159. Red Cloud (Oglala
Sioux) - Tribal Leader
He is considered one of the deadliest enemies the US military ever faced, successfully
leading what is now known as Red Cloud’s War from 1866-1868. After signing a treaty,
he lived in peace with the whites, though he continued to fight against corrupt
officials and encouraged others to continue fighting white occupation. He
never participated in the Ghost Dance Movement and after losing his status as head chief
in 1881, Red Cloud retired quietly to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
160. Mitchell Red Cloud Jr.
(Winnebago) - Military Hero
On November 5, 1950, Corporal Red Cloud Jr. (Company E., 19th Infantry Regiment in
Korea) was guarding his company command post when surprised by Chinese forces. He
sounded the alarm and fired his rifle, giving his company time to ready their forces.
Though he was severely wounded, he refused assistance and continued to fight until
killed. His heroic action prevented the enemy from overrunning his company's
position, therefore gaining time for evacuation of the wounded. His family later
recieved the Congressional Medal of Honor.
161. Red Jacket/Otetiani
(Seneca) - Tribal Leader
His English name, Red Jacket, came from the British redcoat he wore in the
American Revolution. He was an articulate, eloquent orator who spoke out against the
introduction of white customs, Christianity, land sales, and the work of missionaries.
Years later he attempted to make peace with the US government, was one of the only
Native chiefs to visit President George Washington in 1792, and supported the United
States in the War of 1812. Red Jacket would later become a principal spokesman for
the Seneca people.
162. Dr Ben Reifel
(Sioux) - Politician
He was born in a log cabin on the South Dakota Rosebud Reservation in 1906 and in 1933
began his long career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs that ended in 1960, when he
would campaign for Congress. From 1961 to 1971 Reifel served five terms as a U.S.
Congressional Representative, the first Sioux to do so. He died in 1990.
163. Branscombe Richmond
(Aleut) - Actor/ Musician
His movies include DaVinci’s War, Hard to Kill and the up-coming Iron Horseman.
Richmond was a 2003 Inductee at the National Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame in
Anamosa Iowa and has also been awarded USA's Native American Entertainer of the Year, Mr
Showman of the Year (Las Vegas Review Journal), and CMA People's Choice Award
(Humanitarian of the Year). He also plays with his band, Branscombe Richmond and the
Renegade Posse band.
164. Louis Riel (Metis)
- Tribal leader/ Civil rights Activist
Louis Riel remains one of the most controversial, elusive, revolutionary, outspoken,
mysterious and complicated figures in Canadian history. He was seven-eighths white
ancestry, but always described and defined himself as Metis (a person of mixed
European and indigenous ancestry). Elected to the House of Commons, Riel would
later be exiled from Canada in 1874, declared an outlaw in 1875, and in 1884
lead two rebellions before being captured and hanged in 1885. Today his execution
is considered unjust and Riel is regarded as a major figure in Canadian’s
fight for political and economic rights.
165. Lillie Roberts
(Choctaw) - Educator
"The person I am nominating is Lillie Roberts or Ms. Lili to her students. The
reason that I am nominating Ms. Lili is her
dedication to preserving our beloved Choctaw language. As she has continually increased
the amount of language speakers. Thus keeping the language from becoming all but a
memory. There is no replacement for what she has given of herself in service - no other
way this could have happened other than a Native Speaker of Choctaw to step forward with
dedication and show the rest of us the way. She has reached out to welcome every single
Choctaw everywhere in the world Home, through language. ...Ms. Lili is doing a fantastic
job of keeping the Choctaw Language alive and paving the way to keep the language alive
for generations to come."
166. Robbie Robertson
(Mohawk) - Musician/ Songwriter/ Producer/ Actor
Robertson is best known for his membership (guitarist/ songwriter) in The Band, whose
critically acclaimed music influenced the direction of rock music. The Band once played
backup in a Bob Dylan tour, was the first North American rock group to appear on the
cover of Time magazine, performed a record-setting four songs on Saturday Night Live,
and appeared before 650,000 people at the largest rock concert in history. Robertson
produced for Neil Diamond, wrote Rod Stewart’s "Broken Arrow," composed for
films such as Raging Bull, The Color of Money, and Casino, has acted in Carny with Jodie
Foster and Gary Busey, won Album of the Year and Producer of the Year at the Juno
Awards, and was inducted into Juno’s Hall of Fame. He and The Band were inducted into
the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and Robertson received the Lifetime Achievement Award
from the National Academy of Songwriters in 1997. He later returned to his
indigenous roots to record Contact From the Underworld of Redboy and Music For The
Native Americans. His life was documented on PBS and VH1, and the won the first-ever
Grammy® for Native American Album of the Year.
