Thomas Banyacya

AKA: Thomas Jenkins
Released
Date of birth:02. 06. 1909
Date of death:06. 02. 1999
Age:89† Deceased
Gender:Male
Race:Native American
Era:1940s
State:Arizona
Support
Indigenous Sovereignty
Thomas Banyacya

Biography

Thomas Banyacya (born Thomas Jenkins, 1909–1999) was a Hopi spokesman appointed in 1948 by traditional Hopi leaders to carry the Hopi message of peace and prophecy to the wider world. During World War II he refused to register for the draft as contrary to Hopi religion and sovereignty, and was convicted of draft evasion, serving about seven years at the Tucson Federal Prison Camp. He later won conscientious-objector status for Hopi men and famously addressed the UN General Assembly in 1992.

Case

Charges: Draft evasion — refusal to register
Sentence: About seven years' imprisonment at the Tucson Federal Prison Camp (Catalina Federal Honor Camp), c. 1942–1949 Charges as recorded: Draft evasion — refusal to register for the World War II draft on Hopi religious and sovereignty grounds
Convicted: Yes