List of Native American women of the United States

This is a list of notable Native American women of the United States. It should contain only Native women of the United States and its territories, not First Nations women or Native women of Central and South America. 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. These entities establish their own membership rules, and they vary. Each must be understood independently.

Ethnologically, factors such as culture, history, language, religion, and familial kinships can influence Native American identity.^[1]

All individuals on this list should have Native American ancestry. Historical figures might predate tribal enrollment practices and may be included based on reliable sources that document ethnological tribal membership.

Any contemporary individuals should either be enrolled members of federally recognized tribes, or have cited Native American ancestry and be recognized as Native American by their respective tribes. Contemporary individuals who are not enrolled in a tribe but are documented as having tribal descent are listed as being "of descent" from a tribe.

A[]

Donna Standing Steinberg, Kiowa-Wichita beadworker, and Josephine Parker, Kiowa, both from Oklahoma, 2007

• Louise Abeita (E-Yeh-Shure', Blue Corn) (born 1926), Isleta Pueblo author^[2]
• Alberta Schenck Adams (1928–2009), Iñupiaq civil rights activist
• Rebecca Adamson (born 1950), Cherokee businessperson and advocate
• Aguilar sisters, Kewa Pueblo potters
• Tahnee Ahtoneharjo-Growingthunder, Kiowa/Muscogee/Seminole curator, museum professional, beadwork artist, textile artist^[3]
• Ai (born 1947), self-identified Choctaw, Chickasaw, Southern Cheyenne, and Comanche-descent poet
• Elsie Allen, Cloverdale Pomo basket weaver^[4]
• Paula Gunn Allen (1939–2008), Laguna Pueblo-Sioux-Lebanese poet, activist, literary critic, and novelist^[5]
• Tammie Allen (Walking Spirit), Jicarilla Apache, potter
• Queen Alliquippa (died 1754), Seneca Nation leader
• Princess Angeline (Suquamish-Duwamish, ca. 1820–1896), daughter of Chief Seattle
• Queen Ann (ca. 1650–ca. 1725), chief of the Pamunkey tribe
• Annie Antone, Tohono O'odham basketweaver
• Annette Arkeketa, Otoe-Missouria poet, playwright
• Anna Mae Pictou Aquash (1945–1976), Mi'qmaq Indians rights activist^[6]
• Awashonks (fl. mid- to late 17th c.), chief of the Sakonett tribe^[7]
• Annette Arkeketa, Otoe-Missouria-Muscogee Creek writer^[8]
• Marilou Awiakta (born 1936), Eastern Band Cherokee author^[9]

B[]

with former Utah Governor and former US Ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman Jr.

• Margarete Bagshaw (Santa Clara Pueblo-descent, born 1964), painter and gallerist
• Natalie Ball, Klamath/Modoc, born 1980, interdisciplinary artist^[10]
• Joyce Begay-Foss, Diné weaver, educator, and curator
• Betty Louise Bell (born 1949), Cherokee-descent author^[11]
• Diane E. Benson (born 1954), Tlingit author
• Mary Knight Benson, Pomo basketweaver
• Martha Berry, Cherokee Nation bead artist and educator
• Carrie Bethel, Mono Lake Paiute basketweaver, 1898–1974
• Gloria Bird, Spokane Tribe of the Spokane Reservation poet and critic^[12]
• Mary Holiday Black (ca. 1934), Navajo basket maker and textile artist
• Black Buffalo Woman, first wife of Crazy Horse
• Black Shawl (Lakota, died 1920), second wife of Crazy Horse
• Kimberley M. Blaeser (born 1955), White Earth Ojibwe writer^[13]
• Blue Corn (ca. 1920–1999), San Ildefonso Pueblo potter
• Rita Pitka Blumenstein (1936–2021), Yup'ik traditional healer, founding member of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers
• Bowdash, Kootenai two-spirit warrior
• Beth Brant (born 1941), Bay of Quinte Mohawk
• Mary Brant, Mohawk leader
• Mary Brave Bird (1953–2013), Brulé Lakota writer and activist^[14]
• Bras Piqué, Natchez woman who tried to warn the French of her tribe's plans to attack them
• Ignatia Broker (1919–1987), Ojibwa writer
• Ticasuk Brown (1904-1982), Iñupiaq educator, poet and writer
• Vee F. Browne, Navajo author
• Buffalo Bird Woman, Hidatsa author
• Buffalo Calf Road Woman, Cheyenne cultural hero
• Olivia Ward Bush-Banks (1869 – 1944) American author, poet and journalist of African-American and Montaukett Native American descent

