This is a list of notable Native Americans from peoples indigenous to the contemporary United States, including
Native Alaskans,
Native Hawaiians, and
Native Americans in the United States.[1][2]Native American identity is a complex and contested issue. The
Bureau of Indian Affairs defines Native American as having American Indian or
Alaska Native ancestry. Legally, being Native American is defined as being enrolled in a
federally recognized tribe or
Alaskan village. Ethnologically, factors such as culture, history, language, religion, and familial kinships can influence Native American identity.[3] All individuals on this list should have Native American ancestry. Historical figures might predate tribal enrollment practices and would be included based on ethnological tribal membership.
Mary Peltola,
Yup'ik, Congresswoman from Alaska; first
Alaska Native member of Congress, first woman to represent Alaska in the House, first representative from Alaska to have been born in the state
Taffy Abel, (
Chippewa), Hall of Fame NHL Hockey Player, The First Native American in the Winter Olympics (1924 Silver medal), The First Native American in the NHL (1926), Broke the NHL Color Barrier in 1926
Ashton Locklear Artistic Gymnast of
Lumbee tribe. 2014 World Champion (Team), 2 x 2014 Pan American Champion (Team, Uneven Bars), 2 x 2016 Pacific Rim Champion (Team, Uneven Bars)
Mary Brave Bird,
Brulé Lakota activist. She was a member of the American Indian Movement during the 1970s and participated in some of their most publicized events.
Don Coyhis,
Mohican, sobriety leader and mental health activist, lecturer and author. Founder of Wellbriety, a holistic approach that emphasizes community support for individuals as well as a return to cultural roots for Native American communities.
Billy Frank Jr., Nisqually (deceased), environmental leader and treaty rights. He was the founder and chairman, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
Winona LaDuke,
White Earth Ojibwe environmental activist and writer. She was known for her work on tribal land claims and preservation, as well as sustainable development.
Susan LaFlesche Picotte,
Omaha/
Ponca/
Iowa activist, first female Native American physician. She campaigned for public health and for the formal, legal allotment of land to members of the Omaha tribe.
Deborah Parker (Tulalip, born 1970),[15] activist and
Tulalip Tribes vice-chairwoman from 2012[16] to 2015[17] Parker campaigned for the reauthorization and for the inclusion of provisions which gave tribal courts jurisdiction over violent crimes against women and families involving non–Native Americans on tribal lands.
Leonard Peltier,
Turtle Mountain Chippewa/
Lakota activist. A member of the
American Indian Movement (AIM), he is imprisoned for first-degree murder for the shooting of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents during a 1975 conflict on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Lawrence Plamondon, Grand Traverse
Odawa/
Ojibwe activist and storyteller. He helped found the White Panther Party. He was the first hippie to be listed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Plamondon's father was half-Odawa and his mother was part-Ojibwe.
Zitkala-Sa,
Yankton Dakota writer and activist. She was co-founder of the
National Council of American Indians, supporting Native civil rights. In addition, she served as its president until her death in 1938. She wrote several books about the Native American cultures and is one of the most influential Native American activists of the twentieth century.
Leopold Pokagon,
Potawatomi storyteller and activist. He tried to protect and promote the Potawatomi communities living in the St. Joseph River Valley and their lands.
Sarah Winnemucca,
Paiute advocate for the rights of Native Americans and served US forces as a messenger, interpreter, and guide, and as a teacher for imprisoned Native Americans. She also wrote the "first known autobiography written by a Native American woman."
^Porter, Kenneth W. (1949). "The Founder of the "Seminole Nation" Secoffee or Cowkeeper". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 27 (4): 362–384.
ISSN0015-4113.
JSTOR30138772.
^Henry Thompson Malone, Cherokees of the Old South
^Walker, Richard (June 9, 2017).
"10 Things You Should Know About the Tulalip Tribes". People. Indian Country Today.
National Congress of American Indians.
ISSN1066-5501. Archived from
the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2018. Deborah Parker (1970– ). Former vice chairwoman of the Tulalip Tribes; leading advocate for expansion of the Violence Against Women Act to include protections for Native American women; appointed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, to the 2016 Democratic National Convention's Platform Committee.
^Muhlstein, Julie (May 22, 2012).
"Tulalip leader speaks in D.C. for protection for women". Local News. The Daily Herald. Josh O'Connor.
ISSN2332-0079.
Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2018. Parker, 41, is the new vice chairwoman of the Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors. Elected in March [2012], she is the only woman on the current board and its youngest member.
