What was the name of the 1964 album that focused on Native American themes?

The 1964 album focused on Native American themes was Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian. It was Johnny Cash's twentieth album for Columbia Records and a concept album about the history, displacement and mistreatment of Indigenous peoples in the United States.

Released on October 26, 1964, the record grew partly from Cash's interest in Native American issues and his recording of "The Ballad of Ira Hayes," written by Peter La Farge. The song told the story of the Pima Marine who helped raise the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima but later returned to poverty and struggled with alcoholism. Other tracks addressed Seneca land loss, Sequoyah and the destruction of Indigenous communities.

The album was controversial. Some radio stations and listeners resisted its political subject matter, prompting Cash to buy a full-page Billboard advertisement criticizing programmers who would not play "The Ballad of Ira Hayes." Despite the backlash, the album reached No. 2 on the country chart.