C[]

• Sophia Alice Callahan (1868-1894) Muscogee novelist and teacher
• Caroline Cannon, Iñupiaq environmental activist, 2012 Goldman Environmental Prize winner, mayor of Point Hope, Alaska 1998–2001
• Gladys Cardiff (born 1942), poet and academic of Eastern Band Cherokee descent
• Poldine Carlo (born 1920), Koyukon activist and writer
• Kathleen Carlo-Kendall, Koyukon artist, daughter of Poldine Carlo
• Tonantzin Carmelo, Tongva-Kumeyaay-descent actress^[15]
• Lorna Dee Cervantes (born 1954), Chicana-Chumash-descent
• Nellie Charlie (1867–1965) Mono Lake Paiute basketweaver
• Quannah Chasinghorse (born 2002), model and land protector
• Marie Z. Chino, Acoma Pueblo potter
• Vera Chino, Acoma Pueblo potter
• Chipeta (1843/4–1924), Kiowa Apache, beadwork artist and wife of Chief Ouray
• Yvonne Chouteau (1929–2016), Shawnee Tribe ballerina
• Kelly Church, Gun Lake Potawatomi/Odawa/Ojibwe basket maker, birch bark biter, painter, and environmental activist
• Chrystos (born 1946), Menominee-descent two-spirit poet
• Mildred Cleghorn (1910–1997), Chairwoman of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma
• Elouise Cobell (Blackfeet), Executive Director of the Native American Community Development Corporation
• Radmilla Cody (Navajo), Navajo language singer, 46th Miss Navajo Nation^[16]
• Colestah, Yakama wife of Chief Kamiakin
• Lyda Conley (Wyandot, 1874–1946), first Native American female attorney, and first Native American woman admitted to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Wyandot Nation activist and attorney
• Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, Crow Creek Sioux poet and novelist
• Hilda Coriz, Kewa Pueblo potter
• Cuhtahlatah, 18th-century Cherokee heroine

D[]

• Dahteste, Apache fighter and compatriot to Geronimo
• Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone activist
• Mary Dann (died 2005), Western Shoshone activist
• Nora Marks Dauenhauer (born 1927), Tlingit poet and ethnolinguist
• Alice Brown Davis (1852–1935), Principal Chief of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma
• Jenny L. Davis, Chickasaw author, linguist, and anthropologist
• Angel De Cora, Ho-Chunk artist and lecturer
• Ada Deer, Menominee author, activist, and the first Native American woman to head the Bureau of Indian Affairs
• Andrea Delgado-Olson, Ione Miwok, computer scientist
• Susan Deer Cloud, Mohawk-Seneca-Blackfeet author^{[citation needed]}
• Ella Cara Deloria (1888–1971), Yankton Sioux educator, anthropologist, ethnographer, linguist, and novelist
• Natalie Diaz (born 1978), Mojave American poet, language activist, former professional basketball player, and educator
• Grace L. Dillon, Anishinaabe academic and author
• Mavis Doering, Cherokee Nation (1929–2007) basket weaver
• Do-Hum-Me, Sac entertainer
• Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, Brulé Lakota writer and educator
• Juanita Suazo Dubray, Taos Pueblo potter
• Joyce Dugan, first female elected chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

E[]

• Eagle of Delight (died 1822), Otoe tribe emissary
• Chief Earth Woman, Ojibwa warrior
• Ehyophsta, Cheyenne warrior
• Heid E. Erdrich (born 1963), Ojibwe (Turtle Mountain Band) writer and editor of poetry, short stories, and nonfiction, and maker of poem films.
• Louise Erdrich (born 1954), Turtle Mountain Ojibwe writer