167. Will Rogers
(Cherokee) - Humorist/ Writer/ Entertainer/ Actor... A.K.A.: The Cherokee Kid
He was an Oklahoma Indian, a cowboy, an entertainer, a movie star, a comedian, a
satirist, and the toast of Broadway. Born in Indian Territory, Rogers was
taught to lasso by a freed slave, a skill that later had him listed in the Guinness Book
of World Records for throwing three lassos at once. He stared in 71 movies, wrote more
than 4,000 columns, traveled the globe three times, and he was a guest at the White
House. He died in a tragic plane crash in 1935. "Will Rogers is my nomination
because during the depression he made people laugh and forget their hardships. His
movies, writings and lectures were brilliantly funny and he was proud of his Cherokee
heritage and he made my parents proud of their’s."
168. Roman Nose/ Woo-ka-nay
(Cheyenne) - Warrior
He is revered as one of the most courageous warriors of the Great Plains, and of the
Plains Indian wars of the 1860's. He wore a magnificat headdress in battle, made
with one buffalo horn and a long tail of red and black eagle feathers, and believed
it to have protective powers that required an elaborate ceremony prior to wearing it.
Roman Nose became famous to the US Army, so famous in fact that at one time, the
Army would assume most, if not all, Cheyenne male warriors they encountered were Roman
169. John Ross/ Kooweskoowe
(Cherokee) - Tribal Chief
He was born in 1790 to Scottish and Cherokee parents. An educated man who served under
Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812, he was elected principal chief of the Eastern
Cherokee in 1828 - during the saddest era in Cherokee history. He struggled to retain
his people’s ancestral lands, but unable to do so, especially after the
questionable 1835 treaty. In 1838-39 he led his people on the long, harsh and tragic
military march to present-day Oklahoma. Thousands died on what is now known as "The
Trail of Tears." Ross continued his position of chief until his death in 1839.
170. Sacajawea (Shoshone) - Interpreter/ Guide
She is one of the most well-known Native Americans of all time, though most stories
about her are a mix of myth and fact. She wasn’t an official member of the expedition
party, but her husband was and he brought his helpful 16-year-old pregnant wife with him
to aide as guide and interpreter (especially when they reached the upper
Missouri River and the mountains from which she had come from). She and her husband
would later spend nearly 5 years in St. Louis with Clark, and some records say she died
in 1812 while others say 1884.
171. Buffy Sainte-Marie
(Cree) - Singer/ Songwriter/ Artist/ Educator/ Activist
She’s a folk singer, an Oscar Winner (for writing Up Where You Belong, 1982), a
former Sesame Street regular, an activist, art teacher, artist, and actor. Add that
to a politically blacklisted performer and the co-founder of Canada’s
'Music of Aboriginal Canada' JUNO category. Sainte-Marie has received numerous
medals and awards from all over the world and her Cradleboard Teaching Project aids
children from all backgrounds to learn about Native history, culture and people. "Not
only for her music but because of her Cradleboard teaching site that is set up to teach
the educators true Native history, how to promote understanding between the races and
for the effort done on the site to promote pride in the native children who of course
are our future." and "At 18, in 1970 she taught me about native
activism. I was drawn to her romantic folk ballads and equally moved emotionally by her
native story songs."
172. Samoset (Abenaki)
- Tribal Leader
Most children today are familiar with Samoset because he was the friendly Native Abenaki who
welcomed the English to Massachusetts in 1621. Samoset was also the first chief to
negotiate treaties and land sales with the foreigners. He lived in peace with the
English and it is believed that he died around 1653.
173. Will Sampson
(Muscogee Creek) - Actor/ Painter / Bull Rider
He played an American Indian in films and television at a time when Indians didn’t
play Indians. At 6 foot 7, Sampson insisted on playing Native people as real people, and
not as some stereotyped caricatures of who or what his people should be. His first big
acting break was with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and films such as Poltergeist
II, Standing Tall, From Here to Eternity, Firewalker, and The Outlaw Josey Wales would
follow. He founded the American Indian Registry for the Performing Arts, often spoke to
schools and prisons about Native America, and his artwork was exhibited all over
the country. Sampson died in 1987.
