Comanche code-talkers of the 4th Signal Company (U.S. Army Signal Center and Ft. Gordon)
Native American Heritage Month is to commemorate and celebrate the traditions, languages, and cultures of Indigenous peoples across the United States. This is a time to acknowledge the traditions and progress of Indigenous communities–both the joys and hardships of being native in this world. Indigenous cultures are alive today because of the resilience of Indigenous peoples in face of forced removal. I am here today because of my ancestors' fight for the future. I come from Indigenous excellence of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk).
In celebration of Indigenous excellence I want to highlight some incredible figures throughout history whose work has opened doors for natives across the world.
GOVERNMENT
This year there were at least 170 Native American, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawiians on the ballots for public office, the most there has ever been. Additionally, Secretary of the Interior, Deb Halaand, is the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary and the second to be in a Cabinet.
SCIENCE
There are many renowned Indigenous scientists and academics. The first Native American woman to earn a medical degree was Susan La Flesche Picotte, who was known for her work in advocating for tuberculosis research. Mary Golda Ross was a renowned mathematician and aerospace engineer whose work had a lasting impact on the aerospace industry much of which is still classified. Astronaut John Herrington in 2002 became the first Native American in space followed by Nicole Mann who was the first Indigenous woman in space in 2022.
ARTS
Within the entertainment sphere, Wes Studi became the first Native American to win an honorary Oscar in 2019, he is best known for his roles in Dances with Wolves and The Last of the Mohicans. Activist and model, Quannah Chasinghorse, uses her platform to advocate for Indigenous rights. Chef Pyet won Gordon Ramsay’s Next Level Chef cooking competition with Indigenous food, putting Indigenous food on the world stage. America’s first prima ballerina was Maria Tall Chief, enrolled in the Osage nation, who revolutionized ballet in the US. Kiawentiio Tarbell, from Akwesasne, was casted as Katara in the live-action Avatar the Last Airbender series. Bear Fox has won many awards, including Best Music Video Concept for Skyworld at the Native American Music Awards. Lily Gladstone has become the first Native American to win a Golden Globe for best actress as Mollie Kyle in Killers of the Flower Moon. In 2021, Reservation Dogs became the first American film series to feature all Indigenous writers and directors and has since been titled one of the best television series for 2021, 2022, and 2023. Marvel Studios casted Devery Jacobs, from Kahnawake, to voice Marvel’s original character, Kahhori, a Mohawk superhero who debuted in the MCU in Marvel’s What If…?, animated series. The episode is entirely in the Mohawk language.
MILITARY
Native Americans have the highest military service rate compared to any other race in the US, to fight for their people and land. In both World Wars, over 33 Native tribes served in the US military as code talkers to transmit secret code in their native languages. Since the codes were never broken, this project remained classified until 1968. Approximately 534 Indigenous servicemen served in WWII as code talkers. This includes 24 Akwesasne Mohawks: Mike Arquette, Joseph Barnes, Thomas Cole, Louis Stanley Conners, Angus B. Cook, Joe King, Louis E. King, Angus J. Laughing, Alex Wilson Lazore, Charles Lazore, Alex Oakes, Louis Levi Oakes, Alex W. Peters, Joe Harry Pyke, Mitchell Sunday, Albert Tarbell, Reginald White, Joseph Robert Herne, Edgar Jock, Abe Ransom, Louis Ransom, Andrew Rourke, Peter White, and Philip Thompson. With Thomas Cole and Louis E. King being my great grandfathers.
Photo from NCPR.
CONCLUSION
These are just a few of the incredible accomplishments of Indigenous people in the US, and so many more that I have missed. I chose to focus on Indigenous joy, it is a beautiful thing. There are many resources available for further exploration of Indigenous accomplishments from the past and present.
I also urge you to research issues that native people face today, like the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis, residential boarding schools and the Every Child Matters movement, to understand why Indigenous joy in and of itself is resilience and resistance.
Other resources:
A Proclamation on National American Heritage Month
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Keeley Jock giving her Ted Talk at the Wild Center.
Environmentalist, Climate Justice Fellow
Keeley Jock grew up in Akwesasne, as a enrolled member of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and Mohawk Council of Akwesasne. From her strong belief in the Seven Generations philosophy taught to them at a young age, it moved them to obtaining a B.S. in Environmental Science from Paul Smith’s College, with the dream of doing something bigger than herself in this world. With a keen interest in wetland ecology and botany, Keeley wrote their undergraduate thesis on Indigenous Knowledge informing EPA standard wetland assessments to help improve regulations for highly impacted/less pristine wetlands. As a recent graduate, she is starting off her future with beginning work at ANCA beginning in 2024, as a Climate Justice Fellow through a NYSERDA grant program. Out of the office you may find them skiing, reading, drinking coffee, or picking up any other random hobby.