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Ojibwa Warrior: Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement
Dennis Banks, an American Indian of the Ojibwa Tribe and a founder of the American Indian Movement, is one of the most influential Indian leaders of our time. In Ojibwa Warrior, written with acclaimed writer and photographer Richard Erdoes, Banks tells his own story for the first time and also traces the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM). The authors present an insider’s understanding of AIM protest events—the Trail of Broken Treaties march to Washington, D.C.; the resulting takeover of the BIA building; the riot at Custer, South Dakota; and the 1973 standoff at Wounded Knee. Enhancing the narrative are dramatic photographs, most taken by Richard Erdoes, depicting key people and events.
376 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
October 25, 2019
A few people out there know that not only do I stand for animals and wildlife, but I also stand for Native Americans. I have my own groups of charity groups I work with from time to time.
There are sooo many things I sit back, watch and listen to people bitch about out there in the world. But for me it always comes back to the Native People’s, Wildlife and truly the elderly and trafficking of children and women. So this book was right up my alley and of course pissed me off and made me sad all over again.
And no, don’t try to talk to me about bullshit. Just quietly go away 😉
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
There are sooo many things I sit back, watch and listen to people bitch about out there in the world. But for me it always comes back to the Native People’s, Wildlife and truly the elderly and trafficking of children and women. So this book was right up my alley and of course pissed me off and made me sad all over again.
And no, don’t try to talk to me about bullshit. Just quietly go away 😉
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
March 3, 2016
Dennis Banks, Russell Means, John Trudell and Crow Dog were men bound by a common outrage and passion to rekindle the dignity and life paths of Native Americans in the twentieth century. It is almost impossible to consider these men separately, because the impact they made on white and Indian consciousness was collective. However, after reading this book, and other autobiographies by AIM leaders, I felt lucky to be able to listen to the life histories each of these men (including Crow Dog's wife in her book "Lakota Woman.") Dennis Banks is the last living member of this distinguished group of Native American Leaders. May he live long.
July 3, 2008
An excellent look at the American Indian Movement from the perspective of Dennis Banks. The book read like a story being told around a camp fire at times, which was a nice change from the typical historical book I read. Banks definitely drives home what it means to be an Indian in the modern era, the struggles they face on reservations and from government oppression and racism. I had only sparse knowledge about AIM before reading this book and not only do I feel as though I have a large part of the story now, I also learned a fair amount of tribal life and various tribes. This book is a must read for everyone.
August 18, 2018
It should be read by everyone. We listened to this book on a family trip to the Black Hills and it was magical to have an historical overlay for the self-congratulatory boosterism of the area. Custer, Rapid City, Mt. Rushmore. They all feature prominently in the story. A lot of surprising things about his life. Dennis had a LOT of kids. So many that we all laughed every time "the inevitable happened" and he had another one. He also befriended some 1970s characters like Patti Hearst and Jim Jones.
Most importantly, he helped make huge human rights advances in an area of the country with systemic abuses against Native Americans.
Most importantly, he helped make huge human rights advances in an area of the country with systemic abuses against Native Americans.
January 19, 2015
I found the narrator to be unreliable. He often contradicted himself, and he glossed over information that presented himself in a negative light. He would spend a chapter or more detailing a relationship or occurrence that he claimed had a great meaning and impact in his personality development (like his Japanese family, or his relationship with Kamook), and then gloss over MAJOR aspects that are very important signifiers of his characters with a few throwaway sentences assuring the reader that this is not a big deal.
For instance, he glosses over never returning or attempting to return to Japan and the family he abandoned there. He glosses over the fact that he was in his 30s and Kamook was 16 when they started their relationship, and she was pregnant by age 17. He glosses over the fact that Kamook was so disturbed by Banks and his actions that she eventually became an FBI informant.
I mean, he mentions that all these things happen ... in a sentence or two. He doesn't go into depth, he just basically says, "Oh, yeah, and this happened, but it's not a big deal, just ignore the impact of it," and then goes on to continue explaining what an awesome rebel he is.
