Charlene Teters
was born on April 25th, 1952 in Spokane, Washington. Charlene is an activist, artist, educator, and writer. She has been referred to as the “Rosa Parks” of the American Indians. She is now a professor at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is a founding Board Member of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media. She originally made her voice heard when she protested against her alma mater, the University of Illinois, because of their school mascot. She brought to attention the inappropriateness of the use of Native American symbols and the use of Native Americans as mascots by both professional and college sports teams. She describes herself as a reluctant activist, yet her multimedia installations, writings, and lectures challenge dominant narratives by exposing how popular culture and negative stereotypes continue to reinforce racist notions. She uses American icons to demonstrate how popular culture normalizes racism and dehumanizes Native American people. Her favorite quote is “When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better,” by Pauline R. Kezer.
Ada E. Deer
was born on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Wisconsin in 1935. Her mother was a fierce advocate for Indian rights and justice, which made Ada curious about the lives of Indians. She followed in her mother’s footsteps as she is nationally recognized as an advocate and organizer on behalf of American Indians. She attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the Columbia University School of Social Work. In 1993, she became the first woman to be appointed Assistant Secretary of the Interior department for Indian Affairs. She was also the first Native American to lobby Congress and the first Chairwoman of her tribe. Today, she continues to help others through her various roles as those previous listed as well as others including a school social worker, Peace Corps lecturer, lecturer for an American Indian Studies Program, and so many more. She has served on many local, state, and national committees, boards, and commissions, and has been the recipient of awards for her extraordinary efforts. She once said, “I want to emphasize, especially to Indians, that they can decide what they want. You do not need the Bureau of Indian Affairs or any other group telling you what to do. You can make a decision and work for it . . . . it is possible to bring about social change.”
Charles Alexander Eastman
was born in 1858 near Redwood Falls, Minnesota. His name at birth was “Hakadah,” meaning the pitiful last, because he became the last of his three brothers and one sister when his mother died shortly after his birth. In his early youth, he received the name Ohiyesa, meaning the winner. He spent 17 years in primary, preparatory, undergraduate college, and professional education where he ended up studying medicine at Boston University. In 1897, Eastman went to Washington as the legal representative and lobbyist for the Sioux tribe and he was also an employee of the Indian Bureau. Eastman was a Native American physician, writer, national lecturer, and reformer. In the years following 1910, Eastman helped establish the Boy Scout organization based in large part on the prototype of the American Indian. Beginning in 1910 and for the rest of his life, he also became involved with many progressive organizations attempting to improve the circumstances of the various Indian tribes. At one time he was president of the Society of American Indians. Traveling extensively in the United States and abroad, he became high in demand as a lecturer and public speaker and was chosen to represent the American Indians at the Universal Races congress in London in 1911. His public speaking continued for the remainder of his life.
Crazy Horse
was born 1840, near present-day Rapid City, South Dakota. He was an Oglala Sioux Indian chief who fought against removal to a reservation in the Black Hills. Crazy Horse was recognized among his own people as a visionary leader because he was committed to preserving the traditions and values of the Lakota way of life. Crazy Horse earned his reputation among the Lakota for not only his skill and daring in battle but also by his determination to preserve his people’s traditional way of life. In 1873, the war department by George Armstrong Custer ordered all Lakota bands onto their reservation. Crazy Horse became a leader of resistance. This uproar caused a battle between the Lakota people and General George Crook and his American forces. Following this victory at the Little Bighorn, Crazy Horse remained to battle with Nelson Miles while others retreated throughout the winter of 1876-1877. This constant fighting and the decline of the buffalo population eventually forced Crazy Horse to surrender. Crazy Horse was the last important chief of the Lakota that was still alive.
Sacagawea
Sacagawea was a princess of the Shoshone Indian tribe and best known for being the only woman on the Lewis and Clark expedition into the American West. When she was a girl her village was attacked and she became a slave. Later she was sold to a trapper named Charbonneau who made her one of his wives. She was living with Charbonneau when explorers Lewis and Clark arrived. They asked for Sacajawea to help them travel as she could translate with the Shoshone. Despite traveling with her newborn son Jean Baptiste Charbonneau Sacagawea proved to be very helpful to Lewis and Clark not only for knowledge of the Shoshone language but also because she served as a symbol of peace. This was because traveling with a woman and child was less of a suspicion than a group of men alone. Six years after the expedition Sacagawea gave birth to her daughter Lisette. Later that year, Sacagawea died due to what later medical researches believed was a serious illness that she had suffered most of her adult life. To show Sacagawea’s bravery and leadership, the United States government engraved her image on a one-dollar coin in 2000.
Henry Lyle (Hank) Adams
was born May 16, 1943 in the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana and is a Sioux-Assiniboine Native American rights activist from Montana. Adams’ whole life has been spent trying to better the lives of Native Americans. After dropping out of college he was involved in bettering Indian affairs, he became a Special Projects Director of the National Indian Youth Council which was one of the most essential Native American institutions of the time. In April 1684 Adams made a name for himself by refusing to go into the United States Army unless traditional rights were accepted and recognized by the government, however, this was not a successful rebellion against the military and he ended up having to serve in the army. In 1968, he took the role of the leader of the Survival of American Indians Association, which was devoted to the cause of protecting Indian fishing rights. Adams fought against these state-fishing regulations on the Nisqually River in Washington, and for his actions he was arrested often between 1968 and 1971. Hank Adams is considered by many in the Indian Community as one of the most influential people in the Boldt Decision. The Boldt Decision, that agreed Native Americans had the right to fish in the waters of the Northwest that had been the center of many Adams’ protests. Adams continues to work with issues surrounding the Boldt Decision to this day.
was born on April 25th, 1952 in Spokane, Washington. Charlene is an activist, artist, educator, and writer. She has been referred to as the “Rosa Parks” of the American Indians. She is now a professor at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is a founding Board Member of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media. She originally made her voice heard when she protested against her alma mater, the University of Illinois, because of their school mascot. She brought to attention the inappropriateness of the use of Native American symbols and the use of Native Americans as mascots by both professional and college sports teams. She describes herself as a reluctant activist, yet her multimedia installations, writings, and lectures challenge dominant narratives by exposing how popular culture and negative stereotypes continue to reinforce racist notions. She uses American icons to demonstrate how popular culture normalizes racism and dehumanizes Native American people. Her favorite quote is “When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better,” by Pauline R. Kezer.
