it.