And he contradicts himself in other ways, too -- he says, for instance, that at Wounded Knee the people they were keeping captive "wanted" to stay with them (though he doesn't expand on that or give names). Then, later, he mocks their testimony against him in the trial. So ... they were willing captives who testified against him? That doesn't make sense. Also, he quotes the trial transcripts from memory, rather than actually replicating the record.
His personal bias and self-perception as a hero is evident throughout the text. He ignores things like the fact that his foisting of one specific cultural religion as "the" Native tradition perpetuated the erasure of many local Native traditions. He may have saved the Lakota religion and language, but at what cost? How many smaller tribal language and traditions were steamrolled into obscurity by his quest to consolidate all Native Americans under one banner?
For instance, he glosses over never returning or attempting to return to Japan and the family he abandoned there. He glosses over the fact that he was in his 30s and Kamook was 16 when they started their relationship, and she was pregnant by age 17. He glosses over the fact that Kamook was so disturbed by Banks and his actions that she eventually became an FBI informant.
I mean, he mentions that all these things happen ... in a sentence or two. He doesn't go into depth, he just basically says, "Oh, yeah, and this happened, but it's not a big deal, just ignore the impact of it," and then goes on to continue explaining what an awesome rebel he is.
And he contradicts himself in other ways, too -- he says, for instance, that at Wounded Knee the people they were keeping captive "wanted" to stay with them (though he doesn't expand on that or give names). Then, later, he mocks their testimony against him in the trial. So ... they were willing captives who testified against him? That doesn't make sense. Also, he quotes the trial transcripts from memory, rather than actually replicating the record.
His personal bias and self-perception as a hero is evident throughout the text. He ignores things like the fact that his foisting of one specific cultural religion as "the" Native tradition perpetuated the erasure of many local Native traditions. He may have saved the Lakota religion and language, but at what cost? How many smaller tribal language and traditions were steamrolled into obscurity by his quest to consolidate all Native Americans under one banner?
July 14, 2016
I've made the point in recent weeks that there is always a concerted effort by those in power to tarnish and defame groups who attempt to challenge their power. The oppressor, often with the complicity of those satisfied with the status quo (or who simply fear change) rewrite the narratives of these various struggles for equality and dignity or they sanitize their stories (if not outright excise them from the history books). We've seen that tactic used with the Civil Rights movement, the Chicano rights movement, the United Farmworkers, the Suffragettes, and the LGBTQ movement. It also happened with the American Indian Movement (AIM) and it's happening with #BlackLivesMatter.
Because of this, I felt the need to revisit what I remebered of AIM and their siege of the historic site of Wounded Knee, starting with Ojibwa Warrior: Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement. It was a fascinating read as Banks recounts his life from early childhood to what I personally consider kidnapping, a government run school in order to "civilize" the Indians by stripping them of every ounce of their language and culture. There are a lot of parallels with how Africans were also stripped of their language and culture, and it begs the question - what was the government/slaveowners/society so afraid of that they felt the need to in essence brainwash these groups.
Banks recounts the numerous times he and fellow inmates of the school ran away only to be caught and severely punished. Later, it's a stint in the military, stationed in Japan, where the seeds of his idealism is born. That he believes there's a need for a civil rights movement for Indian rights, along the lines of the Civil Rights movement for Black people. There's virulent racism, poverty, alcoholism and despair experienced by Indians both on and off the reservation.
I couldn't help but root for AIM as they stood up to hundreds of years of bigotry and neglect. As they worked to unite and defend the Indian nations while rebuilding traditions thought lost. With that said, Banks is no flawless hero. He makes mistakes, and at times seems to gloss over more troublesome aspects of his life. In a way I get that, since the book in my mind, is less about Dennis Banks the man, and more about Dennis Banks, one of the hearts and souls of a movement that was so desperately needed. What I also loved was his acknowledgment of the women of AIM who fearlessly stood toe to toe, willing to give their lives for a just cause. It is a fact that any movement has at its center, women who are just as much fighters and leaders.
