List of Native Americans of the United States
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,
Lists of Americans |
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By U.S. state |
By ethnicity or nationality |
A
- Ai, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Southern Cheyenne, and Comanche-descent poet
- Ahaya (ca. 1710 – 1783), the first recorded chief of the Alachua band of the Seminole tribe.
- Richard Aitson, Kiowa-Kiowa Apache bead artist and poet
- Sherman Alexie, (Spokane, Coeur d'Alene) author and comedian
- Elsie Allen, Cloverdale Pomo basketweaver
- Paula Gunn Allen, (Laguna Pueblo, Sioux) poet, literary critic, activist, and novelist
- Marcus Amerman, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma multimedia artist
- Bill Anoatubby, (Chickasaw Nation), Governor of the Chicksaw Nation since 1987
- Annie Antone, Tohono O'odham basketweaver
- William Apess, (Pequot) author and minister
- Anna Mae Aquash, Mi'kmaq activist
- Spencer Asah, Kiowa artist
- Attakullakulla, Cherokee chief
- Hayley Atwell, actress
- James Auchiah, Kiowa artist
- Marilou Awiakta, Eastern Band Cherokee author and poet
- Awashonks, Sakonnet 17th century female chief
B
- Jimmy Santiago Baca, Apache-descent author and poet
- Bill John Baker, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
- Dennis Banks, Anishinaabe activist, teacher, lecturer, author and co-founder of the American Indian Movement
- Jim Barnes, Choctaw editor, author, poet and founder of the Chariton Review Press
- Earl W. Bascom, rodeo champion, cowboy artist, inventor, actor, Hall of Fame inductee, descendant of Chief Miantonomo of the Narragansett Tribe
- Irene Bedard, (Inupiaq/Yupik/Cree/Metis) actor, director, producer, activist
- Fred Begay Navajo nuclear physicist
- Notah Begay III, Navajo PGA Tour golfer
- Betty Louise Bell, Cherokee-descent author and editor
- Clyde Bellecourt White Earth Ojibwe activist and co-founder of the American Indian Movement (AIM)
- Johnny Bench, Choctaw Hall of Fame Catcher
- Chief Bender, Ojibwa Hall of Fame pitcher
- Diane E. Benson, (Tlingit) politician, inspirational speaker, poet and author
- George Bent, Cheyenne, soldier, warrior, interpreter, and cultural informant
- Martha Berry, Cherokee Nation bead artist
- Chuck Billy, (Pomo) singer for the thrash metal band, Testament
- Lisa Johnson Billy, Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma State Legislator and Chickasaw Tribal Legislator
- Sherwin Bitsui, Navajo poet
- Black Elk, Oglala Lakota religious leader
- Black Hawk, Sauk chief
- Black Kettle, Cheyenne chief
- Andrew Blackbird, Odawa leader, historian, and author
- Kimberly M. Blaeser, (Chippewa, Anishinaabe) author and poet
- Elias Boudinot, Cherokee leader, journalist and publisher
- Billy Bowlegs, Seminole chief
- Joseph Brant, Mohawk leader
- Jack Brisco, Chickasaw Nation Pro Wrestler, Former NWA World Champion
- Mary Brave Bird, Brulé Lakota author and activist
- Ignatia Broker, Ojibway author
- Ellison "Tarzan" Brown, Narragansett U.S. Olympian/Marathon Runner
- Joseph Bruchac, Abenaki author and poet
- Buffalo Bird Woman, Hidatsa writer
C
- Gregory Cajete, Santa Clara Pueblo ethnobotanist, author, and educator
- Carter Camp, Ponca, activist[4]
- Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Northern Cheyenne chief, U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and silversmith
- Mary Katherine Campbell, (Muscogee Creek-Cree-descent[5]) former Miss America winner
- Canonicus, Narragansett chief
- Rob Capriccioso, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, journalist and writer
- Captain Jack, Modoc chief
- Gladys Cardiff, writer and poet of Eastern Cherokee-descent
- Brad Carson, Cherokee, former Democratic U.S. congressman from Oklahoma
- Chainbreaker, Seneca war chief
- Duane Lee Chapman, II, Star of Dog The Bounty Hunter
- Leland Chapman, Star of Dog The Bounty Hunter
- Joba Chamberlain, Ho-Chunk pitcher for the Detroit Tigers
- Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, Lakota medicine man, actor
- Chris Chavis, Lumbee professional wrestler
- Kelly Church, (Grand Traverse Band Odawa-Ojibwe) basketweaver, painter, and educator