(Kiowa) - Tribal Leader
In 1865 Santana participated, along with 3 men, in the negotiations that lead to
the treaty of the Little Arkansas River. Afterwards, the Kiowa were unhappy
with their small, pathetic reservation, which caused them to resist, raid and
fight back against the whites. The raids Santana led gained him recognition within
his tribe, and they asked him to be one of the tribe’s representatives at the Medicine
Lodge Treaty council, but the public was outraged over the raids and demanded the
Kiowa's punishment. Some Kiowa's were imprisioned, some hanged, and others
were transferred to reservations. Santana was imprisoned for several years, where
he committed suicide by jumping out a window.
175. Doris Seale
(Santee/ Cree) - Educator/ Author
She writes extensively on the issues of identifying negative, stereotypical and harmful
Native American children’s books. She works to educate teachers, librarians and
parents on how to choose the right Native-themed books. Seale co-founded Oyate, an
organization devoted to dispelling indigenous stereotypes in textbooks, literature, and
other media, and in 1991 co-authored Through Indian Eyes.
176. Sealth/ Seattle
(Suquamish) - Tribal Leader/ Chief of the Duwamish Confederacy
He was chief of his tribe and of the alliance of tribes in his area. Known and respected
for his courageous leadership, friendly relations with whites, eloquent speech and
conversion to Roman Catholicism, Chief Seattle is known today as one of the greatest
leaders of all times. When faced with the incursion of white settlers, he chose peace
over war, signing a treaty ceding most of his people’s land to settlers and moving his
people north. His speech, given at the time of the treaty, is often quoted, though the
translations vary and some words may have been embellished.
177. Dean Seneca
- Community Leader
As the Director of the ATSDR Office of Tribal Affairs, Seneca serves as the ATSDR focal
point for the environmental health issues that pertain to American Indian/ Alaska Native
governments and organizations.
(Cherokee) - Linguist
Sequoyah is the "greatest American of all time. No one else invented an entire
alphabet from scratch in the history of humanity and that should automatically get him
to the top of the list. Also, he is one of the few historical Native Americans that was
known for his mind and not military prowess. " and " I add Sequoia
,for his teaching words ,for fighting the odds within his own people in a time far
tougher then now. Even though he wasn't the only Cherokee to attempt to make the talking
words, he was the one who stood his ground and accomplished it. He suffered through
criticism of his family, friends and nation ,laughed at ,yet he fulfilled his dream to
have a language written for his people to talk among their selves, which also lead them
to a greater independence."
179. Shawnee Prophet/
Tenskwatawa (Shawnee) -
Political and Religious Leader
He was the brother of Tecumseh and was involved in the ideology and formation of the
Native confederacy his brother fought so hard for. He announced himself a prophet,
calling for the renunciation of white ways and a return to traditional Native life, and
was able to gain tribal support after foretelling the 1806 solar eclipse. He later
accompanied his people to Missouri and then to Kansas, where he died.
180. Leslie Marmon Silko (Laguna Pueblo) - Poet/ Novelist
She received national attention for her first book of poems, Laguna Woman (1974),
drawing heavily on her Laguna Pueblo culture, and then for her 1977 novel, Ceremony.
Often hailed as the first American Indian woman novelist, her 1989
book Storyteller combined memoirs with fiction, photographs and poetry
depicting her family history. She was the recipient of a prestigious MacArthur
181. Jay Silverheels (Mohawk) - Actor / First Native American
given a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Best known for his many appearances as the Lone Ranger's side-kick Tonto, Jay
Silverheels starred in other films such as: Broken Arrow, War Arrow, Walk the Proud
Land, Indian Paint, and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold. He was also the first
Native person given a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. "Jay was the first
person I can remember being on tv that looked like me." and "He was,
(with the Lone Ranger), our role model, our first example of what an Indian was and what
we too could be: brave, loyal, strong, dignified, never angry, didn't smoke, swear or
drink. He was an equal to the Lone Ranger in our eyes and it took both working together
to upheld truth and justice and service to people in trouble."