F[]

• Corine Fairbanks, Oglala Lakota author and activist
• Larissa FastHorse, Sicangu Lakota playwright and choreographer
• Fidelia Fielding (1827–1908), last native speaker of the Mohegan Pequot language
• Cecilia Fire Thunder (born 1946), former president of the Oglala Sioux in South Dakota
• Te Ata Fisher (1895–1995), Chickasaw Nation storyteller and actress
• Elaine Fleming, Ojibwa mayor of Cass Lake, Minnesota
• Jennifer Foerster, Muscogee poet
• L. Frank, Tongva-Ajachmen Indian artist, tribal scholar, and activist
• Kalyn Free, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma lawyer and activist

G[]

• Martha George (1892–1987), Suquamish tribal chairman
• Diane Glancy, author, poet, and playwright of Cherokee descent
• Glory of the Morning (born 1709), Ho-Chunk chief
• Rose Gonzales (ca. 1900–1989), Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo potter
• Shan Goshorn (1957–2018), visual artist
• Katherine Gottlieb (born ca. 1952), Alutiiq health care executive and 2004 MacArthur Fellow
• Janice Gould, Koyangk'auwi Maidu writer
• Gouyen, Apache warrior
• Dorothy Grant, Alaska-born Haida fashion designer active in Canada
• Teri Greeves, Kiowa-Comanche bead worker
• Linda LeGarde Grover, Anishinaabe (Bois Forte Band) novelist and short story writer
• Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty, Assiniboine-Sioux bead worker and quill worker
• Margaret Gutierrez, Santa Clara Pueblo potter

H[]

• Janet Campbell Hale, Coeur d'Alene-Kootenay-Cree-Irish writer
• Hanging Cloud, Ojibwa warrior
• Charlotte Hallmark, chief of the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama
• Helen Hardin, Tsa-Sah-Wee-Eh (1934–1984), Santa Clara Pueblo painter
• Joy Harjo, Muscogee Creek-Cherokee poet, lecturer, and musician
• Suzan Shown Harjo, Muscogee Creek-Southern Cheyenne activist
• LaDonna Harris, Comanche president of Americans for Indian Opportunity
• Ernestine Hayes (born 1945), Tlingit memoirist
• Allison Hedge Coke, Huron-Cherokee poet, writer, educator, activist
• Robbie Hedges, first elected woman chief of the Peoria tribe
• Rosella Hightower, Choctaw-Shawnee Tribe, born 1920, ballerina
• Joan Hill (Chea-Se-Quah), Muscogee (Creek) Nation-Cherokee painter
• Linda Hogan (born 1947), Chickasaw poet, storyteller, academic, playwright, novelist, environmentalist and writer of short stories.
• Minnie Hollow Wood, Lakota woman who fought at the Battle of Little Big Horn
• Hononegah (ca. 1814–1847), Ho-Chunk pioneer
• LeAnne Howe, Choctaw writer
• Diane Humetewa, Hopi federal judge
• Pamela Rae Huteson (born 1957), Haida / Tlingit artist, disc jockey and writer

I[]

• Debora Iyall (born 1954), Cowlitz-descent singer and printmaker

J[]

• Sarah James (born 1946), Gwich'in environmental activist, 2002 Goldman Environmental Prize winner
• Jana (born 1980), Lumbee-Tuscarora-descent singer
• Viola Jimulla (1878–1966), Yavapai, chief of the Prescott Yavapai tribe
• Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, also known as Potackee (1923-2011), Chairwoman, Florida Seminole Tribe (1967-1971), last matriarch of Snake Clan.
• Marie Smith Jones (1918–2008), Eyak activist and honorary chief, last known living speaker of the Eyak language
• Juana Maria (died 1853), last member of the Nicoleño tribe

K[]