I was a little girl when the Siege of Wounded Knee happened in 1973, but I remember my great-grandmother telling me that the Indians had a right to be treated like human beings, the same way Black people did. And perhaps there are two sides to every story, but knowing what this government has perpetrated against so many people, I'm more than inclined to see AIM through the eyes of those who were instrumental in its creation and who were there for the long haul.
Because of this, I felt the need to revisit what I remebered of AIM and their siege of the historic site of Wounded Knee, starting with Ojibwa Warrior: Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement. It was a fascinating read as Banks recounts his life from early childhood to what I personally consider kidnapping, a government run school in order to "civilize" the Indians by stripping them of every ounce of their language and culture. There are a lot of parallels with how Africans were also stripped of their language and culture, and it begs the question - what was the government/slaveowners/society so afraid of that they felt the need to in essence brainwash these groups.
Banks recounts the numerous times he and fellow inmates of the school ran away only to be caught and severely punished. Later, it's a stint in the military, stationed in Japan, where the seeds of his idealism is born. That he believes there's a need for a civil rights movement for Indian rights, along the lines of the Civil Rights movement for Black people. There's virulent racism, poverty, alcoholism and despair experienced by Indians both on and off the reservation.
I couldn't help but root for AIM as they stood up to hundreds of years of bigotry and neglect. As they worked to unite and defend the Indian nations while rebuilding traditions thought lost. With that said, Banks is no flawless hero. He makes mistakes, and at times seems to gloss over more troublesome aspects of his life. In a way I get that, since the book in my mind, is less about Dennis Banks the man, and more about Dennis Banks, one of the hearts and souls of a movement that was so desperately needed. What I also loved was his acknowledgment of the women of AIM who fearlessly stood toe to toe, willing to give their lives for a just cause. It is a fact that any movement has at its center, women who are just as much fighters and leaders.
I was a little girl when the Siege of Wounded Knee happened in 1973, but I remember my great-grandmother telling me that the Indians had a right to be treated like human beings, the same way Black people did. And perhaps there are two sides to every story, but knowing what this government has perpetrated against so many people, I'm more than inclined to see AIM through the eyes of those who were instrumental in its creation and who were there for the long haul.
March 21, 2020
The autobiography of Dennis Banks, the founder and long-time central leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Beginning with his childhood in a traditional family on the reservation, his experience of the forced boarding school which tried to destroy his traditions and convert him to Christianity and caused him to forget his language, his service in the air force in Japan, and his ultimate rediscovery of his spiritual heritage, he goes on to describe the founding of AIM and many of the important battles they were involved in such as the Custer courthouse, the BIA takeover, and the Wounded Knee Occupation. Along the way he describes his personal life and loves. This is a very strong and inspirational book about the continuing struggle of Native Americans against the US government, the state of South Dakota, and local racists, as well as corrupt tribal governments supported by the government.
This is the third book I have read that covers the basic events in the history of AIM. Peter Matthiesson's In the Spirit of Crazy Horse is a much more detailed and documented account from a sympathetic but outside perspective, focusing on the case of Leonard Peltier. Russell Means' autobiography, Where White Men Fear to Tread, is more similar to Banks' book, but has a more aggressive tone. Unlike Means, Banks does not emphasize differences among the leadership or make negative comments on other leaders, and generally comes off as much more politically astute. Where Means often brags about violence, Banks is a master of defensive formulations, always showing how violence was forced on them by the racists and the government against their own intentions. All three are worth reading, but this is the one I would recommend to begin with.
This is the third book I have read that covers the basic events in the history of AIM. Peter Matthiesson's In the Spirit of Crazy Horse is a much more detailed and documented account from a sympathetic but outside perspective, focusing on the case of Leonard Peltier. Russell Means' autobiography, Where White Men Fear to Tread, is more similar to Banks' book, but has a more aggressive tone. Unlike Means, Banks does not emphasize differences among the leadership or make negative comments on other leaders, and generally comes off as much more politically astute. Where Means often brags about violence, Banks is a master of defensive formulations, always showing how violence was forced on them by the racists and the government against their own intentions. All three are worth reading, but this is the one I would recommend to begin with.
February 27, 2017
This is an amazing biography and story; one of the best that I've read. Not only is the tale told exceptional in and of itself, but it is beautifully told. The experience is enhanced by the various forms of documentation: direct quotes and pictures.
