The SAI (1911-1923) was the first national American Indian rights organization developed and run by American Indians themselves.
The early leaders of the SAI were assisted by the non-Native sociologist F. A. McKenzie, a professor at Ohio State, who invited six of these Indian leaders to hold a planning meeting on the Ohio State campus in April 1911. While here, they were invited by OSU President W. O. Thompson and by Columbus city leaders to hold the first annual conference of the SAI on the Ohio State campus as well, which they did over the Columbus Day weekend, October 12 – 17, 1911.
Nearly fifty prominent American Indian leaders, scholars, clergy, writers, artists, and other professionals participated in the conference, as did representatives of the university, the Columbus mayor’s office, the Ohio governor’s office, and the national office of Indian Affairs.
