NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN HAVE SHOWN US THROUGH THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS THAT THEIR PLACE IN HISTORY IS WELL-DESERVED

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100+ NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD, by KB Schaller (Peppertree Press, LLC., 2014, Sarasota, Florida, 213 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

                                                             

“Be ashamed to die before you have Won some battle for humanity.”

 - Horace Mann (1796-1859), spoken to a college graduation class  a few weeks before his death.

 

September 26, 2014 (San Diego's East County)--Generally when we think of Native American women and their contributions to history and society, Pocahantas and Sacagawea come to mind. That is, until this groundbreaking book by Cherokee/Seminole heritage author KB Schaller, M.Ed., 100+ Native American Women Who Changed The World. Warriors, educators, an aerospace pioneer, a Catholic saint…100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World is a stellar collection of historical and contemporary women of indigenous heritage who have contributed to the survival and success of their families, communities – and the United States of America. This book is destined to be in classrooms throughout the country.

The author is a member of the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA), guest blogger on Native issues, a columnist, historial researcher and illustrator for Indian Life newspaper. Her biographical collection 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World is a winner of a 2014 International Book award, Women's Issues category, and a 2014 Gold Medal winner in the Florida Authors and Publishers Association President's Book Awards, Biography category. These distinctions make her eminently qualified to write this well-researched book. Schaller is also the author of two novels, Gray Rainbow Journey, winner, National Best Books Award, and the sequel, Journey by the Sackcloth Moon.

First, why a need for this book? Because, as so many other people have been, Indian women have been marginalized and under-appreciated. Schaller gives women, and particular Native American women, their just due. Some feel that this book is long overdue, as Carole Di Tosti, PhD, specifically states: “This collection of 100+ Native American women movers and shakers has long been overdue.”  

In further regard to the aforementioned Pocahantas, if not for Schaller’s well researched book, I would not have known that this colonial figure and peacemaker’s descendents through her son, Thomas, include Edith Wilson (wife of President Woodrow Wilson), Nancy Reagan (wife of President Ronald Reagan), and several other high profile personalities. This is another reason why this splendid book is essential reading material in our schools and classrooms across the country.

This book has spurred my interest in doing some research in my own family tree, resulting in the revelation that my niece, Tahshawna MedicineCrow, is of the Sioux heritage and Lakota tribe, which are part of a confederation of seven related Sioux tribes. I recall fondly taking a bus with her and her father, my brother, Jerome from Denver to Chicago several years ago. We got to know each other well on this bus trip and I trust that we will stay in touch with each other.

Schaller pays homage to these Native American women in her book by providing us with brief profiles of selected heroines, such as:

Wilma Mankiller (1945-2010), Activist, Political Leader

  • First female principal chief of Cherokee Nation
  • Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

Born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Wilma Pearl Mankiller was the sixth of eleven children born to Charley Mankiller (Cherokee) and Clara Irene Sutton (Dutch/Irish heritage). The Mankillers lived in extreme poverty. In 1956 under the Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Relocation program, the family moved willingly to San Francisco, where Wilma became involved in the Indian Center, but the family continued to struggle in their new home because of racial discrimination and declining finances. Mankiller became politically active in the 1960s, and an advocate for American Indian people. For five years, she was a volunteer to the then-poverty stricken Pit River Tribe. She joined Indians of All Tribes (IAT) when 80 to 90 of them, mostly Indian college students, occupied Alcatraz Island to demand “the return of Alcatraz to Native American Indians and sufficient funding to build, maintain, and operate an Indian cultural complex and a university.”

LaDonna Harris (b. 1931), Activist

  • Received appointments during five U.S. presidential administrations
  • Founder, President, Americans for Indian Opportunity

Comanche activist LaDonna Vita Tabbytite Harris was born February 15, 1931 in Temple, Oklahoma to William Crawford of European descent, and Lilly Tabbytite. When her parents separated shortly after her birth, LaDonna was reared in Indian country during the Great Depression by maternal grandparents John and Wick-kie Tabbytite on a farm near tiny Walters, Oklahoma. Her grandfather, part of the last efforts to resist the United States’ intrusion on Comanche lands, told stories of those times to young LaDonna. No doubt, they influenced her life as a Native peoples’ advocate. In 1970 LaDonna Harris founded and still serves as president of Americans for Indian Opportunity, a global organization for the economic, political and cultural rights of indigenous peoples. The organization’s website refers to her as “a remarkable statesman and national leader who has enriched the lives of thousands.”

