Wilma Mankiller (1945-2010): First Female Chief of the Cherokee Nation

Luminaries of HistoryGuest UserAugust 12, 2021Comment

Mary Golda Ross: The Woman Who Helped Take Us to the Stars

As the MONAH Cultural Celebration wanes upon us, Mary Golda Ross is an appropriate figure to highlight in our Luminaries blog. A true pioneer of Indigenuity [1], Mary Ross is recognized as the first (known) indigenous, female engineer. Through her major contributions to science and technology, Mary Ross helped the United States and NASA reach the stars.

Guest UserJuly 29, 2021

Lakota Tatanka Iyotake: Chief Sitting Bull

A well-known name in Indigenous history, Chief Sitting Bull, left an impressive legacy of honor and sacrifice for the Sioux Nation and his story continues to inspire us today.

Luminaries of HistoryGuest UserJuly 8, 2021Sitting Bull, Plains, Chief

Annie Dodge Wauneka (1910-1997): Activist and Legendary Mother of the Navajo

Annie Dodge Wauneka, born in 1910 into the Tse níjikíní (Cliff Dwelling People) Clan of the Navajo Tribe, [1] left a timeless legacy of achievement and empowerment for indigenous women and the Navajo people.

Guest UserJune 3, 2021Luminaries, History, Women, Navajo Comments

Bertha “Birdie” Yewas Parker

Bertha Yewas Parker was born in 1907 in a tent at the Silverheels archaeological site near the town of Sinclairvilee, Cattaraugus County, New York, where her father, Arthur Caswell Parker, a Seneca folklorist, archaeologist, musicologist, and historian, was conducting an archaeological excavation.

Museum of Native American HistoryMarch 1, 2021 Comment

James Lawrence McDonald- First Native American Lawyer

James L. McDonald was known as the first Native American Lawyer.

Museum of Native American HistoryFebruary 15, 2021

Sarah "Thocmetony" Winnemucca- Paiute, Activist, Interpreter, Educator, and Author

Sarah Winnemucca was born around the year 1844, but she wasn’t sure of the exact time or date on which she was born.

Museum of Native American HistoryFebruary 1, 2021

Ira Hayes- Pima Native American and National War Hero

Ira Hamilton Hayes was born on January 12, 1923, to Nancy Hamilton and Joseph Hayes, a veteran of the Great War.

Museum of Native American HistoryJanuary 18, 2021

Susan La Flesche Picotte- The First Native American Physician

Susan La Fleshe Picotte was the first Native American women to receive her medical degree.

Museum of Native American HistoryJanuary 4, 2021

Minnie Spotted Wolf- The First Native Woman in the Marine Corps

Minnie Spotted Wolf is known for being the first Native American woman to join the Marine Corps.

Museum of Native American HistoryDecember 21, 2020

Grant Johnson- The Real "Tonto"

Grant Johnson or to many, better known as “Tonto” was born into slavery in April 1854 in Northern Texas to a Black Creek mother and a Black Chickasaw father.

Museum of Native American HistoryDecember 10, 2020

Links

Museum of Native American History