Ada E. Deer
was born on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Wisconsin in 1935. Her mother was a fierce advocate for Indian rights and justice, which made Ada curious about the lives of Indians. She followed in her mother’s footsteps as she is nationally recognized as an advocate and organizer on behalf of American Indians. She attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the Columbia University School of Social Work. In 1993, she became the first woman to be appointed Assistant Secretary of the Interior department for Indian Affairs. She was also the first Native American to lobby Congress and the first Chairwoman of her tribe. Today, she continues to help others through her various roles as those previous listed as well as others including a school social worker, Peace Corps lecturer, lecturer for an American Indian Studies Program, and so many more. She has served on many local, state, and national committees, boards, and commissions, and has been the recipient of awards for her extraordinary efforts. She once said, “I want to emphasize, especially to Indians, that they can decide what they want. You do not need the Bureau of Indian Affairs or any other group telling you what to do. You can make a decision and work for it . . . . it is possible to bring about social change.”
Charles Alexander Eastman
was born in 1858 near Redwood Falls, Minnesota. His name at birth was “Hakadah,” meaning the pitiful last, because he became the last of his three brothers and one sister when his mother died shortly after his birth. In his early youth, he received the name Ohiyesa, meaning the winner. He spent 17 years in primary, preparatory, undergraduate college, and professional education where he ended up studying medicine at Boston University. In 1897, Eastman went to Washington as the legal representative and lobbyist for the Sioux tribe and he was also an employee of the Indian Bureau. Eastman was a Native American physician, writer, national lecturer, and reformer. In the years following 1910, Eastman helped establish the Boy Scout organization based in large part on the prototype of the American Indian. Beginning in 1910 and for the rest of his life, he also became involved with many progressive organizations attempting to improve the circumstances of the various Indian tribes. At one time he was president of the Society of American Indians. Traveling extensively in the United States and abroad, he became high in demand as a lecturer and public speaker and was chosen to represent the American Indians at the Universal Races congress in London in 1911. His public speaking continued for the remainder of his life.
Crazy Horse
was born 1840, near present-day Rapid City, South Dakota. He was an Oglala Sioux Indian chief who fought against removal to a reservation in the Black Hills. Crazy Horse was recognized among his own people as a visionary leader because he was committed to preserving the traditions and values of the Lakota way of life. Crazy Horse earned his reputation among the Lakota for not only his skill and daring in battle but also by his determination to preserve his people’s traditional way of life. In 1873, the war department by George Armstrong Custer ordered all Lakota bands onto their reservation. Crazy Horse became a leader of resistance. This uproar caused a battle between the Lakota people and General George Crook and his American forces. Following this victory at the Little Bighorn, Crazy Horse remained to battle with Nelson Miles while others retreated throughout the winter of 1876-1877. This constant fighting and the decline of the buffalo population eventually forced Crazy Horse to surrender. Crazy Horse was the last important chief of the Lakota that was still alive.
Sacagawea
Sacagawea was a princess of the Shoshone Indian tribe and best known for being the only woman on the Lewis and Clark expedition into the American West. When she was a girl her village was attacked and she became a slave. Later she was sold to a trapper named Charbonneau who made her one of his wives. She was living with Charbonneau when explorers Lewis and Clark arrived. They asked for Sacajawea to help them travel as she could translate with the Shoshone. Despite traveling with her newborn son Jean Baptiste Charbonneau Sacagawea proved to be very helpful to Lewis and Clark not only for knowledge of the Shoshone language but also because she served as a symbol of peace. This was because traveling with a woman and child was less of a suspicion than a group of men alone. Six years after the expedition Sacagawea gave birth to her daughter Lisette. Later that year, Sacagawea died due to what later medical researches believed was a serious illness that she had suffered most of her adult life. To show Sacagawea’s bravery and leadership, the United States government engraved her image on a one-dollar coin in 2000.
Henry Lyle (Hank) Adams
was born May 16, 1943 in the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana and is a Sioux-Assiniboine Native American rights activist from Montana. Adams’ whole life has been spent trying to better the lives of Native Americans. After dropping out of college he was involved in bettering Indian affairs, he became a Special Projects Director of the National Indian Youth Council which was one of the most essential Native American institutions of the time. In April 1684 Adams made a name for himself by refusing to go into the United States Army unless traditional rights were accepted and recognized by the government, however, this was not a successful rebellion against the military and he ended up having to serve in the army. In 1968, he took the role of the leader of the Survival of American Indians Association, which was devoted to the cause of protecting Indian fishing rights. Adams fought against these state-fishing regulations on the Nisqually River in Washington, and for his actions he was arrested often between 1968 and 1971. Hank Adams is considered by many in the Indian Community as one of the most influential people in the Boldt Decision. The Boldt Decision, that agreed Native Americans had the right to fish in the waters of the Northwest that had been the center of many Adams’ protests. Adams continues to work with issues surrounding the Boldt Decision to this day.