FAMOUS NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE OF 20TH CENTURY |
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Following is a short
list of famous Native American people of this century: JIM THORPE (Sac and Fox): winner of Olympic Gold Medals in the decathlon and pentathlon, in college he was an All-American athlete in lacrosse, basketball, and football. Played professional baseball and football. He has been voted the best American athlete of the first half of the 20th century. The first president of The National Football League. |
| LEWIS TEWANIMA
(HOPI) One of America's greatest long
distance runners. Member of U.S. Olympic Team in 1908 and 1912. In 1912 he
set the U.S. record for the 10,000 meter run, winning an Olympic silver medal.
This record stood until 1964 when it was broken by Oglala Lakota Billy Mills.
Tewanima also set the world record for the indoor 10 mile race, at Madison
Square Garden. |
| WILL RODGERS
(Cherokee): perhaps the best known American
humorist of the first one half of this century. |
| JOSEPH OKLAHOMBI
(Choctaw): Winner of the French medal,
Croix de Guerre in WW I. The incident which won him this honor was perhaps
one of the greatest acts of courage, bravery, and accomplishment in the annals
of Military history. Private Oklahombi under machine gun, mortar and poison
gas attack, crossed 210 yards of barbed wire traps and mine fields. He then
single-handedly overpowered a machine-gun nest, captured 171 German soldiers,
and held his position and prisoners for four days before being relieved.
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| FRANCIS LEQUIER
(Ojibwa): WW I hero. After his three comrades
were killed attacking a German machine gun nest, he managed to overpower
the Germans single handedly, killing several and capturing the rest. Mr.
Lequier was shot 11 times during the incident. |
| JOE YOUNG HAWK
(Arikara): captured by five German soldiers
in WW I he turned on his German captors, killed three with his bare hands
and captured the other two. Shot through both legs, he marched his prisoners
back through enemy territory to Allied lines. CLAIR GOODBLOOD Awarded the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart for his sacrifice and giving of his life in the service of his country during the Korean War. On April 25, 1951, while his unit was faced with overwhelming enemy forces, Corporal Goodblood threw himself onto a comrade to protect him from a grenade that was thrown into their position. Wounded in the blast, Corporal Goodblood, helped evacuate his wounded friend, then volunteered to stay behind to cover his unit's retreat. Over 100 dead enemy were found in Corporal Goodblood's line of fire when his body was later recovered. A memorial has been erected in his honor at Corporal Clair Goodblood Memorial Highway in Burnham, Maine. A new barracks at Camp Red Cloud, in Korea was dedicated to his memory on 5/21/2002 and named "Goodblood Hall." Corporal Goodblood's Medal of Honor and Purple Heart can be viewed at Camp Keyes, in Augusta, Maine at the Maine Military Historical Museum. http://www.webspawner.com/users/goodbloodmemorial/ |
| MITCHELL RED CLOUD
(Ho-Chunk) This resident of Black River Falls,
Wisconsin, was awarded the Medal of Honor for giving of his life on Nov.
5th, 1950, in the Korean conflict. Slowing an advance of enemy soldiers in
order to allow his comrades to organize an defense, he was wounded 8 times.
He wrapped his arm around a tree in order to support himself and to be able
to maintain fire with his automatic weapon. In July of 1999 the United States
Navy named a transport ship in his honor. |
| CHARLES D. CURTIS
(KANSA/KAW/OSAGE) Served in the House
of Representatives for 14 years. The first Native American elected to the
U.S. Senate. Served in the Senate for 20 years, 5 years as majority leader.
Author of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. Vice President of the United
States of America during the Herbert Hoover administration |
| ELVIS PRESLEY (Cherokee descent): the most influential rock and roll star in history |
| WAYNE NEWTON (Choctaw descent) Singer and actor. One of Las Vegas' best known entertainers. |
| MARIA TALLCHIEF
(OSAGE) One of the few prima ballerinas that
have been born in the United States. Called the greatest ballerina of her
day. Received the nations highest honor for a preforming artist, a
Kennedy Center Gold Medal for lifetime contribution to the preforming arts.
Ms. Tallchief was born in 1925 on the Osage Indian Reservation in Oklahoma.
By the age of 15 she had made her debut at the Holloywood Bowl. She
went on to become the highest paid ballerina ever. When Russia's Rudolph
Nureyev came to America he chose Ms. Tallchief as his partner. She retired
in 1965 at the age of 40 and makes her home in Chicago, Illinois, were
she continues to teach, and coach. In 1996 she was named to the National
Women's Hall of Fame 49).