This is a list of notable Native Americans from peoples indigenous to the contemporary United States, including
Native Alaskans,
Native Hawaiians, and
Native Americans in the United States.[1][2]Native American identity is a complex and contested issue. The
Bureau of Indian Affairs defines Native American as having American Indian or
Alaska Native ancestry. Legally, being Native American is defined as being enrolled in a
federally recognized tribe or
Alaskan village. Ethnologically, factors such as culture, history, language, religion, and familial kinships can influence Native American identity.[3] All individuals on this list should have Native American ancestry. Historical figures might predate tribal enrollment practices and would be included based on ethnological tribal membership.
Mary Peltola,
Yup'ik, Congresswoman from Alaska; first
Alaska Native member of Congress, first woman to represent Alaska in the House, first representative from Alaska to have been born in the state
Taffy Abel, (
Chippewa), Hall of Fame NHL Hockey Player, The First Native American in the Winter Olympics (1924 Silver medal), The First Native American in the NHL (1926), Broke the NHL Color Barrier in 1926
Ashton Locklear Artistic Gymnast of
Lumbee tribe. 2014 World Champion (Team), 2 x 2014 Pan American Champion (Team, Uneven Bars), 2 x 2016 Pacific Rim Champion (Team, Uneven Bars)
Mary Brave Bird,
Brulé Lakota activist. She was a member of the American Indian Movement during the 1970s and participated in some of their most publicized events.
Don Coyhis,
Mohican, sobriety leader and mental health activist, lecturer and author. Founder of Wellbriety, a holistic approach that emphasizes community support for individuals as well as a return to cultural roots for Native American communities.
Billy Frank Jr., Nisqually (deceased), environmental leader and treaty rights. He was the founder and chairman, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
Winona LaDuke,
White Earth Ojibwe environmental activist and writer. She was known for her work on tribal land claims and preservation, as well as sustainable development.
Susan LaFlesche Picotte,
Omaha/
Ponca/
Iowa activist, first female Native American physician. She campaigned for public health and for the formal, legal allotment of land to members of the Omaha tribe.
Deborah Parker (Tulalip, born 1970),[15] activist and
Tulalip Tribes vice-chairwoman from 2012[16] to 2015[17] Parker campaigned for the reauthorization and for the inclusion of provisions which gave tribal courts jurisdiction over violent crimes against women and families involving non–Native Americans on tribal lands.
Leonard Peltier,
Turtle Mountain Chippewa/
Lakota activist. A member of the
American Indian Movement (AIM), he is imprisoned for first-degree murder for the shooting of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents during a 1975 conflict on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Lawrence Plamondon, Grand Traverse
Odawa/
Ojibwe activist and storyteller. He helped found the White Panther Party. He was the first hippie to be listed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Plamondon's father was half-Odawa and his mother was part-Ojibwe.
Zitkala-Sa,
Yankton Dakota writer and activist. She was co-founder of the
National Council of American Indians, supporting Native civil rights. In addition, she served as its president until her death in 1938. She wrote several books about the Native American cultures and is one of the most influential Native American activists of the twentieth century.
Leopold Pokagon,
Potawatomi storyteller and activist. He tried to protect and promote the Potawatomi communities living in the St. Joseph River Valley and their lands.
Sarah Winnemucca,
Paiute advocate for the rights of Native Americans and served US forces as a messenger, interpreter, and guide, and as a teacher for imprisoned Native Americans. She also wrote the "first known autobiography written by a Native American woman."
^Porter, Kenneth W. (1949). "The Founder of the "Seminole Nation" Secoffee or Cowkeeper". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 27 (4): 362–384.
ISSN0015-4113.
JSTOR30138772.
^Henry Thompson Malone, Cherokees of the Old South
^Walker, Richard (June 9, 2017).
"10 Things You Should Know About the Tulalip Tribes". People. Indian Country Today.
National Congress of American Indians.
ISSN1066-5501. Archived from
the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2018. Deborah Parker (1970– ). Former vice chairwoman of the Tulalip Tribes; leading advocate for expansion of the Violence Against Women Act to include protections for Native American women; appointed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, to the 2016 Democratic National Convention's Platform Committee.
^Muhlstein, Julie (May 22, 2012).
"Tulalip leader speaks in D.C. for protection for women". Local News. The Daily Herald. Josh O'Connor.
ISSN2332-0079.
Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2018. Parker, 41, is the new vice chairwoman of the Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors. Elected in March [2012], she is the only woman on the current board and its youngest member.