- Chrystos, Menominee-descent activist and poet
- Cochise, Chiricahua Apache chief
- Radmilla Cody, (Navajo) model, singer and activist
- Holmes Colbert, Chickasaw government official
- Tom Cole, Chickasaw Nation Congressman from Oklahoma
- Robert J. Conley, Cherokee Nation-United Keetoowah Band author
- Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, Crow Creek Sioux author, poet, editor, and co-founder of the Wicazo Sa Review
- Polly Cooper, Oneida Tribe aid to the Continental Army during the American Revolution at Valley Forge
- Cornplanter, Seneca chief and diplomat
- Jesse Cornplanter, Seneca author and artist
- Leonard Crow Dog, Sicangu Lakota medicine man, activist, and author
- Amanda Crowe, Eastern Band Cherokee woodcarver and educator
- Crazy Horse, Oglala Lakota chief
- Pierre Cruzatte, (Omaha) member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
- Rod Curl, (Wintu) PGA tour golfer
- Charles Curtis, (Kaw, Osage, Potawatomi) U.S. Senator and 31st Vice President of the United States
- David Cusick, Tuscarora illustrator and author, ca.1780–ca.1831
- Dennis Cusick, Tuscarora painter, ca. 1800–1824
D
- Karen Dalton (singer), (Cherokee) Blues singer, banjoist
- Nora Marks Dauenhauer, (Tlingit) author and poet
- Brent Michael Davids, (Stockbridge Mohican) composer and flutist
- Deganawida, (Haudenosaunee), founder of the Iroquois Confederacy, more respectfully called The Great Peacemaker
- Delaware Prophet, (Lenni Lenape) religious leader
- Ella Cara Deloria, (Yankton Dakota) educator, anthropologist, ethnographer, linguist, and novelist
- Vine Deloria, Jr., Yankton Dakota-Standing Rock Nakota theologian, historian, writer and activist
- Michael Dorris, Modoc writer
- Dragging Canoe, Cherokee war chief
- Frank Dufina (Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians), professional golfer
E
- Charles Eastman, Santee Dakota author, physician and helped found the Boy Scouts of America.
- Larry EchoHawk, Pawnee head of the BIA, former Attorney General of Idaho
- Nokie Edwards, Cherokee instrumental rock guitarist, on and off lead guitarist of The Ventures
- Jacoby Ellsbury Navajo outfielder for the New York Yankees
- Louise Erdrich, Anishinaabe writer and poet
- Chris Eyre, Cheyenne-Arapaho director and producer
F
- Abel Fernandez, Yaqui actor
- Logan Fontenelle, Omaha chief and interpreter
- L. Frank, (Tongva, Ajachmem) Indian artist, tribal scholar, writer and activist
- Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty, Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux quillworker and beadartist
G
- Chief Gall, (Hunkpapa Lakota) chief
- Geronimo, Chiricahua Apache leader
- Owl Goingback, (Choctaw, Cherokee) author
- Jamie Gomez, (Shoshone-descent) rapper and singer
- Jewelle Gomez, (Ioway-descent) writer
- Angel Goodrich, (Cherokee) WNBA basketball player
- Janice Gould, (Maidu) writer
- Kiowa Gordon, (Hualapai) actor
H
- Janet Campbell Hale, Coeur d'Alene-Ktunaxa-Cree writer
- Handsome Lake, Seneca religious leader
- Enoch Kelly Haney (Seminole Nation of Oklahoma), tribal leader, Oklahoma state legislator, and artist
- Terri Crawford Hansen, Ho-Chunk-Potawatomi journalist, and author
- Joy Harjo, Muscogee Creek Nation-Cherokee poet, musician, and author
- Keith Harper, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, U.S. representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva
- Larry Echo Hawk, Pawnee Nation, former Democratic Attorney General of Idaho and current United States Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs
- Ira Hayes, (Pima) one of five Marines, along with a United States Navy corpsman, immortalized in the iconic photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima.
- Allison Hedge Coke, Wendat/Huron-Metis-Cherokee heritage writer
- Gordon Henry, Chippewa writer
- John Herrington, Chickasaw Nation NASA astronaut
- Hiawatha, Onondaga-Mohawk chief was credited as the founder of the Iroquois confederacy
- David Hill, Choctaw, activist[6]
- Hobomok, Wampanoag interpreter
- Linda Hogan, Chickasaw Nation poet, storyteller, academic, environmentalist and writer.
