AUGUST 2022

ACTOR JOSEPH JASON NAMAKAEHA MOMOA BORN Raised in Norwalk, Iowa, by his mother, Jason was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is of Native Hawaiian descent.  After high school, he moved to … Continue reading “AUGUST 1, 1979”

BAD AXE MASSACRE OF SAUK AND FOX The discovery of lead brought miners into lands ceded to the Sauk and Fox by an 1804 treaty.  The Black Hawk War began when … Continue reading “AUGUST 2, 1832”

PRESIDENT WILSON PROCLAIMS CASA GRANDE RUINS A NATIONAL MONUMENT Casa Grande is located near Coolidge, Arizona.  The ancestral Sonoran Desert people who built it developed irrigation farming & had extensive trade … Continue reading “AUGUST 3, 1918”

NISGA’A TREATY WITH BRITISH COLUMBIA On August 4, 1998, a land-claim stemming from 1887 was settled by treaty between the Nisga’a, the government of British Columbia, and the Government of Canada.  … Continue reading “AUGUST 4, 1998”

MI’KMAQ FILMMAKER SONGWRITER FOLK SINGER WILLIE DUNN DIED Born in Montreal, August 14, 1941, Dunn took up guitar at 15.  After 3 years in the army, he started playing folk and … Continue reading “AUGUST 5, 2013”

TLINGIT ETHNOLOGIST STOOWUKÁA (LOUIS V. SHOTRIDGE) DIED Born April 15, 1883, in Klukwan, Alaska, Louis was from two prominent Tlingit families.  He met his future wife, Florence, while at high school … Continue reading “AUGUST 6, 1935”

TLINGIT NATIVE RIGHTS ACTIVIST/EDUCATOR KAA.OOSTI (ANDREW P. HOPE III) DIED Born in 1950, Hope’s family was known for its role in Alaskan Native politics with both the Central Council of Tlingit … Continue reading “AUGUST 7, 2008”

CHEROKEE OAU NAH JUSAH (FRANKLIN GRITTS) BORN—ARTIST & EDUCATOR Born in Vian, Oklahoma (OK), his name meant “They Have Returned.”  He was age 8 when forced to attend school.  He loved learning, … Continue reading “AUGUST 8, 1915”

CHEROKEE MARY G. ROSS BORN—FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN ENGINEER Born in Park Hill, Oklahoma, descendant of Chief John Ross, Mary’s Bachelor’s degree came from Northeastern State Teachers College.  She taught math & … Continue reading “AUGUST 9, 1908”

PRESIDENT REAGAN SIGNS ALEUTIAN AND PRIBILOF ISLANDS RESTITUTION ACT OF 1988 In June 1942, Japan invaded Kiska and Attu, the westernmost Aleutian Islands.  Shortly after the invasion, the United States evacuated … Continue reading “AUGUST 10, 1988”

CHIPPEWA-OTTAWA PGA GOLFER FRANK DUFINA DIED Born June 30, 1884, on Mackinac Island, Michigan, Dufina began his career there in 1898 at the just-opened Wawashkamo Golf Club where he became the … Continue reading “AUGUST 11, 1972”

CROW SCOUT MEE-NAH-TE-HASH (WHITE SWAN) DIED Born between 1850 and 1852, White Swan (also “White Goose” & “Strikes Enemy”) lost his wife in 1873 and never remarried.  Shortly after, he became … Continue reading “AUGUST 12, 1904”

JACQUES CARTIER ENTERS ST. LAWRENCE RIVER TO IROQUOIS VILLAGE, OR “KANATA” The word “Canada” was first heard off Anticosti Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on August 13, 1535, during … Continue reading “AUGUST 13, 1535”

HAWAIIAN MILITARY OFFICER JAMES HARBOTTLE BOYD DIED Born on July 4, 1858, in Honolulu, Boyd was part of one of the most prominent families of Hawaii.  In 1877, Boyd became Captain … Continue reading “AUGUST 14, 1915”

MOHAWK ACTOR AUGUST SCHELLENBERG DIED Born in Montreal, July 25, 1936, August left school and initially worked as a dockworker.  Entering the National Theare School (NTS), he became its 1st Aboriginal … Continue reading “AUGUST 15, 2013”

CHICKASAW-CHEROKEE CHARLES DAVID CARTER BORN–CONGRESSMAN Born near Boggy Depot, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [now Oklahoma (OK)], Carter moved with his father to Mill Creek, on the western edge of the Chickasaw … Continue reading “AUGUST 16, 1868”