Maria Tallchief (Elizabeth Marie Tallchief (1925-2013)

  • Performed with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
  • Awarded the Kennedy Center Honors for contributions to the arts

Ballet dancer, teacher and artistic director Maria Tallchief (Osage) was born in Fairfax, Oklahoma and was celebrated for her musicality, strength and technical precision. Her family moved to Los Angeles so that she and her sister, Marjorie, could receive the best ballet training. She joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in the 1940s. In 1946, Tallchief married George Balanchine, a Russian ballet dancer. He was also a celebrated international choreographer and founder of the New York City Ballet (1948). Tallchief joined the company in the same year. Among her most notable performances are Firebird, Orpheus, and Nutcracker. After she retired in 1966 she worked with the Lyric Opera Ballet and Chicago City Ballet which she co-founded. For her contributions to the arts, Maria Tallchief was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors also in 1966.

 

Elizabeth (Bessie Coleman) (1893-1926), Stunt Pilot

  • First American of any gender or ethnicity to earn an international aviation license

Bessie Coleman was born in Atlanta, Texas and was the tenth of thirteen children. Her parents, George (Cherokee heritage) and Susan Coleman were sharecroppers. When she was two years old, the family moved to Waxahachie, Texas, and lived there until Bessie was twenty-three years of age. Her father left Texas where he found the racial climate unbearable for people of color and returned to Oklahoma – known then as Indian Country – where he hoped to find better opportunities. Bessie’s mother and the children stayed behind. At the age of twenty-three, she moved to Chicago and lived with her brothers while she worked as a manicurist. It was there that she first heard pilots who had returned from World War I speak about flying airplanes. The vision enthralled her, but because of her race and gender, she was unable to find a flying school that would accept her. When Chicago Defender newspaper editor, Robert S. Abbott, heard about her desire to pilot an airplane, he connected her with the French Flying School. Bessie seized on the chance. To learn the language, she enrolled in a French course at the Berlitz School in Chicago, and on November 20, 1920 sailed for France. On June 15, 1921 she became the first American of any gender or ethnicity to earn an international aviation license from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. Bessie Coleman has a special place in the hearts of Chicagoans, as well as the rest of the country, for as a Specification Engineer for the City of Chicago Department of Aviation at O’Hare International Airport, I would routinely drive down and across “Bessie Coleman Drive” which was commemorated and named after her at the airport. Ironically, just this past Sunday prior to going to my church in Los Angeles, I stopped by the famed and historic “Liemert Park Village” just down the street from the church, and looked up to see a large banner of Bessie Coleman on display at the park, along with Nat King Cole and other African-American luminaries. Clearly, Bessie Coleman is revered all over the country, if not the world.

                                          

The Fort Shaw 10: Championship Basketball Team

  • They played before thousands at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.

The girls from Fort Shaw, the small Montana “country” boarding school were undefeated. But for the world championship, their basketball team faced the tough, “big city” St. Louis All-Stars, also undefeated, in a best-of-three highly touted competition. Of itself, the Montana girls’ unlikely advance to the finals was not the stuff of legends, except that they were Native American Indians from off-reservation Fort Shaw Boarding School. And in an era of “political correctness,” their opponents were Anglo-Americans. Flora Lucero, Rose LaRose, Genevieve Healy, Belle Johnson (Captain), Genie Butch, “tiny” Emma Sansaver, Nettie Wirth, Katie Snell, “big” Minnie Burton and Sarah Mitchell made up the Fort Shaw 10. Ages 15-19, they hailed from seven tribes across Idaho and Montana (some of them not historically friendly toward one another). But on the Fort Shaw team, the Assiniboine, Lemhi Shoshone, Gros Ventre, Piegan, Chippewa-Cree, Chippewa, and Shoshone-Bannock proved that in team sports, one could set aside ancient tribal animosities to focus on the individual, and winning. They played the kind of full-court boys’ rule basketball that had stunned all their previous opponents. In the first face-off, they delivered the All Stars a crushing 24-2 loss. In Game Two, energized St. Louis’ young women attempted an aggressive comeback. It was not enough. The Fort Shaw juggernauts defeated them again, this time by a score of 17-6 to claim the World Championship at the 1904 World’s Fair.

