National Native American Heritage Month: Celebrate Native American Culture

Jim Thorpe - Sauk and Fox Nations: Thorpe is considered one of the most versatile athletes in American sports history. He played college and pro football, pro baseball, and pro basketball. He was the first president of the American Professional Football Association (APFA) which later became the NFL. See this Britannica Article for more information. (username: fredco, password: fredco)

Charlene Teters - Spokane Nation: Often referred to as the "Rosa Parks" of the American Indians, Teters protested her alma mater, the University of Illinois, for using a culturally insensitive Native American-looking school mascot. In 1994, Teters created an exhibit called "It Was Only an Indian: Native American Stereotypes" which identified Native American racisim and stereotypes in media and advertising. She is the subject of the highly acclaimed documentary, "In Whose Honor," which looks at the ethical issues of using American Indians as sports mascots. See this article from California State University, San Bernardino for more information

Maria Tallchief - Osage Nation: Tallchief was America's first prima ballerino and the first soloist of the New York City Ballet. She went on to found the Chicago City Ballet. She won countless awards for her contributions to the dance world and is remembered for her Native American pride.  See this Britannica Article for more information. (username: fredco, password: fredco)

Winona LaDuke - Ojibwe Nation: LaDuke is an American Indian activist, environmentalist, economist, and writer. She went to Harvard where she became part of an Indian activist group. She later founded the Indigenous Women's Network to protect rights of Native women worldwide. She also founded the White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP) to recover land lost by the Anishinaabe and ran for vice-president with Ralph Naderon the Green Party ticket in 1996 and 2000. Take a look at this short biography from the Center for Humans & Nature for more information. 

Dr. Eloisa Garcia Tamez - Lipan Apache Nation: The only Native American to counter-sue the U.S. Department of Homeland Secrutiy, the US Army, and the US Customs Border Patrol. She staunchly defends Lipan Apaches and challenges US claims to sovereignty in indigenous lands and other indigenous nations in the US courts. 

Gary "Litefoot" Davis - Cherokee and Chichimeca Nations: The rapper, actor, author, entrepreneur was the first highly successful Native American hip hop artist. He founded Red Vinyl Records, a music label exclusively to be used by American Indian musicians. He has acted in many television shows and Hollywood films. He is also a successful businessman and serves as the Executive Director of the Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA). 

John Herrington - Chickasaw Nation: Herrington is the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to venture into space. He went on an 11-day space shuttle mission in 2002 to the International Space Station. Herrington carried a Chickasaw Nation flag on his trip into space. Check out this short article on the NASA website about Herrington's trip to space. 

There is much to celebrate in the news surrounding Native American rights, culture, and pride. There is also a lot in the news detailing the struggles and racisim Native Americans still face everyday. See links below for the most current news from national and local news stations and newspapers. 

Elements of this page were copied with permission from the Native American Heritage Month libguide created by Caitlin Greener from Niles North High School. 

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