ZAPOTEC ARNULFO MENDOZA RUIZ BORN– MEXICAN WEAVER Born in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, Ruiz learned traditional Zapotec weaving at his family’s workshop.  He studied fine arts at Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez … Continue reading “AUGUST 17, 1954”

GABRIEL SYLLIBOY BORN—1ST ELECTED MI’KMAQ GRAND CHIEF Born at the Whycocomagh Reserve, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Gabriel was a Mi’kmaq religious leader and Grand Captain of the Mi’kmaq Grand Council.  After … Continue reading “AUGUST 18, 1874”

RON DARLING BORN—ALL-STAR MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PITCHER Born in Honolulu of Native Hawaiian ancestry, Ron grew up in Millbury, Massachusetts, and was a star pitcher at Yale University (1979-81).  Drafted by … Continue reading “AUGUST 19, 1960”

LAKOTA CHIEF TȞATȞÁŊKA PTÉČELA (GRANT SHORT BULL) DIED Born around 1851 near Fort Laramie, little is known of Grant Short Bull’s early life other than that he lived mostly a traditional … Continue reading “AUGUST 20, 1935”

CHOCKTAW FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM GRADY STIGLER DIED Born in Newman, Indian Territory, Stigler, an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation, graduated from Northeastern State College (1912) and studied law at … Continue reading “AUGUST 21, 1952”

NATIVE HAWAIIAN QUILTER MEALI’I KALAMA DIED Born January 30, 1909, in Honolulu, Meali’I began quilting in her teens when her grandmother had her create a design based on the breadfruit tree.  … Continue reading “AUGUST 22, 2004”

NARRAGANSETT LONG DISTANCE RUNNER ELLISON BROWN DIED Born September 12, 1913, in Porter Hill, Rhode Island (RI), Brown left school after 7th grade.  His tribal name meant “Deerfoot.” His nickname, “Tarzan,” … Continue reading “AUGUST 23, 1975”

LOCHRY MASSACRE–COALITION LED BY THAYENDANEGEA (JOSEPH BRANT) ROUTS COLONIALS In late 1780, General George Rogers Clark convinced Virginia Governor Thomas Jefferson to authorize an expedition to capture Fort Detroit, the British headquarters in … Continue reading “AUGUST 24, 1781”

MALISEET ETHNOHISTORIAN PETER LEWIS PAUL DIED Born in 1902, Paul grew up on the Maliseet Woodstock Reserve in New Brunswick, Canada, and was primarily raised by his grandfather who was a … Continue reading “AUGUST 25, 1989”

MINNESOTA GOVERNOR DECLARES “MAUDE KEGG DAY” TO HONOR NAAWAKAMIGOOKWE (MAUDE KEGG) Born August 26, 1904, near Portage Lake, Minnesota, her Ojibwe name meant “Centered on the Ground Woman.”  She was so-honored … Continue reading “AUGUST 26, 1986”

ARGENTINE POLICE ATTACK MALON DE LA PAZ INDIGENOUS MARCHERS In 1945, indigenous leaders of Puna requested the government to restore lands to Aboriginal communities as required by law.  On January 17, … Continue reading “AUGUST 27, 1946”

UTES FORCIBLY REMOVED AFTER THE “MEEKER INCIDENT” Under an 1868 treaty, Ute bands ceded Colorado’s Eastern Rockies for a reservation on the Western Slope and the U.S. was to set up agencies … Continue reading “AUGUST 28, 1881”

TLINGIT TOTEM CARVER YÉIL YÁDI (NATHAN JACKSON) BORN Nathan, whose traditional name means “Raven Child,” was born into the Sockeye Clan on the Raven side of the Chilkoot-Tlingit tribe in southeastern … Continue reading “AUGUST 29, 1938”

ALASKA’S MOUNT McKINLEY OFFICIALLY RENAMED DENALI—ITS KOYUKAN NAME The Koyukon people who inhabit the area around the mountain have referred to the peak as “Denali” for centuries.  In 1896, a gold prospector named … Continue reading “AUGUST 30, 2015”

NATIVE HAWAIIAN NAPUA STEVENS BORN–SINGER, RADIO & TV PERSONALITY Born Harriet Daisy Kawaiala Kao’ionapuaopi’ilani Stevens in Hawi, North Kohala, Hawaii, her name, “Napua,” was a shortened version of her Hawaiian names … Continue reading “AUGUST 31, 1918”