Native women of the Blood Nation (Kainai Blackfoot) dressed in traditional vestments.
1907
“Mary Greyeyes being blessed by her native Chief prior to leaving for service in the CWAC.” September 29, 1942.
Mary Greyeyes (Reid) was the first Native woman to join the Canadian Forces and one of only 25 Native women to serve in the Canadian military during World War II.
The Americanization of Hawaii began with the arrival New England missionaries in 1820. Within 80 years the descendents of these missionaries deposed the indigenous Queen of Hawaii and Hawaii was annexed by the United States.
Sarah Vowell’s Unfamiliar Fishes traces these events in her typical chatty, irreverent style. It is a quick, broad brush introduction to Hawaii’s often overlooked history.
I’m more of a book-book person, but if you like audio books the voices for the audio book of Unfamiliar Fishes include Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Catherine Keener, Edward Norton, Keanu Reeves, Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph, and John Slattery.
Using government documents, author Angela Walton-Raji traced her ancestors to the slaves owned by American Indians
Warrior - Audrey, Assiniboine Nakoda, Wolf Point, Montana
Date unknown, via Montana State University Library
"A significant number of people believe tribal people still live and dress as they did 300 years ago. During my tenure as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, national news agencies requesting interviews sometimes asked if they could film a tribal dance or if I would wear traditional tribal clothing for the interview. I doubt they asked the president of the United States to dress like a pilgrim for an interview. More than one visitor to the Cherokee Nation capitol in Tahlequah, Oklahoma has expressed disappointment when they see no tipis or tribal people dressed up in buckskin. When these crestfallen tourists ask, ‘Where are all the Indians?’ I sometimes place my tongue in cheek and respond, quite truthfully, ‘They are probably at Wal-Mart.’"
—
Wilma Mankiller (1945-2010), the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation
Every Day Is a Good Day: Reflections by Contemporary Indigenous Women
(Source: books.google.com)
Bertha Parker Pallan (Cody) was one of the first female Native American archaeologists. Bertha was the expedition secretary for an archaeological dig in the Gypsum Caves of Nevada. She is shown above displaying finds from the expedition. Bertha also collected and preserved Yurok traditional narratives.
In 1936, Bertha married Iron Eyes Cody. In the 1950s, the couple hosted a television program about Native American history and folklore.
Deer Clan Singers - Mocassin Dance - Deers R Us
Song via Music Maker Relief Foundation, album on itunes.
Paper Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) longhouse, image via Alina’s Adventures. The project is from Easy Make & Learn Projects: Northeast Indians (Grades 3-5) and a pdf of the longhouse can be found here.
A longhouse was a narrow rectangular building which housed a large extended family or clan. Clans were matrilineal. When an Iroquois man married, he moved into the longhouse of his wife. Her clan membership was passed on to their children. The head of each longhouse was a woman, usually the oldest woman. These clan mothers oversaw farming, managed the distribution of food, and were responsible for ceremonial preparations. They also selected the men who represented the clan at tribal council and appointed the chief.
Reel Injun is streaming on Netflix and can be purchased on Amazon.
Photograph of Anahareo from Pilgrims of the Wild by Grey Owl (1935) via Project Gutenberg.
Anahareo (Gertrude Bernard) was born into Mohawk family in Ontario. At age 19, she took a waitressing job in Temagami, ON where she met a 37 year old trapper named Grey Owl (Archibald Belaney). Grey Owl was an Englishman who had been adopted into the Ojibwe. During his lifetime, he was believed to be half Apache based on the fictional identity he created for himself.
The couple married in an Anishinaabe ceremony but never legally married as Grey Owl was already married to an Ojibwe woman. During the eight years of their on and off relationship, Anahareo convinced Grey Owl that trapping was inhumane. Grey Owl soon became a well known advocate of conservation, always ascribing his change of heart to Anahareo’s influence.
The couple split in 1936 and Grey Owl died two years later. Newspapers soon exposed Grey Owl’s non-Native origins, damaging his reputation as a conservationist. Anahareo remained active in conservation and animal rights causes for the rest of her life. In 1972 she published Devil in Deerskins: My Life with Grey Owl (Amazon).