• Yvonne Kauger (born 1937), Cheyenne-Arapaho Oklahoma Supreme Court justice
• Geraldine Keams (born 1951), Navajo Nation actress
• Adrienne Keene (born 1985), Cherokee academic, writer, activist, and podcaster^[17]
• Maude Kegg (1906–1996), Ojibwa bead worker and traditionalist
• Louisa Keyser Dat So La Lee (ca. 1829–1925), Washoe basket weaver
• Loretta Kelsey, last living speaker of Elem Pomo
• Edith Kilbuck, Lenape missionary
• Mary Killman, Citizen Potawatomi Nation Olympic synchronized swimmer, b. 1991^[18]
• Kuiliy, Pend d'Oreille warrior

L[]

• Madeline La Framboise (1740–1846), Odawa fur trader
• Winona LaDuke (born 1959), White Earth Ojibwe activist, environmentalist, economist, and writer
• Carole LaFavor, two-spirit Ojibwa novelist and activist
• Naomi Lang (born 1978), Karuk figure skater and ice dancer
• Moscelyne Larkin (born 1925), Peoria-Shawnee ballerina
• Sally Larsen (born 1954), Apache-Aleut photographer
• Sharmagne Leland-St. John, Nespelem poet
• Kelsey Leonard, (Shinnecock Indian Nation) first Native American woman to earn a degree from the University of Oxford
• Edmonia Lewis (ca. 1845–ca. 1911), African-Mississauga Ojibwe sculptor
• Lucy M. Lewis (1898–1992), Acoma Pueblo potter
• Sacheen Littlefeather (born 1947), White Mountain Apache-Yaqui-Pueblo actress and activist
• Linda Lomahaftewa, Hopi-Choctaw painter, printmaker, and educator
• Lozen, Apache warrior, spiritual leader, and compatriot to Geronimo
• Merina Lujan (Pop Chalee), Taos Pueblo painter

M[]

• Wilma Mankiller (1945–2010), first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
• Maria Martinez (1887–1980), San Ildefonso Pueblo potter
• Barbara McAlister, Cherokee Nation opera singer and artist
• Mabel McKay, Pomo/Patwin (1907–1993) basket maker, medicine woman
• Doris McLemore (Wichita tribe, 1927–2016), last fluent speaker of the Wichita language
• Isabel Meadows (1846–1939), Rumsen Ohlone language consultant and last speaker of the Rumsen language
• Grace Medicine Flower, Santa Clara Pueblo ceramic artist
• Melissa Melero-Moose (Northern Paiute/Modoc) mixed-media artist, curator
• Methoataske, mother of Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa (Shawnee)
• Elaine Miles (born 1960), Cayuse-Nez Perce actress
• Devon A. Mihesuah, Choctaw writer
• Deborah A. Miranda, Esselen/Chumash-French poet
• Nancy Marie Mithlo (Chiricahua Apache), curator, writer and professor
• Katrina Mitten, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma beadwork artist
• Catherine Montour (1710–1804), Seneca leader
• Mountain Wolf Woman (1884–1960), Ho-Chunk Native American Church member
• Moving Robe Woman, Hunkpapa Lakota fighter in the Battle of Little Bighorn
• Mary Musgrove, Muscogee Creek interpreter, trader, and political leader

N[]

• Helen Naha, Hopi aka "Feather Woman" potter
• Nampeyo, "Hano Nampeyo", (ca. 1859–1942) Hopi-Tewa potter
• Elva Nampeyo, Hopi-Tewa potter
• Fannie Nampeyo, Hopi-Tewa potter
• Iris Nampeyo, Hopi-Tewa potter
• Dextra Nampeyo Quotskuyva, Hopi-Tewa (daughter of Rachel) potter
• Nora Naranjo-Morse, Santa Clara Pueblo potter
• Sally Noble (Chimariko), last speaker of the Chimariko language
• Roscinda Nolasquez (Cupeño, 1892–1987), last known speaker of the Cupeño language

O[]

• Hannah Ocuish (died 1786), executed Pequot
• Dora Old Elk (born 1977), Apsáalooke/Sioux artist
• Old-Lady-Grieves-The-Enemy, Pawnee warrior
• Diane O'Leary, Comanche, 1939–2013, artist, nurse
• One Who Walks With the Stars, Oglala Lakota warrior in the Battle of Little Bighorn

P[]