182. Sitting Bull
(Hunkpapa Lakota ) - Tribal Leader
"This inspirational leader was murdered deep within Lakota Nation territory, a
vast area encompassing much of the central and northern Great Plains. Tatanka Iyotaka in
his day was one of the most influential> leaders on the prairie. Today, he is the
most recognizable Indian in the world Tatanka Iyotaka was not impressed by white society
and their version of civilization. He was shocked and saddened to see the number of
homeless people living on the streets of American cities. He gave money to hungry white
people many times when he was in the large cities. He counseled his people to be wary of
what they accept from white culture. He saw some things which might benefit his people;
but cautioned Indian people to accept only those things that were useful to us, and to
leave everything else alone. Tatanka Iyotaka was a man of clear vision and pure
motivation. As is often the case with extraordinary people, Tatanka Iyotaka was murdered
by his own people."
(Wanapun) - Tribal Leader/ Prophet
He preached a religion - called Dreamers - based on a vision of returning to traditional
modes of living, and advocated passive resistance and to love and tend to the
earth. Smohalla died in 1895, but his ideology continues to live on. In the 1960's,
white conservationists found meaning in his Washani Creed and used it to lobby for laws
to control of hunting and fishing, and Native people cited the same Creed as a
justification for their opposition to such laws.
184. Louis Sockalexis
(Penobscot) - Major League Baseball's first Native American baseball player
Sockalexis, a Penobscot Indian from Maine, was one of the greatest college baseball
stars of the 1890s and the very first major league Native American baseball player -
playing for the then-known Cleveland Spiders. He broke racial barriers while enduring
racism and ridicule from fans and sportswriters alike. Sockalexis died in 1913 at
age 42. The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio held a contest to rename the Cleveland
Spiders and two years after Sockalexis’s death, they named the team the controversial
name of Cleveland Indians.
185 Spotted Tail
(Brule Sioux) - Tribal Chief
Spotted Tail was an orphan raised by his grandparents, which is something that gave him
a disadvantage compared to other males his age. This challenged him to work harder than
others to establish his place within his community. While trading with whites,
Spotted Tail would study their habits, economy, and beliefs, later concluding that
whites should not have so much freedom in Indian land and should not be trusted. He was
proven right when overbearing settlers violated treaties and clashed with the Sioux.
Spotted Tail would eventually be made chief of his people and reconcile with the
186. Squanto (Wampanoag)
- Translator/ Guide
Squanto was an interpreter, guide and consultant for the Pilgrims in the early New World
years of the Plymouth Colony. Kidnapped by the English in 1614,
Squanto was taken to Spain and later returned to the America’s. He assisted
the Pilgrims through their first year, helping them plant food, living with them
and giving his much-needed guidance. Today his life is more folklore than fact, and
most children learn in elementary school of his efforts to save the Pilgrims from
starvation and death.
187. Standing Bear
(Ponca) - Tribal Leader/ Civil rights activist
" Standing Bear is a hero. He is my hero. He only wanted to take his son back
to their homeland for burial, as he promised him. He wasn’t out to fight or to cause
havoc. He was a caring father who’s plight was so horrible and heart-felt that he
touched a nation and reporters and even some military soldiers wanted him to finished
his journey. He fought for civil rights in the US court and won the first right for an
indigenous people to be called a human under the laws of the country. He won his civil
rights and did so because he was a good and loving man and father. He only wanted the
right to travel off his reservation and be a free man. He was the first Native American
civil rights leader and the first citizen. He toured the country and advocated Native
American freedom, which everyone else had. He was a powerful celebrity and figure in
Native American rights. He was amazing, and he should be at the top of your list."
188. Wes Studi
(Cherokee) - Actor/ Activist / Author
Wes Studi is a full-blooded Cherokee who only spoke Cherokee until he went to school.
After serving in Vietnam, he returned to Oklahoma to work as a
reporter, and then became involved with the American Indian Movement (AIM) and was even
present at Wounded Knee in 1973. Studi was bit by the acting bug and is now known for
his roles in movies such as: Dances with Wolves, Mystery Men, The Last of the Mohicans,
Heat, Skinwalkers, The New World, and A Thief in Time. "I love Wes Studi. He's
handsome and a great role model for young kids everywhere."