- Stan Holder, Wichita, activist[7]
- John Christian Hopkins, Narragansett people Journalist, Author.
- Al Hoptowit, American football player
- John Horse, African-American leader of the Black Seminole.
- Michael Horse, Yaqui-Mescalero Apache-Zuni-descent actor, jeweler, and painter.
- Janel Horton, Shinnecock professional wrestler known as "Alere Little Feather"
- Chuck Hoskin, member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 6th district
- LeAnne Howe, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma author and scholar
- Al Hunter, Anishinaabe writer and poet
- Vanessa and Stella Hudgens, actresses
I
J
- James and Ernie, Navajo comedy duo
- Joseph James and Joseph James, Jr., Kaw-Osage interpreters and guides
- Mickie James, Powhatan-descent professional wrestler
- Overton James, Chickasaw, educator, former Governor of the Chickasaw Nation
- Stephen Graham Jones, Blackfeet author
- Chief Joseph, Nez Percé chief and humanitarian
- Juanillo, chief of the Guale Nchiefdom.
- Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, first female chief of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, also a publisher
- Daniel Heath Justice, Cherokee Nation author
K
- Maude Kegg, (Ojibwa) writer, folk artist, and cultural interpreter
- Keokuk, (Sac, Fox) chief
- Thomas King, (Cherokee) novelist and broadcaster
L
- Matt LaChappa, baseball player
- Winona LaDuke, White Earth Ojibwe environmental activist and writer
- Francis LaFlesche, Omaha-Ponca-Iowa ethnologist and author
- Susan LaFlesche Picotte, Omaha-Ponca-Iowa activist, first female Native American physician
- Susette LaFlesche Tibbles, Omaha-Ponca-Iowa activist
- Carole LaFavor, Ojibwe novelist and activist
- Edmonia Lewis, Mississaugas Ojibwe sculptor
- Sacheen Littlefeather, White Mountain Apache-Yaqui-descent actress
- Litefoot, Cherokee Nation-Chichimeca actor, hip hop artist
- Kyle Lohse, Nomlaki pitcher, Milwaukee Brewers
- Little Turkey was First Beloved Man of the Cherokee people, becoming the first Principal Chief of a united Cherokee Nation in 1794.
- Little Turtle, Miami chief
- Clayton J. Lonetree, Winnebago-Navajo U.S. Marine and alleged KGB spy
- Lone Wolf the Elder, Kiowa chief
- Lone Wolf the Younger, Kiowa leader
- Phil Lucas, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma filmmaker, actor, writer, producer, director, and editor
- 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)
M
- Major Ridge, Cherokee chief, led Lighthorse Patrol and signed the Treaty of New Echota.
- Byron Mallott, Lieutenant Governor of Alaska
- Mangas Coloradas, Apache chief
- Wilma Mankiller, Cherokee Nation chief
- Manuelito, Navajo chief, diplomat, and warrior.
- Joseph Marshall III, Lakota educator and author
- María Martínez, San Ildefonso Pueblo potter
- Massasoit, Wampanoag chief
- John Joseph Mathews, Osage author
- Janet McAdams, Alabama-Creek author
- Edward "Wahoo" McDaniel, Choctaw-Chickasaw professional wrestler
- Alexander McGillivray, Muscogee Creek chief
- William McIntosh, Muscogee Creek chief
- D'Arcy McNickle, Salish Kootenai author, activist, and anthropologist
- Peter McQueen, Creek Indian chief, prophet, trader and warrior from Talisi (Tallassee, among the Upper Towns in present-day Alabama).
- Russell Means, Lakota activist and actor
- Joe Medicine Crow, Crow Nation anthropologist
- Louis Gonzaga Mendez, Jr., highly decorated WWII United States Army officer of the 82nd Airborne Division
- Metacomet, Wampanoag chief
- Miantonomo, Narragansett chief
- Devon A. Mihesuah, Choctaw historian, author, and editor
- Billy Mills, Oglala Lakota athlete
- Deborah A. Miranda, Esselen-Chumash author and poet
- N. Scott Momaday, Kiowa-Cherokee poet, author, scholar, and painter
- Jason Momoa, actor
- Irvin Morris, Navajo author
- Mountain Wolf Woman, Hochunk autobiographer
- Mourning Dove, Flathead author
N
- R. Carlos Nakai, Navajo musician
- Nampeyo, Hopi potter
- Nora Naranjo-Morse, Santa Clara Pueblo artist
- Nas'Naga, Shawnee author
- Jim Northrup, Anishnaabe columnist and political writer
- Nila NorthSun, Shoshone-Ojibwe author and historian
O
- St. David Pendleton Oakerhater, Southern Cheyenne warrior, artist, deacon, and saint in the Episcopal church
- Samson Occom, Mohegan clergyman
- Old Tom, Blackfoot medicine man
- Olotoraca (1548 – 1573), subchief of a tribe of Fort San Mateo, Florida.