Sacagawea (ca. 1788, ca. 1812), Explorer, Interpreter

  • Her knowledge ensured the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
  • Became Honorary Sergeant, Regular Army

Like Pocahontas, many myths have sprung up around Sacagawea (whose name means Boat Launcher or Bird Woman in the Shoshone and Hidatsa languages), but what is known about her is that her skills enabled the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. There are actually several spellings of the name of the only woman on the expedition: Sacagawea, Sacajawea, Sakakawea. She was born in Lemhi County near present-day Salmon, Idaho and was the daughter of a Shoshone chief. When she was around age 13, the Hidatsa, enemies of the Shoshone, captured Sacagawea and several other Shoshone girls during a battle between the two tribal nations. Sacagawea was sold to French-Canadian trapper Toussaint Charbonneau and made one of his wives.

In November 1804 at the request of President Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began an expedition known as the Corps of Discovery to survey the land west of the Mississippi which had been purchased from France in 1803. They also aimed to find a route to the Pacific Ocean. Sacagawea and her husband had been living among the Hidatsa and Mandan (near present-day Washburn, North Dakota) when the Corps of Discovery built Fort Mandan. While they were there for the winter, they met Charbonneau and hired him as an interpreter of the Gros Ventre language. Lewis noted in his journal that Sacagawea was pregnant with her first child at the time, and gave birth on February 11, 1805. Because the Corps needed someone to interpret and secure supplies when they passed through Shoshone territory, Sacagawea was also hired to accompany her husband, and when the journey commenced on April 7, 1805 she joined them, carrying her infant on a cradle board.

Although no extant images exist of her, in 2000, the U.S. Mint issued a golden one-dollar coin to further commemorate her. Modeled after the modern Shoshone-Bannock woman, Randy’ L He-Dow Teton, it characterizes Sacagawea in a three-quarter profile with her son on her back. In 2001 Sacajawea was conferred the title of Honorary Sergeant, Regular Army, by President William (Bill) Clinton.

Eula Pearl Carter Scott (1915-2005), Aviator

  • Was youngest person ever to fly solo, and youngest licensed pilot in the United States.

Born in Marlow, Oklahoma near the Chisholm Trail to George W. Carter and Lucy Gibson Carter, Eula Pearl’s mother was an original enrollee of the Chickasaw Nation. By age 12, Eula Pearl, curious and adventurous by nature, had already learned to drive a car. Sometime in the late 1920s, Eula Pearl met famed aviator Wylie Post when he landed his plane in a field near Marlow. He was so impressed by her intelligence, curiosity and daring, by the time she turned 13, not only had he taught her to fly, she became the youngest licensed pilot in the United States. On September 12, 1929 she became the youngest pilot to make a solo flight.

In the 1970s Scott became one of the first community health representatives for the Chickasaw Nation, and in 1983 was the first woman elected to the Chickasaw Nation Tribal Legislature. She served three terms and also helped to oversee the enormous growth in tribal services and operations. Her life is the subject of the movie, Pearl, a Chickasaw Nation production based in part on the biography, Never Give Up: The Life of Eula Pearl Carter Scott, by Dr. Paul Lambert. 