You feel for the cause of the American Indian Movement whether or not you are a member, whether or not you are and American Indian. This book is inspirational.
You feel for the cause of the American Indian Movement whether or not you are a member, whether or not you are and American Indian. This book is inspirational.
April 23, 2015
Where has the righteous anger of my youth gone? I wish I could hold to my heart the same mirror Dennis Banks has done in the memoir. Completely honest? No, since no one can be truly honest reflecting on the events of our lives. I too have become an elder. I too look at the youth of today and wonder and hope and know that they too will follow down this same road, changing the world little by little, changing their lives more and more. Spread the sacred tobacco.
February 10, 2008
Essential reading for anyone interested in 20th century American history or politics.
October 1, 2017
A good history lesson.
January 3, 2023
Dommage que le rôle de Richard Erdoes ne soit pas plus clair : difficile de discerner son travail d’édition. Excellent bouquin sinon.
March 21, 2016
Ojibwa Warrior was a surprisingly real and interesting book about the life of the early American Indian Movement events and leaders. Having read a decent number of self-aggrandizing accounts from other arrogant Native American leaders and the great blessings they apparently think they have bestowed on their communities, I was skeptical going into Dennis Banks' book from the beginning. But his was different: sure, there was some leader worship, turning some spiritual leaders and head honchos into near gods themselves, but Banks himself told an honest account of the early years of AIM.
Banks was involved in AIM from the beginning, and it was interesting and informative to hear from him about particular events — including the occupation of Alcatraz, the takeover of the BIA building in Washington, D.C., and the Wounded Knee incident of 1973 — in addition to his take on some rituals.
One thing that did bother me, which has bothered me in similar Native Americans' first-hand accounts of their books, is that Banks sounds naive and innocent far too often. Reading this book, it's obvious Banks knew what he was doing the whole time when he was in AIM leadership, but he often qualifies his story later by saying things like, "Little did we know..." or "We found out later..." Either was a very naive leader, or he's purposefully writing it that way. His writing wasn't fabulous (or should I say Richard Erdoes' writing), but it got the job done. It was just told strangely in some places.
Banks was involved in AIM from the beginning, and it was interesting and informative to hear from him about particular events — including the occupation of Alcatraz, the takeover of the BIA building in Washington, D.C., and the Wounded Knee incident of 1973 — in addition to his take on some rituals.
One thing that did bother me, which has bothered me in similar Native Americans' first-hand accounts of their books, is that Banks sounds naive and innocent far too often. Reading this book, it's obvious Banks knew what he was doing the whole time when he was in AIM leadership, but he often qualifies his story later by saying things like, "Little did we know..." or "We found out later..." Either was a very naive leader, or he's purposefully writing it that way. His writing wasn't fabulous (or should I say Richard Erdoes' writing), but it got the job done. It was just told strangely in some places.
July 8, 2014
This book was absolutely amazing! If you are looking for a great book for a book report or ever wonder how the American Indian Movement (AIM) became what it is today, this is the book to read.
Dennis Banks is a great founder, leader, father and activist who stood up for what he believed in. This book captured a glimpse into what it was like for Native Americans as they went through the difficult times with the government.
I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in learning about Native American culture, politics, ways of the elders and getting to know Dennis Banks.
Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!
Dennis Banks is a great founder, leader, father and activist who stood up for what he believed in. This book captured a glimpse into what it was like for Native Americans as they went through the difficult times with the government.
I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in learning about Native American culture, politics, ways of the elders and getting to know Dennis Banks.
Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!
May 6, 2018
An excellent read -- telling the story of Dennis Banks. Mr. Banks is one of the founders of the American Indian Movement. The book chronicles the founding of AIM and those who helped shape the movement. He helped to lead the stand at Wounded Knee in 1973. This book stands out from many books-- it is written by Mr. Banks and Richard Erdoes. Mr. Erdoes went on to win the National Book Award for Lakota Woman in 1991 (it also chronicles AIM). [That book is co-written by Mary Crow Dog.]