N. SCOTT MOMADAY (KIOWA-CHEROKEE) Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1969 for his novel "House Made of Dawn." Author of many other books and short storys. He has narrated numerous documentaries and films. |
| BILLY MILLS (Lakota): Amateur champion and Gold Medal Winner in the Olympic Games in track and field. Currently works with charity groups promoting the cause of Native Americans across the U.S. |
| BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL
(Northern Cheyenne): Present day U.S. Senator
from Colorado. |
| FLOYD (RED CROW) WESTERMAN ( Santee Dakota): Songwriter, singer, speaker, activist, actor, and all around good guy. Starred in "Dances With Wolves," and "Clearcut," acted in roles in "Dharma and Greg," "Walker Texas Ranger" , "The X Files," and numerous other T.V. roles. To view Floyd's bio click onto |
| LITEFOOT
(Cherokee): Native American Rap
star and movie actor. He starred in the movie "Indian in the Cupboard." He
tours the country with his Rap band that sings and preaches the message of
a drug and alcohol free lifestyle. |
| VAL KILMER
(Cherokee descent): Star of "Batman
Forever" and actor in other films such as "Wyatt Earp," " Island of Doctor
Moreau," " Heat," "Thunderheart," "The Ghost and the Darkness," and "The
Saint." |
| GRAHAM GREENE
(Oneida): Actor that has starred in roles
in the movies, "Dances With Wolves," "Clearcut," "Thunderheart," "Die-hard
With A Vengeance," "The Education of Little Tree," and "Ishi." Graham narrates
and hosts the series "The Secrets of Forensic Science," a Canadian
Broadcast Service show that can be viewed weekly on the Discovery
Channel. |
| JOHNNY DEPP (Cherokee descent): brilliant young actor and film star in movies such as "Edward Scissor Hands," "Crybaby," and "Benny and June." |
| STEPHANIE KRAMER
(Cherokee descent): film star and female
lead actor in the T.V. series, "Hunter." |
| TIGER WOODS: (1/16 Native Blood)
Youngest man ever to win the Masters Golf Tournament. |
| COLIN POWELL:
(Taino Descent) Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Military
forces in the Gulf War. Widely touted as a potential candidate for President
of the United States of America. |
| JOHN HERRINGTON:
(Chickasaw) America's first Native astronaut.
He graduated April 24th, 1998 from the Johnson Space Center in
Houston, Texas. |
| SHANIA TWAIN: (Enrolled member
of The Red Lake Band of the Ojibwa People, Canada)
One of country music's most popular female stars. Her taken name of Shania
means in the language of the Ojibwa people, "I am on my way." |
| NOTAH BEGAY
(Navajo) Professional golfer on the PGA
tour. At the age of 24 in 1998 he became only the third golfer in the history
of the PGA tour to shoot a 59. Won the Reno Tahoe Open on August
8th, 1999. The first Native American to win a PGA tour since Rod
Curl in 1974. Notah credits his success to a strong belief in his traditional
faith and his cultural ties to his Navaho heritage. JOE & ANNIE HENRY (Gwich'in First Nation) -Dawson City, Yukon- |
| Inducted into the Guiness Book of World Records for holding the distinction of being the worlds longest living married couple. They will celebrate their 79th wedding anniversary in the summer of 2000. Raised in the Makenzie mountains in the northwest of the Yukon territory they are both in their early 100's. They have lived off the land their whole life. They live a traditional lifestyle, are fluent speakers of their Native language, and practitioners of their culture. Joe is renowned for his handcrafted snowshoes and Annie for her handmade moccasins, beadwork and tanned hides. They have over 100 children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They live a simple, hardworking livestyle and get by without a telephone, all of which has probably contributed to their long life and good nature. |
| WINONA LADUKE: (Anishinabe) |
| Mother of four children, resident of the White
Earth Reservation in Minnesota, author, activist,
farmer, and small business owner, she also has been the Vice
Presidential candidate for President of the United States in 1996 and the
year 2000 on the Green Party ticket. Her running mate for President is Ralph
Nader. EZEKIEL & PAULINE SANCHEZ : The first American Indian couple to be awarded "Parents of the Year." Pauline said, " I think we try to live from the heart. In the Indian culture they look to the heart. The heart represents the person. For me the heart is a doorway to the spirit." 58).
LORI PIESTEWA: (Hopi) A memorial fund has been established for Lori's children, who are
living today with their grandparents. Those wishing to contribute to the
fund, which will be used to raise the children and for their future
educational needs, can send checks to"Lori Piestewa's Memorial Fund" at any
Wells Fargo bank. The account has been set up under the auspices of the Hopi
Nation. Addresses for Wells Fargo can be found at
http://www.wellsfargo.com. Click on the "Locations" link at
http://www.wellsfargo.com/help/find_us.jhtml
Interested in reading about more famous Native People? Hit on the hyperlink: http://nativecelebs.com/ |