The author Schaller sums up this brilliant compilation of profiles of Native American women by including a poignant and heartfelt apology from the Wesleyan Church, which could be considered an Epilogue: “We have seen and been told that our Native American brothers and sisters ‘have something against us.’ We as a denomination, organization, or individuals cannot go back and undo what has been done. We can, however, seek forgiveness and reconciliation from our brothers and sisters today. You may not feel comfortable accepting this reconciliation on behalf of all your people, but would you accept it as an individual? As a member of the dominant race, I acknowledge many sins of the past done by my people. My people took the land without regard to the rights of those who had been its inhabitants for many generations. We destroyed the food sources and left you no choice but to accept handouts. We took the best land for ourselves and gave you, our brothers and sisters, what we felt was of no value. When we discovered there was value in some parts of what we said you could have, we took that back as well. We took your children – often by force – to ‘teach’ them. They were forced to change their language, hair, dress customs, and cultural identity. These sins not only affected your ancestors, they have been carried for generations. The anger and frustration this loss has caused each successive generation has never been resolved or reconciled. The end results of these feelings have surfaced many times in the forms of substance abuse, suicide, and family violence. As a denomination I ask you to forgive The Wesleyan Church.” Clearly, from the homage that the author pays to these heroic and industrious Native American women, they have overcome! Although the author titles this book 100+ Native American Women Who Changed The World, I am including Schaller in this grouping for bringing to the world’s attention this rich tapestry of perseverance and accomplishment. This is truly a profound book that I recommend for every school and classroom throughout our country.

The author will be discussing her book this Saturday, November 15, 2014, at the Helen B. Hoffman Plantation Library in Plantation, Florida. See attached.

Dennis Moore is an Associate Editor with the East County Magazine in San Diego and the book review editor for SDWriteway, an online newsletter for writers in San Diego that has partnered with the East County Magazine, as well as a freelance contributor to EURweb based out of Los Angeles. He is also the author of a book about Chicago politics; “The City That Works: Power, Politics and Corruption in Chicago.” Mr. Moore can be contacted at contractsagency@gmail.com or you can follow him on Twitter at: @DennisMoore8.      

 

 

 

 

 


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Comments

Thank you, Dennis Moore

I greatly appreciate your reprint of highlights from the biographical collection, 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World. Its winning of an International Book Award for Women's Issues was a peak experience in my writing career as was your gracious review of it for East County Magazine. Native American women have indeed come a long way even as many challenges lie ahead. I also appreciate the supportive comments made by those who read and responded to your wonderful review. Furthermore, to your point, I agree that the Wesleyan Church's apology to Native peoples for the silence of the church as an institution during this nation's committing of gross atrocities against First Nations people makes a fine epilogue!

Just to say...

Thanks so much, Dennis Moore, for this repost of my biographical collection 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World! Its winning of an International Book Award, Women's Issues Category, was indeed a peak experience in this author's writing career. My only regret is that there were so many more who were and are deserving of having their contributions held in high honor for the world to see. Thank you again for honoring me with this repost.

Response to MJ Payne

Hello MJ. Thanks so much for your kind wishes also. I loved your suggestion and followed through with it. I have experienced a few setbacks, so I do apologize for the slowness of this response. Yes, Dennis Moore was kind enough to post this follow-up. I am honored to share it here, and also honored to have such strong support as yours, his, and others who appreciate the accomplishments of Native American women. KB Schaller, Author 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World Winner, International Book Award, Women's Issues category http://KBSchaller.com/

Thanks for the support, Dennis Moore

Hello, Dennis Moore. This is in response to your comment posted above that reads: "I would give anything to be there this Saturday at the "Helen B. Hoffman Plantation Library" alongside K.B. Schaller in Plantation, Florida, to support her in this discussion of her groundbreaking book. But unfortunately, at this time I am out here in California. Good luck KB!" Thank you so much, belatedly, for your kind wishes. Things did go well indeed, and I appreciate having had another opportunity to share the message of "100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World". Thank you again for the wonderful review that you gave this biographical collection that some have called "long overdue". KB Schaller, Author 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World Winner, International Book Award, Women's Issues category http://KBSchaller.com/