I wholly recommend the book if you wish to understand how American Indians are responding to marginalization.
I wholly recommend the book if you wish to understand how American Indians are responding to marginalization.
July 21, 2021
I actually had to read this in a History of Native Americans class I took. I thought it was very interesting the whole way through. It's one of those books where you just want to keep reading, even though you may be too tired to hold the book up. Dennis Banks makes a fascinating story from his life experiences and the history he helped create. I would definately reccomend giving this book a try!
May 12, 2013
This is amazing. I picked it up for a research paper, intending to just find some pertinent information and ended up reading it cover to cover. It's finals week, I really don't have time to read books unless strictly necessary, but I just couldn't put this one down.
At several points I cried, I was so angry at what the government did.
At several points I cried, I was so angry at what the government did.
December 12, 2008
Loved this book! It was very informative.
December 13, 2013
Great!
This book was written very well and I think be did a great job of describing his life and times. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a book on Wounded Knee!
This book was written very well and I think be did a great job of describing his life and times. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a book on Wounded Knee!
July 21, 2014
Great autobiography of a Native American civil rights leader.
January 21, 2016
Fantastic look inside the American Indian Movement by the spiritual activist group's leader himself... Dennis Banks.
October 29, 2017
This was a really good read and kept me turning the pages. It was great reading about the AIM and its founder.
May 23, 2019
Truly meaningful and historical book on the start of the American Indian Movement and the founders.
December 29, 2011
Check out the documentaries: Reel Injun and John Turdell in addition to reading this one.
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August 12, 2021Ojibwa Warrior covers the journey of Dennis Banks, the author, a native Ojibwe man who was a leader in the American Indian Movement (AIM). The early chapters cover his time growing up on a reservation and then being taken to a boarding school. We follow Banks as he gets older becoming a young man who is interested in learning from his elders traditional practices of his culture. His experiences in boarding school is heartbreaking, and I believe the stamping out of his traditional practices as a child made him want to join and empower his community. As an adult, the author talks about his life in the Twin Cities, and how AIM was created as a result of mass incarceration of indigenous people. The creativity shown in the practices of AIM show the audience how the US standards of normal is oppressing people. These days this abuse seems obvious, but this movement really brought these issues to the public. One of the biggest events covered in this book is the occupation of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge reservation. AIM and other native leaders helped declare themselves as a sovereign nation, the Independent Oglala Nation. The US government reacted to this as they would to terrorists, and the FBI was involved in tactics to try and force people out of Wounded Knee. There was active shooting in the village, and others suffered with wounds and food insecurity during this occupation. The press was not allowed to cover most of the siege, but the corruption in practices by the US government were revealed in the following trials of Dennis Banks and other AIM leaders. This book relates to my service, because of the location of the injustice perpetrated in Minnesota and South Dakota (across the country as well). The work I do is all about opening doors for people who may have not had access to these opportunities. I realize my privilege when it comes to my life experiences, and I forget that there is injustice, and that there are some people who just haven’t had access to help. The Stop Line 3 movement that I learned about through AmeriCorps is an open door for me to advocate for practices that benefit Minnesota. Overall, learning about people advocating for their rights and seeing that movement inspires me. It is so easy to get complacent because I feel like there is no way to end corruption, but this book taught me a lot about listening to others, and that is why I would recommend this book to fellow CTEPs. Sometimes when I am working with people on computer skills, there is more to the story than a lack of skills. It is important that we keep an open mind and heart when working with participants. We need to acknowledge and respect other cultures because ultimately this is the best way to help our state be a better place.
November 25, 2019
Ojibwa Warrior: Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement is an autobiography written by Dennis Banks with Richard Erdoes. It is a compelling account of one of the most influential Indian leaders in the United States.
Dennis Banks was a Native American activist, teacher, and author. He was a longtime leader of the American Indian Movement, which he co-founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1968 to represent urban Indians.
This autobiography describes how Banks was taken from his family as a young child and placed into a government boarding school by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in an attempt to acculturate him. Nine years later, he returned to the Ojibwa Residence only to find that he had forgotten his native Anishinabe language and many of his culture's traditions.
