Deloria, Vine - Timeline Biography

03-26-1933 - 11-13-2005

Born near the Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Vine Deloria, Jr., was the son and grandson of Episcopal priests. His grandfather also was a Sioux chief.

Deloria, who went to seminary and law school, became a university professor and a prolific author. His first book, Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto (1969), argued for the restoration of Native American autonomy. It was an international best-seller and introduced Deloria as a prominent advocate of American Indian rights.

His book, God is Red (1973), declared American Indian religious traditions superior to Christianity. "Natural peoples" lived in harmony with the land, he wrote, while "hybrid peoples" exploited it.

Passionate and sometimes controversial, his writings established him as one of the most significant voices of his time for Native American rights -- both for his condemnation of assimilation by Native Americans and mistreatment by government authority.

Religious Minorities (Non-Christians)
Race/Ethnicity and Religion

Religious Minorities (Non-Christians)
Race/Ethnicity and Religion
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