A great opportunity for 100+

Those of us who are authors realize how important it is not only to write a book, but to seize every opportunity to share its contents with others. This is never more true than for Native Americans--and Native American women in particular. On Saturday, November 15, I will have another occasion to speak about my latest title, 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World, winner of a 2014 International Book Award. The event will be co-sponsored by the Plantation Historical society and the Hoffman Library. Again, I will be able to share with mainstream America that, although members of a tiny minority of only 0.09 percent within a nation of well over 300 million, women of indigenous heritage are "movers and shakers" who wield power, organize, manage, challenge and change the order of things--including, sometimes, constructs and beliefs that have been accepted and practiced for generations--and are also catalysts who awaken zeal and courage within others. Although I will spotlight only ten of these dynamic and accomplished women during my presentation, they will provide a greater view of women's roles within the Native American experience. For more information, click on "See Attached" near the end of the above wonderful review by Dennis Moore. Thank you again, Dennis, and thanks to all of you for your prayers and well-wishes. KB Schaller, Author 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World Winner, International Book Award, Women's Issues category http://KBSchaller.com/

KB Schaller Presentation Announcement Dennis Moore Review

KB congratulations on your presentation and I wish you the best in educating people about the contributions of Native American Women. I know it will be a deeply enriching experience. It would be lovely to have your remarks published in this forum to let those of us in different states have access to your expertise in this subject matter that is of great interest. Perhaps "our Dennis" can arrange for us to be able to share in this event in some way. Best Wishes, M.J. Payne Author The Remembered Self

"100+ Native American Women Who Have Changed the World"

I would give anything to be there this Saturday at the "Helen B. Hoffman Plantation Library" alongside K.B. Schaller in Plantation, Florida, to support her in this discussion of her groundbreaking book. But unfortunately, at this time I am out here in California. Good luck KB!

Response to M.J. Payne re: Dennis Moore's Review of "100+"

Why, thank you for your comment, M.J., that is equally informative. As minority people of color, sadly, Indigenous heritage women are not the only group whose contributions are belatedly recognized. It was not until 1982 that the Native American code talkers were given official recognition by President Ronald Reagan, followed by Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush. More of my viewpoint on this is expressed in one of my blogs honoring Native veterans, titled, "Native Code Talkers Too Much for the German Army!", posted November 11, 2011. If interested, you may copy and paste the title in your browser for a refresher on just how many tribal language speakers contributed heavily to this country's victory in both WWI and WWII. Furthermore, because of entrenched racial discrimination, it was not until March 2007 that President Bush and Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee pilots, who rendered distinguished service to this country during WWII. A belated honor indeed, occurring more than 60 years after the achievements of these airmen of African heritage. Yes, you and I fully agree that now is the time to lift each other up, and not allow gender, color, ethnicity, or any other barrier to continue to divide us, and to give honor to whom honor is due, and, nearly as important, WHEN it is due. Thanks so much for your informative comments, and for sharing your thoughts.

"Journey Through the Night's Door" by KB Schaller

The third novel in KB Schaller's "Journey" series, "Journey Through the Night's Door", will sweep the reader away into the dusty little enclave of the Bitterroot Confederacy of Indians, where there is sometimes no common ground between the world of Indian Traditions and that of the Jesus Way. Edgy and suspenseful, "Journey Through the Night's Door" will remain in the head and heart long after the reader puts it down.

Reply to KB Schaller Re: Dennis Moore's Review of "100+

KB, thank you for that informative comment. The awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to the Native American women pilots is wonderful. I imagine we could say "better late than never" and hope such awards come in a timely manner in the future. I don't think any gender wars will be inspired by your book. Any self respecting man will be glad for Native American women to have their history and accomplishments brought into the open. I am continuing to enjoy your book and feel uplifted by the courage and determination of the women you have written about. My husband is half Sioux and the Native American in his soul is a gift to all who know him. I wish you every success and think "100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World" should be an often used textbook to bring alive American history in an added dimension.