Nonetheless, Banks stayed for two years, reconnecting with family and relearning skills like rabbit trapping, before he joined the Air Force in search of sustenance and shelter. When he returned from his tour in Japan in the late 1950s, he re-experienced the prejudice, brutality and poverty that were preying upon his people in America. Angered by what he saw, Banks founded the American Indian Movement (AIM) with the help of his friends.
Ojibwa Warrior: Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement is written exceptionally well. Banks' retelling of these events reads as seamlessly as a great campfire story. He takes readers deep inside the traditional Sun Dances and Sweat Houses of his Ojibwa Tribe and deep into the action of the Trail of Broken Treaties. Bank's 11-year run from the FBI, his many wives and children and the strategies of AIM all find their place in his winding narrative, making this volume an important addition to this history of Native American and civil rights movements in the United States.
All in all, Ojibwa Warrior: Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement is a compelling, honest, and down-to-earth account of a man's journey of rediscovery after the government took it away from him.
Dennis Banks was a Native American activist, teacher, and author. He was a longtime leader of the American Indian Movement, which he co-founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1968 to represent urban Indians.
This autobiography describes how Banks was taken from his family as a young child and placed into a government boarding school by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in an attempt to acculturate him. Nine years later, he returned to the Ojibwa Residence only to find that he had forgotten his native Anishinabe language and many of his culture's traditions.
Nonetheless, Banks stayed for two years, reconnecting with family and relearning skills like rabbit trapping, before he joined the Air Force in search of sustenance and shelter. When he returned from his tour in Japan in the late 1950s, he re-experienced the prejudice, brutality and poverty that were preying upon his people in America. Angered by what he saw, Banks founded the American Indian Movement (AIM) with the help of his friends.
Ojibwa Warrior: Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement is written exceptionally well. Banks' retelling of these events reads as seamlessly as a great campfire story. He takes readers deep inside the traditional Sun Dances and Sweat Houses of his Ojibwa Tribe and deep into the action of the Trail of Broken Treaties. Bank's 11-year run from the FBI, his many wives and children and the strategies of AIM all find their place in his winding narrative, making this volume an important addition to this history of Native American and civil rights movements in the United States.
All in all, Ojibwa Warrior: Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement is a compelling, honest, and down-to-earth account of a man's journey of rediscovery after the government took it away from him.
January 7, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this book. It had a great flow and provided a lot of insight into what AIM use to represent and how it formed. I docked a star because as this is Banks own biography, he inherently left out certain negative traits of his such as his “womanizing”. It is inherently biased to place him and AIM in a more positive light. Though I do not doubt that most of it is true, especially when discussing how the government treated them. I do have to take some of his personal insights and reflection with a grain of salt. No doubt, AIM was very powerful and a huge influence to Indigenous activism. Their impact is still felt today and I appreciate what he decided to share.
February 2, 2019
There is so much in here about the traditions and struggles of people whose land I lived near or on for half my life. The story of AIM and Wounded Knee should be known by all Americans, particularly those of us from the Dakotas and Minnesota. Dennis Banks is a compelling story teller with encounters to share about practically every 1970s counterculture figure, from Patty Hearst to Jim Jones to Marlon Brando.
February 19, 2020
a wonderful read. very interesting. what a life he had, what difficulties he had to face. what a wonderful time the 60-70s, but also what harsh times, such racs, such prejudice, such lsery, ,=? Banks and his fighting companions suffered a lot but achieved to bring to the main stream, the ies of governments and white peopes, the crooked role of agencies supposed to protect them. I read and lived alinf Dennis Banks his journey to returned pride and their fight to be able to follow, their ways of live, needing sometimes to recreate them. I loved every second of it, the testimony of a very important time, said with honesty. A MUST.
February 13, 2021
A very informative and personal look at the Native American experience. It's easy to understand and interesting though at some point not as detailed as I would have liked. The theme of Native American resistance and justice is clear throughout, but this book is not very good in its portrayal of women both in a personal context and an activist context. That may be because of the time period, but still it could be a lot more thoughtfully written in that regard.
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