GREAT NATIVE AMERICANS THAT HELPED DEFINE HISTORY

WILMA MANKILLER

Wilma Mankiller worked for several years as a leading advocate

for the Cherokee people, and became the first woman to serve

as their principal chief in 1985. After leaving office, Wilma

remained an activist for Native American’s and women’s

rights until her death on April 6, 2010, in Adair County,

Oklahoma.

TOUCH THE CLOUDS

Born around 1836 in present-day South Dakota, Touch the Clouds

was son of Chief Lone Horn and (his mother) Stands on the Ground,

and brother to Chief Big Foot. He stood at about 7ft tall and was

known for his incredible strength and skill on the battlefield.

He became the chief of the Minneconjou Teton Lakota and kept

his position until his death on September 5, 1905.

THAYENDANEGEA

The Mohawk Indian chief Thayendanegea, also known as

Joseph Brant, served as a spokesman for his people, a

Christian missionary of the Anglican church, and a British

military officer during the American War of Independence.

He is remembered for his efforts in unifying upper New York

Indian tribes and leading them in terrorizing raids against

patriot communities, in support of Great Britain’s efforts to

repress the rebellion. He is also credited with the

establishment of the Indian reservation on the Grand River

in Canada where the neighbouring town of Brantford,

Ontario, bears his name.

TECUMSEH

Tecumseh took part in a series of raids of Kentucky and Tennessee

frontier settlements in the 1780’s, and emerged as a prominent

chief by 1800. Tecumseh transformed his brother’s religious

followers into a political movement, leading to the

foundation of the Prophetstown settlement in 1808. After

Prophetstown was destroyed during the Battle of Tippecanoe,

the Shawnee chief fought with pro-British forces in the War of

1812 until his death in the Battle of the Thames.

SQUANTO

Squanto, also known as Tisquantum, was a Native American

of the Patuxet tribe who acted as an interpreter and guide

to the Pilgrims during their first winter in the New World.

Interestingly, in 1614 Squanto was one of the first Native

Americans to travel to Europe (albeit against his will) when he

was kidnapped by English explorer Thomas Hunt, who

brought him to Spain, where he was sold into slavery.

Squanto escaped, eventually returning to North America in

1619, where, as noted above, he aided the Pilgrim settlers

at Plymouth until his death in 1622.

SITTING BULL

Sitting Bull was a Teton Dakota Indian chief under whom the

Sioux tribes united in their struggle for survival in the

Great Plains. He joined his first war party at age fourteen and

soon gained a reputation for his bravery and skill in battle.

In 1868 the Sioux accepted peace with the US government, but

when gold was discovered in the Black Hills in the mid-1870’s,

a rush of white prospectors invaded Sioux lands. Sitting Bull

once again fought bravely but was arrested and killed in 1890.

CHIEF JOSEPH

Chief Joseph was a Nez Percé chief who, faced with settlement

by whites of tribal lands in Oregon, led his people in a

dramatic effort to escape to Canada. When the United States

attempted to force the Nez Percé to move to a reservation

in 1877, Chief Joseph reluctantly agreed. However, after the

murder of a group of white settlers, tensions erupted again

and Chief Joseph tried to lead his people to Canada in what

is considered one of the greatest retreats in

North American military history.

SACAGAWEA

Sacagawea was a legendary Indian woman who led Lewis and

Clark on their famous expedition to find the Pacific Ocean.

She was a Shoshone interpreter and the only woman on

the expedition into the American West. In 2000, almost

two hundred years after her death, she was featured on a

dollar coin issued by the US Mint in honour of her

contribution to the Corps of Discovery.

RED CLOUD

Born in Nebraska in 1822, Lakota chief Red Cloud was an

important figure in the nineteenth-century land battle between

Native Americans and the US government. He successfully

resisted developments of the Bozeman trail through

Montana territory, and led the opposition against the

development of a road through Wyoming and Montana

for two years, a period that came to be known as

Red Cloud’s War. Red Cloud died in South Dakota in 1909.