Re: M.J. Payne's "Coloring Outside the Lines"

You state this reality clearly, M.J. During WWII, there were the Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs) whose records were classified and archived for over thirty years and their contributions omitted from much of that war era's documented history. Ola Mildred Rexroat, Oglala Sioux, whose biographical sketch appears in "100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World" is believed to be the only Native American woman WASP. In a press release dated July 1, 2009, President Obama announced the signing into law a bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to each of these Women. Established during World War II, the primary mission was "...of flying non-combat military missions in the United States thus freeing their male counterparts for combat missions. Its pilots were the first women ever to fly American military aircraft and flew almost every type of aircraft operated by the United States Army Air Force during World War II on a wide range of missions". And then, there were the Night Witches of the WWII 588th Night Bomber Regiment. Although they were not Americans and therefore not subjects in "100+", the issue of the suppression of women's accomplishments is the same. As members of the Allied Forces, they flew bomber missions against the German military from 1942 to the war's end. Thirty of them were killed in combat. How many movies have been made with the focus on these women's accomplishments and heroism? I would be pleased if there are any. I must say, however, that it was never the purpose or intent of "100+" to stir up gender wars, but instead, to stir the collective conscience. My hope is--as you have stated--that "100+" will encourage girls and women of all races, ethnicities and ages to pursue their dreams, develop their skills and talents, and that society will not only support them, but also extend them the encouragement and recognition deserved. Thanks so much for your enlightening comment, and I am happy to know that you are enjoying the book along with your cup of tea.

Coloring Outside the Lines, Dennis Moore Review on KB Schaller 1

Dear KB Schaller, I am having that cup of tea and reading your book. It echoes the often muzzled voices of women in all cultures.Relegated so often to limited areas of life and positions of silent servitude, women walk a line they must stay within or lose their reputations and even work situations. Everyone knows that coloring outside the lines is forbidden, and children, especially girl children must be forced repeatedly to keep their colors inside the lines. The glory of your book is that it is about women who were forced by circumstances to stray outside the pre-written scripts of their lives and the many stories of success this produced and that defy the odds amazed me. It inspired me. So many of life's experiences are like they were designed to break the will of a person and silence them. You heroines have broken the rules and do not have broken wills. This book is a must read for all women, for all people. It gives hope. Women especially live a divided life as nurturers and often their talents are buried under the weight of family obligations, putting men first, and the limitations of energy and strength each person deals with after making a livng. Men know their roles are to push forward and overcome. Women find it harder to deal with "self". As Diane Glancy (Cherokee) writer and movie director says in the beginning comments about your book, " I had a sense of being under a tarp... an inner covering that had to be thrown off..." to find "who I was and what I was about. I think native women and women in general have to work toward the establishment of self". Your book is a great asset in throwing off that tarp and remembering and celebrating what women can and have done. My time in reading your book is well spent.

100+ Native American Women Who Changed The World

I am looking at the cover of KB Schaller's book and it is so lovely. The pictures of Native American women are like a quilt with each face like a patch stitched lovingly together making a warm inviting design. Her book feels wonderful to the touch and is excruciatingly researched. It is so detailed and shows the huge effort in research and writing it took to create it.

Re: M.J. Payne's comment on the 100+ Book Cover

I too, love the cover. I must say that your comment led me to view it in a different way. Indeed, it is a quilt, a beautiful tapestry of Indigenous heritage women who lived well, and served or are serving well in their generations. The cover graphic designer, Rebecca Barbier, did a wonderful job capturing the spirit of 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World.

Response to Jacqueline C.

Comments such as yours make "100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World" well-worth the exhaustive efforts required to bring it to fruition. So happy to hear that you found it a learning experience. Your comment that you knew nothing about the women before reading Dennis Moore's wonderful review amplifies my reason for the book's creation. I agree with your suggestion that the title would be a wonderful supplement to history classes in our schools. Thank you again for taking the time to comment. KB Schaller, Author 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World Winner, 2014 International Book Award, Women's Issues http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007O46N0G