189. Sweet Medicine of the
for the Greatest Native American is Sweet Medicine of the Cheyenne. Born of a virgin,
Sweet Medicine was raised by an elder woman, nursed by other women of the Cheyenne and
grew to be the Cheyenne "prophet". From his quest into the sacred Bear Butte,
he emerged with the sacred arrow bundle, laws by which the people should live, warrior
societies, respect for women. He lived to be an old man, but knew that he was not
immortal. Only the mountains and stones live forever. At his time for
passing, they built a hut for him at Bear Butte out of willows and cedar logs, the floor
covered in fragrant grasses and medicines. Then he spoke to the people for the last
time.... Then Sweet Medicine went into his hut to die."
190. Maria Tallchief (Osage)
She studied ballet and music at age four, and by eight her family had to relocate to
California so she could train with noted ballet specialists. Tallchief was one of
the world’s legendary performers, before her 23rd birthday!, and has
been called "Americans Prima Ballerina." Best known for her time with the New
York City Ballet, she may be the most famous American ballerina of all times. In 1953
President Dwight Eisenhower declared her "Woman of the Year." She retired from
dance in 1965.
191. Marjorie Tallchief
(Osage) - Ballerina
She was 21 months younger than her sister, Maria, but Marjorie was a brilliant dancer in
her own right. She was the first American to join the Paris Opera
Ballet as "Premiere danseuse etoile" and with her sister, founded the Chicago
City Ballet in 1981. "Marjorie does not receive the recognition she deserves.
Yes, Maria was wonderful and made great strides in race relations and understanding in
this country, but so did his sister Marjorie."
(Sioux) - Warrior
History books often refer to Tamahay as the "one-eyed Sioux" for obvious
reasons (he had one eye). He was high spirited, reckless, fast and strong, and declared
openly that he would die young but not by his own hands. Tamahay was a notable man of
the early 19th century frontier, fighting for the Americans in the War of 1812 when
most Native’s were siding with the British.
(Shawnee) - Tribal Leader/ Warrior/ Advocate for tribal confederacy
Tecumseh is and was one of the most influential Indian leaders of all time,
spending most of his career campaigning for Indian confederacy, uniting against the
encroachment of the whites and becoming one nation to protect their culture, ancestral
land and borders. Born in 1768 near what is now Springfield, Ohio, he took
part in the war of retaliation in 1780 - a war that originated with the murder of Chief
Cornstalk who was attempting to negotiate with white men.
Tecumseh was a brave warrior, a skilled fighter, and known for his opposition to
unnecessary killing. He participated in the Battle of Fallen Timbers and
refused to sign the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. Along with his brother, The Prophet,
Tecumseh traveled among the tribes of the region and beyond to set
forth a doctrine that unified Natives of Northwestern Territory into one Indian
Confederacy Nation. Also with his brother they established Prophetstown in today's
Indiana, but after it was destroyed by the U.S. Army in 1811, enthusiasm for the
confederacy diminished. Tecumseh allied with the British (they made him a brigadier
general) in the War of 1812. He also took a stand at the Battle of the Thames (1813)
where he lost his life. "Tecumseh IS the GREATEST indigenous person who ever
walked the planet! He tried to unite our ancestors and if he would have succeeded, we
might just own our country today. He had vision and moral strength and he needs to be at
the very top of any Greatest leader list."
Tekakwitha (Mohawk) - Religious figure
Tekakwitha is the first Native American to convert to Roman Catholic Christianity and to
be venerated by the church. She was born in 1656 and died just 24
years later. Kateri was declared venerable by Pope Pius XII in 1943 and beatified by
Pope John Paul II in 1980.
195. Charlene Teters (Spokane) - Artist/ Writer/ Activist/
Charlene Teters is a national figure in the anti-mascot movement which, for her,
began in 1988 when she spoke out against the University of Illinois macsot which
she considered degrading, offensive, and a stereotypical image of Native
Americans. Besides speaking up, Teters created political art, and
campaigned against these racist symbols. Soon a national leader in the
movement, her story was the subject of the award wining documentary "In Whose
Honor?". Today Charlene continues her activism work and has exhibited her artwork
internationally. "For me, no one says Great Native American Woman like
Charlene. She's the face and voice of the mascot movement and I appreciate all her hard
work, dedication, energy, and vision."