• LaRue Parker (1935–2011), Caddo Nation chairperson
• Deborah Parker (born 1970), activist and former vice-chair of the Tulalip tribes^[19]
• Essie Parrish, Kashaya Pomo basketweaver, 1902–1979
• Elise Paschen, Osage Nation poet^[20]
• Lotsee Patterson, Comanche librarian and professor
• Tillie Paul (1863–1952), Tlingit educator and Presbyterian Church activist
• Elizabeth Peratrovich (1911–1958), Tlingit civil rights activist
• Susan La Flesche Picotte (1865–1915), Omaha/Ponca/Iowa, first female Native American physician
• Lori Piestewa (1979–2003), Hopi soldier killed in Iraq
• Pine Leaf, Crow warrior
• Pocahontas (1595–1617), Powhatan diplomat, wife of John Rolfe, rescued Captain John Smith from his execution
• Pretty-Shield, Crow Nation medicine woman and autobiographer

Q[]

• Jaune Quick-To-See Smith (born 1940), Flathead nation artist

R[]

• Rattling Blanket Woman (Miniconjou), mother of Crazy Horse
• Delphine Red Shirt, Oglala writer and chair of Nongovernmental Organization Committee on the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations
• Martha Redbone, Choctaw-Shawnee-descent musician
• Jeri Redcorn, Caddo-Potawatomi (born ca. 1940), potter
• Red Wing (1884–1974), Winnebago silent film actress
• Luana Reyes, Confederated Colville Tribes (Sinixt) health activist and educator, 1933–2001^[21]
• G. Anne Richardson, chief of the Rappahannock tribe
• Toby Riddle (1848–1920), Modoc interpreter and diplomat
• Joanelle Romero (born 1957) Cheyenne-Apache, actress, filmmaker
• Luana Ross, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes sociologist and author
• Wendy Rose (born 1948), Hopi-Miwok anthropologist and writer
• Running Eagle, Blackfoot war chief

S[]

• Sacagawea (ca. 1787–1812), Shoshone guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition, wife of Toussaint Charbonneau
• Brenda Schad (born 1968), Cherokee-Choctaw-descent model
• Shoni Schimmel (born 1992), Umatilla basketball player
• Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (1800–1842), Sault Ste. Marie Ojibwe writer
• Anfesia Shapsnikoff (1901–1973), Aleut artist and educator
• Joanne Shenandoah, Oneida singer and guitarist
• Clara Sherman (born ca. 1915), Navajo weaver
• Leslie Marmon Silko (born 1948), Laguna Pueblo-Keres writer
• Pauline Small (1924–2005), first female leader of the Crow Nation
• Cynthia Leitich Smith, Muscogee Creek Nation children's author
• Lois Bougetah Smoky (1907–1981), Kiowa painter and bead artist
• Molly Spotted Elk (1903–1977), Penobscot actress and dancer
• Minnie Spotted-Wolf (Blackfeet), first female Native American Marine
• Boeda Strand (born 1834), head basket weaver of the Snohomish tribe
• Virginia Stroud (born 1951) United Keetoowah Band Cherokee-Muscogee Creek painter, author, and former Miss Indian America.
• Anita Louise Suazo, Santa Clara Pueblo potter
• Madonna Swan (1928–1993), Lakota
• Roxanne Swentzell, Santa Clara Pueblo ceramicist and sculptor

T[]

