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So @jackmjenkins and I tracked down the story behind that viral clip of students mocking a small group of Native Americans, including Omaha elder Nathan Phillips, yesterday in Washington, D.C.
@jackmjenkins It turns out the encounter came at the end of the Indigenous Peoples March, as Phillips and several others quietly were closing the ceremonies and blessing the grounds “in a good way” with singing and drumming.
About students reportedly had been harassing others near the Lincoln Memorial before approaching the group. Phillips attempted to defuse the situation, “trying to get the young people to listen.” He offered a song.
That song was the AIM Song, a song associated with the American Indian Movement in the 1970s. It has no words, just a melody. Chase Iron Eyes called the song a “spiritual symbol,” saying “the harmony that comes with that song is meant for all of us to sing.” 
Iron Eyes said the Indigenous Peoples March was based in prayer and came out of the prayer and energy that started at Standing Rock. That made it a "particularly egregious ordeal" to see elders mocked.
“It was just an unfortunate, kind of a painful reminder of where we find ourselves in this country, you know, at first the inaugural Indigenous People's March. We have one of our elders closing the ceremony, and we have this unfortunate interaction,” he said.
Iron Eyes said he met Phillips at Standing Rock, where “he provided this quiet strength, this resolve that set the tone for us because we don't entertain aggression or violence in any of our civil resistance.” The way he didn't back down or return taunts—that's who the elder is.
If you're interested in reading more about the spirituality at Standing Rock, I wrote an article about that, too: religionnews.com/2016/11/24/sio…
*Chase Iron Eyes is lead counsel for the Lakota People's Law Project and spokesperson for the Indigenous Peoples Movement. But then, you read the article, right? It also includes the school's response. Read on 👇 religionnews.com/2019/01/19/cat…
Also, @jackmjenkins has a thread of Catholic responses to the viral video
And one last thing! If you're interested in hearing the AIM Song in full, here's what I found on YouTube
Since who confronted whom seems to be the issue most people are debating online, we are updating our story to make the details of the interaction as clear as possible. Hope it helps!
Updated again. We are working throughout the weekend to keep the story up-to-date with the latest statements and hope it helps answer your questions.