196. Jim Thorpe
(Sauk and Fox) - Olympic champion/ Athlete/ "Greatest American Football Player in
Jim Thope was a three-time all-American football player, a professional minor and major
league baseball player, and the winner of both a pentathlon and a
decathlon in the World Olympics. Adept in every sport he attempted (swimming,
running, wrestling, lacrosse, tennis, golf, etc.) the New York Times named him
"the world’s greatest all-around athlete" in 1912 (when he was 25 years
old!). His mother, a descendant of Black Hawk, was convinced that Thorpe was the living
reincarnation of the great chief, who was himself an outstanding athlete as well.
Thorpe participated in the Olympics, the baseball World Series, played
professional football, and was instrumental in forming the American Professional
Football Association (now the NFL). He organized, coached and played in the only
all-Indian professional football team, the Orrang Indians, from Canton, Ohio
and Thorpe's life story was made into the 1949 movie, "Jim Thorpe - All
American," starring Burt Lancaster. The following year the Associated Press named
him the "greatest overall male athlete" for the first half of the century, and
"the greatest American football player." After his death in 1953, the National
Football League renamed its "Most Valuable Player" award the "Jim Thorpe
Trophy" and he's been named to the professional football, track and field, and
college football hall of fame. In 1977 Sport magazine conducted a national poll and
announced Jim Thorpe as the "Greatest American Football Player in History."
Today many Americans consider Jim Thorpe as the greatest American athlete of all time
and in 1999, Congress designated Jim Thorpe the "Athlete of the
197. John Trudell
(Santee Sioux) - Activist/ Musician/ Actor
Trudell is one of the most recognizable figures of indigenous activism and the American
Indian Movement (acting as their spokesperson). He took part in the
1972 Trail of Broken Treaties, the takeover of the BIA headquarters, and the second
Wounded Knee. He also lobbied for Leonard Peltier, released an album
and acted in Smoke Signals and Thunderheart. "John is an excellent leader with
an excellent heart. He helped the Red Power movement and because of him and people like
him, we made several advances forward."
198. Two Strike/ Nomkahpa
(Brule Sioux) - Tribal Leader
He was intelligent, somber, and held a high sense of duty to his people. Two Strikes
accompanied his first war party at age 12 and by the time he was 31,
he was leading his own war parties. After his sixth coup he was declared chief and
eventually ascended to the position of head chief of the Brule Sioux.
(Mohegan) - Warrior
"I nominate Uncas because though he warred against neighboring tribes and
fought on the side of the English in the King Philip’s War, which some see as him
being a trader, he was also a sachem who loved his people and just wanted peace."
200. Victorio (Mimbreno
Apache) - Tribal Leader
He was not out to make friends with white settlers or government representatives;
for the most part, Victorio, kept a distance from the outsiders. His followers loved him
and he treated his people kindly. He was the last hereditary chief whose D’ne band
roved freely in their ancestral homelands (Texas/ New Mexico. Arizona). "Victorio
deserves recognition and praise for his leadership and tight hold on his cultural
the Greatest Native American, Nominations, 201-211
(Wampanoag) - Tribal Chief
He was the eldest son of Massasoit and given the English name Alexander. Wamsutta
succeeded his father in 1661 and tried to maintain his father’s alliance
with the colonists, but the English were growing in number and attitude; conflicts
continued to grow between them. He died after a meeting with the
colonists... some say he was poisoned. His brother Metacom succeeded him. "I
nominate Wamsutta because he tried to do what should have been done, and that is to keep
the invaders out of Turtle Island. He fought hard and against a great deal of people who
thought he was the devil. His bravery should be celebrated in place of this nations
horrid Thanksgiving holiday."
202. Nancy Ward/ Nan’yeh
(Cherokee) - Warrior/ Tribal Leader / Beloved Woman
The role of Beloved Woman in Cherokee tradition is an influential one, and the most
noted Beloved Woman is Nancy Ward, born around 1738. She served her people during a
difficult time for the Cherokee, and was against land cessions. An ambassador
for peace, she was also a shrewd diplomat who is often remembered as a
feminist symbol for Cherokee women, and an inspiration for all people in Indian country.
(Shoshoni) - Tribal Leader
Washakie was an ally of white immigrants, traders, trappers, and the U.S.
government. The Shoshonis were instrumental in assisting whites in settling the
western part of the United States, and even joined them in battles against the
Sioux, Blackfeet and Crows (their traditional enemies). This peaceful relationship kept
the Eastern Shoshoni from experiencing some of the tragic ordeals and effects of Native
removal into Indian Territory.
