America’s Forgotten Foundation: Female Indigenous Trailblazers

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In 1990, President George H.W. Bush officially declared November National Native American Heritage Month. After decades of effort by Indigenous advocates to gain widespread recognition for Native American history, culture, and contributions, the dedicated month was finally cemented into the calendar. It is crucial to spend this month diving deeper into the unspoken side of history: the accomplishments of female Indigenous trailblazers.

Susan La Flesche Picotte

Born in 1865 on the Omaha Reservation in Thurston County, Neb., Susan La Flesche Picotte grew up with a lack of medical care for Indigenous populations, inspiring her to take matters into her own hands and pursue medicine. She graduated at the top of her class from the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1889, becoming the first Native American woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. Picotte returned to Nebraska, serving the Omaha tribe as a doctor and public health advocate to address prominent issues like tuberculosis, sanitation, alcoholism, and access to healthcare. She opened a hospital in 1913, later renamed the Susan La Flesche Picotte Memorial Hospital. Founding the first privately funded hospital built on a reservation, Picotte became a pioneer for Native American women in medicine.

Joy Harjo

Joy Harjo is an artist at heart, a true multi-hyphenate. Along with being a playwright, author, saxophonist, and vocalist, she is best known as the first Native American United States Poet Laureate, a role she held from 2019 to 2022. Born in Tulsa, Okla., in 1951 to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Harjo’s poetry explores themes of Indigenous identity, history, and spirituality. She weaves imagery from her experiences while addressing trauma, resilience, and cultural connection to the natural world. Some of these emotional works include “She Had Some Horses” (1983), “In Mad Love and War” (1990), and more recently, “An American Sunrise: Poems” (2019). Through her advocacy, she emphasizes the importance of art in healing and strengthening the community, inspiring generations of Native American writers and artists to come forward and leave their unique mark on American literature.

Nicole Aunapu Mann

Like Picotte, Nicole Aunapu Mann is championing Indigenous representation in science. Born in 1977 in Petaluma, Calif., Mann is a member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes. She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1999, where she played Division I women’s soccer, then went on to earn a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. Mann first served as a Marine aviator, having flown over 2,500 hours in 25 different aircraft and serving multiple combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2013, Mann was selected as a NASA astronaut. On Oct. 5, 2022, she became the first Native American woman in space after launching aboard SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station, where she served as the mission commander. Her historic mission marked a powerful moment of visibility for Indigenous communities.

Lily Gladstone

Born in 1986 and raised on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, Lily Gladstone was inspired to become an actress at age five after watching “Return of the Jedi.” After majoring in Acting and Directing and minoring in Native American Studies at the University of Montana, she appeared in various independent films, often in roles that reflected her Indigenous heritage. Her debut role was in “Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian” (2012), and she subsequently rose to prominence in “Certain Women” (2016), which earned her multiple nominations, like the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. Her most notable role, however, was just this past year, when she was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in “Killers of the Flower Moon” (2023). In her acceptance speech, she dedicated her win to “every little rez kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid out there who has a dream.” Gladstone continues to pave the way for future Indigenous actors and creatives as she rises in fame and Hollywood esteem. 

Sharice Davids

A member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, Sharice Davids, a U.S. Representative for Kansas since 2019, made history as the first openly LGBTQ+ Native American in Congress. Born in 1980 and raised by a single mother who served in the Army, she formed a passion for public service,  desiring to advocate for marginalized communities. She pursued this as a lawyer, developing economic initiatives for Native American communities. Since her election, Davids has focused on healthcare reform, climate action, and economic policies to support working families and small businesses. Her dedication to improving infrastructure for inclusivity is a beam of representation in government for Indigenous and LGBTQ+ communities nationwide.

With groundbreaking feats spanning various fields and industries, these remarkable women are beacons of the strength and resilience of Indigenous communities. Not only do they challenge stereotypes, but they bring much-needed visibility to Native American voices and careers. Celebrating National Native American Heritage Month by learning about these trailblazers — and many others — allows us to honor their legacies and recognize the ongoing impact of Indigenous leaders. As they continue to break barriers, their stories remind them of the importance of cultural representation in shaping a better future for all.