NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

This November, please join us in celebrating Native American heritage!

Help us tell all Americans’ stories. Of the many Native Americans spotlighted at Ivy Tech Library, the three below are often regarded as exceptional. Stop by this month to collect one of their bookmarks!

Ben Nighthorse Campbell
U.S. Senator

Born in 1933 of a Portuguese immigrant mother and Northern Cheyenne father, Campbell is one of 44 chiefs of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. He earned a degree in physical education and fine arts after serving in the U.S. Air force from 1951-1953. He served in the Colorado State Legislature before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1987. He won his bid to become a senator in 1992 and won re-election in 1998.

Henry, C. Ben Nighthorse Campbell: Cheyenne Chief and U.S. Senator. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House, 1994.

Maria Tallchief
Prima Ballerina

From 1947 to 1960, Maria Tallchief performed with the New York City Ballet, gaining prima ballerina status. Later she danced with the American Ballet Theatre, returning to the New York City Ballet in 1963 until her retirement in 1965. But she didn’t retire from dance. She directed the Lyric Opera Ballet of Chicago and founded the Chicago City Ballet in 1981. She was the latter’s artistic director through 1987.

Tallchief, Maria and Kaplan, L. Maria Tallchief: America’s Prima Ballerina. New York: Henry Holt, 1997.

Winona LaDuke
Activist, Author

A member of the Anishinaabeg (Ojibew) tribe, Winona LaDuke’s activism dates back to her teens. At age 18 she spoke before the United Nations about Indian issues. While at Harvard earning an economics degree, she worked with grassroots Native American organizations in various states. After graduation, she moved to the White Earth reservation in northern Minnesota, where she lives today with her family.

LaDuke, Winona. All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life. Cambridge, Mass.: South End Press, 1999. Ms. Magazine, April/May 2001, pp. 46-53.

Find the following eBooks on Ivy Tech Library’s catalog website, IvyCat!

I am where I come from: Native American college students and graduates tell their life stories

Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: Inside the Fight to Reclaim Native America’s Culture

Indigenous Pop: Native American Music from Jazz to Hip Hop

Follow the official celebration here:

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