• Tacumwah (ca. 1720–ca. 1790), chief of the Miami tribe and businesswoman
• Margaret Tafoya, (1904–2001) Santa Clara Pueblo potter
• Maria Tallchief (1925–2013), Osage ballerina
• Marjorie Tallchief, Osage ballerina
• Mary TallMountain, Koyukon and Irish-Scottish poet and storyteller
• Margo Tamez (born 1962), Jumano Apache, Lipan Apache activist, poet, community historian, educator
• Gladys Tantaquidgeon (1899–2005), Mohegan elder, anthropologist, historian, and medicine woman
• Luci Tapahonso (born 1953), Navajo poet and lecturer^[22]
• Leonidas Tapia (died 1977), Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo potter
• Kimberly Teehee (born 1968), Cherokee Nation senior policy advisor for Native American Affairs in the White House Domestic Policy Council
• Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680), Mohawk-Algonquian woman canonized by the Roman Catholic church
• Lucy Telles, Mono Lake Paiute-Yosemite Miwok basketweaver, ca. 1885-1955
• Charlene Teters, Spokane tribe artist, writer, activist, educator, and lecturer
• The Other Magpie, Crow fighter at the Battle of the Rosebud
• Jennie Thlunaut (1892–1986), Tlingit artist
• Lucy Thompson (1856–1932), Yurok writer
• Jennie Thlunaut, Tlingit (1982–1986) Chilkat weaver
• Susette LaFlesche Tibbles (1854–1903), Omaha-Iowa-Ponca lecturer, writer, and artist
• Sheila Tousey (born 1960), Menominee-Stockbridge-Munsee actress
• Toypurina (born 1761), Tongva medicine woman and rebel
• Gail Tremblay, Onondaga-Mi'kmaq artist and poet
• Catherine Troeh (1911–2007), Chinook activist, artist, elder, historian
• Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, Muscogee Creek-Seminole-Navajo photographer
• Faye Tso (1933–2004), Navajo potter
• Minnie Two Shoes, Assiniboine journalist
• Tyonajanegen, Oneida woman who fought in the 1777 Battle of Oriskany during the American Revolutionary War

U[]

• Ulali, all female, musical group of Native American descent
• Paula Underwood, Oneida historian
• Carrie Underwood, Muscogee Creek Nation enrolled tribal member, singer^[23][24]
• Misty Upham (1982–2014), Blackfeet Nation actress

V[]

• Pablita Velarde, Tse Tsan (1918–2006), Santa Clara Pueblo painter

W[]

• Velma Wallis, Athabascan writer
• Kay WalkingStick, Cherokee Nation painter and educator
• Wanagapeth (Miami tribe, died 1908), daughter of Chief Michikinikwa
• Yvonne Wanrow (born 1943), of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
• Nancy Ward (ca. 1738–1822 or 1824), Cherokee leader
• Ingrid Washinawatok (1957–1999), assassinated Menominee activist
• Watseka (1810–1878), Potawatomi woman for whom Watseka, Illinois, is named
• Mary Jo Watson, PhD, Seminole art historian, curator, educator
• Marie Watt (born 1967), Seneca artist
• Annie Dodge Wauneka (1910–1997), Navajo activist and author^[25]
• Weetamoo (ca. 1635–1676), Wampanoag chief
• Claudette White, Quechan activist and judge
• Charmaine White Face, Oglala Lakota activist and writer
• Emmi Whitehorse (born 1958), Navajo painter
• Matika Wilbur (born 1984), Swinomish/Tulalip photographer and podcaster^[26]
• Lorraine Williams, Navajo potter
• Holly Wilson (Delaware Nation/Cherokee, born 1968), sculptor, installation artist
• Sarah Winnemucca (ca. 1841–1891), Northern Paiute activist and writer
• Woman Chief (c. 1806–1858), Crow chief and warrior
• Elizabeth Woody, Warm Springs/Navajo/Wasco writer^[27]

Y[]

• Melanie Yazzie, Navajo printmaker and educator
• Mary Youngblood, Aleut-Seminole flutist

Z[]

• Ofelia Zepeda, Tohono O'odham linguist and writer^[28]
• Zitkala-Sa (1876–1938), Yankton Dakota writer, editor, musician, teacher and activist

See also[]

• Gender roles in First Nations and Native American tribes
• Native American women in the arts

References[]

Sources

• Bataille, Gretchen M. and Laurie Lisa. Native American Women: A Biographical Dictionary. Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2001. ISBN 978-0-203-80104-8.
• McClinton-Temple, Jennifer and Alan Velie. Encyclopedia of American Indian Literature. New York: Facts on File, 2007. ISBN 978-0816-05656-9.
• Porter, Joy and Kenneth M. Roemer, eds. The Cambridge Companion To Native American Literature. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0521-82283-1.