204. Woogie Watchetaker
(Comanche) - Community Leader
George Woggie Watchetaker Smith lived in the modern white world while hodling tight
to traditional Comanche ways. He was a beloved man who did raindances in the early
1970's during the devastating drought that strickened the south, and his brother,
Charles Chibitty, was the last remaining Comanche Code Talkers of WWII.
Weatherford/ Red Eagle (Upper Creek) -
Military and Tribal Leader
Red Eagle was part of the "Red Sticks" Upper Creek group - warriors who
opposed the U.S. in the Creek War of 1813-1814. Stirred by Tecumseh’s ideology of
tribal unity and American resistance, Red Eagle participated in a massacre of
whites that left 250 - 500 dead. When his people were defeated by General Andrew
Jackson at Horseshoe Bend (1814), his fellow chiefs were ordered to bring him in for
punishment. Red Eagle did not want the chiefs to go through such
humiliation, so he rode into Jackson’s camp alone and boldly surrendered, saying
that he did not fear Jackson near any other man because he was a Creek warrior. He was
allowed to live in peace, on a farm, until his death in 1824.
206. Everrett "Tall
Oak" Weeden (Mashantucket/ Pequot/ Wampanoag) - Artist/ Activist/
Tall Oak is an educational consultant who's been actively lecturing and performing
for years at various educational institutions about Native culture and rights. He’s
one of the founders of the National Day of Mourning, and has acted as a consultant for
Boston Children’s Hospital, Brown University, and the Haffenreffer Museum of
207. Bernie Whitebear (Nez
Perce) - Activist/ Community Leader/ Green Beret
He founded the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation after he and other Natives
invaded 20 acres of government land that originally belonged to the indigenous.
They occupied the property and declared their right to possess it and
to turn it into a cultural center for Native people. They won this right and
today the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation occupies the 20 acres. Whitebear was a
kind, gentle soul who cared about the Nez Perce and all Native people, and dedicated his
life to their activism and advocacy, including the creation of the Indian Health Board
in Seattle, Washington.
208. Wicked Chief/ Sharitarish
(Grand Pawnee) - Tribal Leader
Sharitarish was the chief of the Grand Pawnee tribe. He was descended from a long
line of chiefs which, according to tribal law, was how they selected the next chief.
Sharitarish died when he was just 30 years old.
209. Wolf Robe
(Southern Cheyenne) - Tribal Leader
During the 1870s, Wolf Robe's (chief of the southern Cheyenne) and his people were
forced to leave the Plains and "relocate" to an Oklahoma reservation; so
his reign was at a time of extreme turmoil. It is said that Wolf Robe's profile was
used on the "Indian Head Nickle." He died about 1910.
210. Wovoka/ Jack Wilson
(Northern Paiute) - Spiritual Leader
Wovoka, a messiah to his followers, is often called the Father of the Ghost Dance,
a mystic religion and ideaogy that spread among a number of tribes (during a time
when they needed it most). During his early 30s, Wovoka wove together a belief system
that would eventually become the Ghost Dance Religion. (Also incorporated into the Ghost
Dance Religion were prophicies from another Northern Paiute, Tavibo, who predicted that
whites would some day be swallowed by the earth and the Indian dead would rise again.
Some have said that Tavibo was Wovoko’s birth father who died when Wovoka was
young.) Wovoka told his followers to dance and sing songs to
bring forth the prophecy. In the 1880's Wovoko made similar prophecies pertaining to
whites vanishing, leaving a land rich in food, a renewal of Native spirituality
and immortality. This belief spread to the disheartened Natives, and soon various
tribes throughout the west were adopting their own interpretations of the Ghost Dance.
Followers were dancing, singing and making Ghost Shirts that were supposed to be
bullet-proof. Wovoka lost his notoriety after Wounded Knee in 1890, but went on to live
a quiet life as Jack Wilson until his death in 1932.
211. Evelyn Yellow Robe
(Rosebud Dakota Sioux) - First Native American to win a Fulbright scholarship
"I nominate Dr. Yellow Robe because she is a doctor who carved a path for other
Native kids, especially girls, to pursue their dreams and make their lives
what they want it to be. She’s the first Native American to win a Fulbright
Scholarship, plus she was given the French Government Award for Excellence in
the 40's plus the Indian Achievement Medal by the Indian Council Fire. She’s a great
role model and have done much for her people."