Chief Kindness grew up on the Oneida Indian Reservation outside of Greenbay, Wisconsin. 

Following the Revolutionary War, his people lost the majority of their original homeland in upstate New York to the birth of this country. 

It is impossible to grow up on a reservation without having to face the generational trauma which has been and continues to affect the native reality - throughout the world, many nations and orgs consider the American Indian Reservations as systemized POW camps in the way they were conceived and implemented by the United States government and military and replicated by the Nazi regime. 

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As a 16 year old, Harry was placed in a supermax prison, the only juvenile in the facility called Greenbay State Reformatory. Without the ability to break the cycle, he was deemed out of control in most of the situations he was placed and spent much of his time in solitary confinement. 

During this time, the American Indian Movement was founded not far from Harry in Minneapolis. They formed to begin supporting the native community through many, much needed social programs and movements. Native inmates were one focus of the AIM leaders - they visited surrounding prisons to meet with and support their native relatives often. It was during these visits that Dennis Banks and Leonard Crow Dog would learn of Harry by his absence. In solitary, and in supermax, he had no access to such visits. The leaders of AIM managed to get him a message, they wanted to meet him. 

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In six months time, Harry elevated himself to a minimum security facility in Fox Lake in which he was finally able to meet Dennis Banks. He was invited to work for AIM upon his release. 

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