Category Archives: Urban Indian History Spotlights

Ben Nighthorse Campbell (1933- present) By, Victroria Plumage Ben Nighthorse Campbell was born in Auburn, California to a Portuguese mom and Northern Cheyenne dad. Ben dropped out of high school in 1951 to join the U.S. Air Force and became … Continue reading →

Gertrude “Zitkala-Sa” Simmons-Bonnin (1873-1938) A Euro-American man and a Lakota Woman gave birth to Gertrude on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in 1873. At the age of 8, Gertrude attended White’s Manual Labor Institute in Indiana. The Institute’s assimilation policies only … Continue reading →

Clyde Warrior (1939-1968) Ethnicity – Ponca One cannot fully understand the history of Indian Activism in America without knowledge of Clyde Warrior. Full-blooded Ponca, Clyde Warrior, showed an early gift at retaining traditional songs and dances. He won fancy dance … Continue reading →

Urban Indians – John Ross (1790-1866) Ethnicity – Cherokee and Scottish In 1827 Cherokee’s Principal Chief (Pathkiller) died and the Cherokee people elected John Ross as his replacement. Ross was educated in the school system for mixed-blood Cherokee’s and received … Continue reading →

Historical Portrait of  Vi Hilbert Ethnicity – Upper Skagit (1918-2008) Vi Hilbert, citizen of the Upper Skagit Nation, helped preserve  the Lushootseed language and culture. Vi learned Lushootseed (the language of Chief Seattle) as a child, listening to her parents. … Continue reading →

Oliver Amouak (Tahkhok) Ethnicity – Eskimo (1895-1987) If you fly Alaska Airlines, you’ve seen Oliver Amouak’s “Happy Face” on the tale of the airplane. Amouak (father) and Napanuak (mother) named their 3rd child Tahkhok – Oliver. Upon birth, his parents … Continue reading →

Clyde Warrior (1939-1968) Ethnicity – Ponca One cannot fully understand the history of Indian Activism in America without knowledge of Clyde Warrior. Full-blooded Ponca, Clyde Warrior, showed an early gift at retaining traditional songs and dances. He won fancy dance … Continue reading →

Richard Oakes fought to unify Natives and educate people about cultures indigenous to the western hemisphere. His mentor, Wallace “Mad Bear” Anderson, who founded the American Indian Unity Movement, helped structure Richard’s philosophy. Activism also surrounded Richard Oakes. As a … Continue reading →

Fritz Scholder Born: October 6, 1937 (Breckenridge, MN) Heritage: Luiseño (California Mission), French, German and English Fritz Scholder is one of the most important painters of the 20th century. His grandparents left the reservation and his father married a non-Native, … Continue reading →