And the influential Native American writer, philosopher, scholar and activist Vine Deloria Jr. has died at the age of 72. He was the author of many books including “Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto” and “God is Red.” He was one of the most prolific and influential scholars of the twentieth century on American Indian law and policy, history and philosophy. He was also respected as an advocate for indigenous peoples’ rights around the world. Deloria”s political writings in the 1960s sounded a rallying call for Native American sovereignty and self-determination at a time when the American Indian Movement was emerging. Wilma Mankiller, the former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, said of Deloria, “He has been our ranking scholar and intellectual light for all of those years.’’