- Opechancanough, Pamunkey chief
- Oratam, sachem of the Hackensack Indians
- Simon J. Ortiz, Acoma Pueblo poet
- Osceola, Seminole leader
- Chief Oshkosh, Menominee leader
- Chief Ouray, Ute Tribe leader
- Louis Owens, Choctaw-Cherokee-descent author
- Owl Woman, Cheyenne negotiator, peace-maker, Colorado Women's Hall of Fame
P
- Ely S. Parker (Seneca) U.S. Army Brigadier General
- Quanah Parker, Comanche chief
- Pawhuska, Osage Chief
- Leonard Peltier, Ojibwa-Lakota activist
- William S. Penn, Nez Perce author
- Robert L. Perea, Oglala Lakota author, educator, and veteran
- Lori Piestewa, Hopi veteran, Died in the 2003 invasion of Iraq
- Lawrence Plamondon, Odawa-Ojibwe activist and storyteller
- Pocahontas (Matoaka), Powhatan Christian convert and diplomat[8]
- Leopold Pokagon, Potawatomi storyteller and activist
- Simon Pokagon, Potawatomi author and activist
- Chief Pontiac, Odawa chief
- Popé, Ohkay Owingeh religious and military leader
- Susan Power, Standing Rock Nakota author
- Powhatan, Pamunkey chief
- Pushmataha, Choctaw chief and U.S. Army Brigadier General
Q
R
- Rattling Blanket Woman (Miniconjou), mother of Crazy Horse
- Red Cloud, Oglala Lakota chief
- Ozzie Red Elk, activist[9]
- Red Jacket, Seneca Nation chief
- Delphine Red Shirt, Oglala writer and chair of OCIDWIP at the United Nations
- Martha Redbone, Choctaw-Shawnee-descent musician
- Jeri Redcorn, Caddo-Potawatomi potter, b. ca. 1940
- Ben Reifel, Brulé Lakota activist and U.S. representative from South Dakota
- Carter Revard, Osage Nation author and poet
- Lawney Reyes, Confederated Colville Tribes (Sinixt) artist, author, and curator
- Luana Reyes, Confederated Colville Tribes (Sinixt) health activist and educator, 1933–2001[10]
- Chief G. Anne Richardson (Chief of the Rappahannock tribe - first female chief in Virginia since the 18th century)
- Toby Riddle (1848–1920), Modoc interpreter and diplomat
- John Rollin Ridge, Cherokee author
- Will Rogers, Cherokee actor and humorist
- Will Rogers, Jr., Cherokee Nation journalist and politician
- Luana Ross, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes sociologist and author
- Wendy Rose, Hopi-Miwok author
- John Ross, Cherokee chief
- Running Eagle, (Blackfoot)
S
- Juan Sabeata, Jumano chief
- Sacajawea, Shoshone interpreter
- Will Sampson, Creek painter and actor.
- Saturiwa, chief of the Saturiwa (a Mocama tribe of Timucua people, located in St. Johns River in Florida), during the 16th century
- Carol Lee Sanchez, Laguna Pueblo author and artist
- Greg Sarris, Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria tribal chairman, author, and professor
- John Sassamon, Massachusett, interpreter
- Shoni Schimmel, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, WNBA player
- Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, Ojibwe author
- Chief Seattle, Suquamish leader
- Sequoyah (Cherokee), inventor of the Cherokee syllabary
- Tenskwatawa, Shawnee religious leader
- Leslie Marmon Silko, Laguna Pueblo poet and novelist
- Sitting Bull, Hunkpapa Lakota chief
- Chad Smith, former Principal Chief of Cherokee Nation
- Paul Chaat Smith, Comanche, writer, Associate Curator of the National Museum of the American Indian[11]
- Cynthia Leitich Smith, Muscogee Creek author
- Smohalla, Wanapum chief and religious leader
- Sonuk Mikko, Seminole, Captain in the Indian Home Guard during the American Civil War often referred to as Billy Bowlegs
- Louis Sockalexis (Penobscot), Major League Baseball player
- Eddie Spears, (Lakota)
- Michael Spears, (Lakota)
- Squanto, Patuxet interpreter
- Standing Bear, Ponca chief
- Luther Standing Bear, Oglala Lakota author and actor
- James Thomas Stevens, Mohawk author and educator
- Wes Studi, Cherokee Nation actor
T
- Taboo, singer and rapper in The Black Eyed Peas, of Shoshone descent
- Chief Tahachee, Cherokee author, actor, and beautiful man
- Maria Tallchief, Osage Nation ballerina
- Marjorie Tallchief, Osage Nation ballerina
- Margo Tamez, Lipan Apache-Jumano author and poet
- Luci Tapahonso, Diné poet
- Tecumseh, Shawnee warrior and statesman
- Kimberly Teehee, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Democratic White House Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs
- Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk-Algonquian convert, beatified in the Roman Catholic Church
- Randy'L He-dow Teton, Shoshone-Bannock first Native American woman to appear on an American coin (model for the US Sacagawea dollar)
- William Clyde Thompson, Texas Choctaw leader who fought against the Dawes Commission for Choctaw enrollment.
