Wallace "Mad Bear" Anderson (November 9, 1927 – December 10, 1985) was a Tuscaroraactivist predominantly active in the 1950s who became a spokesman for tribal sovereignty.[1]
As a child, Anderson received the nickname "Mad Bear" from his grandmother due to his temper. As a young man, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving during World War II in Okinawa, and later in Korea during the Korean War. Anderson became an activist for American Indians Rights after being rejected for a loan under the GI Bill to build a house on the Tuscarora reservation.[1]
Income Tax Protests
Anderson led protests against Iroquois payment of New York State income taxes in 1957. Several hundred AkwesasneMohawks marched to the Massena, New York courthouse to burn court summons that were issued for unpaid taxes.
The Power Authority of the State of New York seized Tuscarora Reservation land to build a reservoir to flood the land. Anderson was a key figure in the protest against the Tuscarora Reservoir, blocking surveyors from entering the reservation and deflating tires of workers, as well as lying in the road to block trucks. Despite the protest efforts, the U.S. Supreme Court eventually ruled that the taking of the land was legal and the reservoir was built.[1]
^Pinkins, Carlyn N. (2011). One Nation, Separate Spheres: An Examination of Red Power Activism Between Two Mohawk Communities. thesis (Thesis). Statesboro, Georgia.