A Leap Into Eternity Re: Dennis Moore's Review of KB Schaller's

Dennis Moore has found a richly textured and appetizingly interesting award winning textbook that will stand as a classic about Native American Women and women in general for all time. KB Schaller has become a national treasure in compiling a book celebrating the indigenous inhabitants of the United States, whose wild and free spirit is embodied in the biographies of the women Schaller writes about. I was thrilled to see that Maria Tallchief, the fabulously gifted ballerina who was married to George Balanchine, Russian choreographer par excellence, is included in this book. I love ballet, and the glorious Tallchief, the stuff legends are made of, is in most ballet history books. I am writing this sitting under an enormous, framed picture of a ballerina from the Dance Theatre of Harlem performing "The Firebird", for which Tallchief was noted. The picture is in brilliant red and shows a woman leaping through space with great technique and abandon, obviously loving it. It appears that Tallchief was not the only Native American woman who has an affinity for heights as we have Bessie Coleman from Texas shown as the first American to earn an International Aviation License. She is not the only aviating Native American woman in the list! I just picked up my copy of Schaller's book and am looking forward to curling up with a cup of tea and honey to enjoy these women whose spirits have leaped into eternity in this wonderful book. The book review Mr. Moore has written has just whetted my apppetite for my reading sessions with my new book, "100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World".

Re: M.J. Payne's Comment

Dear M.J. Payne: I am so touched, so humbled by your gracious and poetically beautiful comment, "A Leap Into Eternity". I would love to see this posted on Amazon as a review so that others will be encouraged to enjoy the collection and be enriched by the lives of these women as well. They were chosen from responses to a call for historical and contemporary Indigenous heritage nominees from all across Indian country. Researching and compiling "100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World" was a labor of love, and a great learning experience for me as well. I cannot thank Mr. Dennis Moore enough for such a great review. He is a wonderful human being who is touching countless lives through his insightful reviews of books across many different genres. Enjoy the book and your cup of tea! Blessings, KB Schaller, Author 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World Winner, International Book Award, Women's Issues category http://www.a mazon.com/-/e/B007O46N0G

100+ NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD, by KB Schaller

This book is a great history lesson. I knew nothing about any of these women, and I doubt that it has anything to do with them being Native Americans. I often wonder why so much of this country's history is not being taught at schools. This book should be required reading in all public schools. These women have contributed so much to the betterment of this society yet their efforts and accomplishments have not be lauded as they should. They were pilots, activists, ballerinas, political leaders etc. We, and our children can learn so much from their stories, become motivated, and aspire to be like them or do something of like ilk. Additionally, I thought that having the pictures to go with the names made the stories more captivating. Mr. Moore has done a great job in his review of this book, and "thank you" for shedding some light on a population that at times are seemingly forgotten. Jacqueline C.

100 American Indian Women

As a card-carrying Potawatomie Indian woman, (although the family line is getting diluted by generations of marriage), I am happy to see this collection of accomplishments by this group; and also the quote about winning a battle for humanity before you die. I was brought up with the idea of needing to contribute to society using the talents you have. I consider my two books about nutrition and mental health my contribution to health care professionals and their patients.

A swath of Oklahoma is tribal land, Supreme Court justices rule!

Perhaps overshadowed by the Supreme Court rulings in two cases involving President Trump yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled in another case on Thursday that a large chunk of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation, a decision that state and federal officials have warned could throw Oklahoma into chaos. The court's 5-4 decision, written by Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, means that Oklahoma prosecutors lack the authority to pursue criminal cases against American Indian defendants in parts of Oklahomathat include much of Tulsa, the state's second-largest city.

 

Following the ruling, the state of Oklahoma issued a joint statement with the Muscogee (Creek), Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole nations in which they vowed to work together on an agreement to address any unresolved issues raised by the decision. 

Response to Ruth L-W

Thank you so much for your comment, Ruth. "100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World" was a consuming passion of mine that was more than three intense years in its research, editing, adapting and compiling. I certainly hope that it is only one of many contributions that I will make before I walk on. My fondest hope is that it will touch the lives of many and that the accomplishments of its heroines will serve as patterns and templates for the generations that follow. Congratulations on your two publications, and best wishes for the success of each. The titles that you mentioned describe areas that certainly deserve addressing in many Native as well as non-Native communities. KB Schaller, Author 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World Winner, 2014 International Book Award, Women's Issues http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007O46N0G