- Jim Thorpe (Sac and Fox Nation), Olympic Gold medalist and football and baseball player
- George Tinker, Osage Nation theologian
- Touch the Clouds, (Mahpia Icahtagya), Teton Lakota chief
- Sheila Tousey, (Menominee)
- Mark Trahant, Shoshone-Bannock, print and broadcast journalist, and author
- Haunani-Kay Trask, Native Hawaiian academic and activist
- Mililani Trask, Native Hawaiian academic and lawyer
- Gail Tremblay, Micmac-Onondaga artist
- David Treuer, Leech Lake Ojibwe author
- John Trudell, Santee Dakota, musician, poet, activist
- Tsali, Cherokee warrior, chief, and martyr.
- Luis Tupatu, Pueblo leader of the northern pueblos following the Pueblo revolt
- Mark Turcotte, Ojibwe author
- Richard Twiss, Brulé Lakota educator and author
- E. Donald Two-Rivers, Ojibwe poet and playwright
U
V
- James Vann, Cherokee businessman and politician
- Victorio, Chiricahua Apache chief
- Gerald Vizenor, White Earth Ojibwe writer and professor
W
- Velma Wallis, Athabaskan author
- Frank Waln, is a Sicangu Lakota rapper
- Anna Lee Walters, Pawnee-Otoe author
- Nancy Ward, Cherokee warrior, diplomat, and "Beloved Woman"
- Washakie, Shoshone warrior, diplomat, chief, leader
- Stand Watie, Cherokee leader and a brigadier general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War
- John Watts (also known as Young Tassel), a leader of the Chickamauga Cherokee (or "Lower Cherokee") during the Cherokee-American wars
- William Weatherford, Muscogee Creek chief
- James Welch, Blackfeet-Gros Ventre author and poet
- Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Sisseton Dakota actor
- Weetamoo, Pocasset, 17th century female chief
- White Hair (Pawhuska), the name of several Osage chiefs.
- White Plume, Kaw chief
- Scott Williamson, Cherokee, podcaster and blogger[12]
- Sarah Winnemucca, Paiute leader, warrior, and interpreter
- Frances Wise, activist[13]
- Craig Womack, Muscogee Creek author, educator, and literary critic
- Wovoka, Paiute religious leader and founder of the Ghost Dance religion
Y
- Yellow Bird, Walla Walla chief
- Ray Young Bear, Meskwaki author
Z
- Peterson Zah, Navajo politician
- Ofelia Zepeda, Tohono O'odham poet and intellectual
- Zitkala-Sa, Yankton Dakota writer and activist
See also
- List of indigenous artists of the Americas
- List of writers from peoples indigenous to the Americas
- List of Native American politicians
- List of Native American leaders
References
- ↑ Notable American Indians
- ↑ Famous Native Americans
- ↑ "IV. Our Nation’s American Indian and Alaska Native Citizens." US Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/A/AM008.html
- ↑ " Did You Know They're Native?" Mitchell Museum of the American Indian. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- ↑ Hill, David; OK Digital Library;
- ↑ Holder, Stan; OK Digital Library;
- ↑ "Pocahontas." Powhatan Museum. Retrieved 22 Jan 2011.
- ↑ http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/A/AM008.html
- ↑ Green, Sara Jean. "Luana Reyes, 68, a leader in agency for Indian health." Seattle Times. 10 Nov 2001. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ↑ http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/A/AM008.html
- ↑ Self
- ↑ http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/A/AM008.html