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Obituaries
‘Sad day in Canadian country music world'
Cree country musician Shane Yellowbird dies suddenly at 42
Artist, chief, Oklahoma lawmaker Haney dies
'An inspiration to many, an accomplished artist, his work with the State and later as Chief highlighted his career, but his greatest achievement is that of family'
Alutiiq educator, author Gordon Pullar Sr. dead at 78
‘Gordon always kept propping me up and saying, ‘You can do it, you can do it’
Halona Marie Hall: 'True grit' part of identity
She 'lived the remainder of her life with a smile on her face, positive words on her tongue, and love in her heart for all her family and friends'
Longtime leader of Wanapum band dead at 66
Rex Buck Jr. died Feb. 11 at his ancestral village of P’na at Priest Rapids on the Columbia River
The ‘incorrigible’ Thunder Before the Storm
AIM co-founder Clyde Bellecourt spent a lifetime challenging authority
Remembering those Indian Country lost in 2021
A look back on those who died from government officials, tribal leaders and COVID-19 deaths
Coquille Indian Tribe chief left an ‘incredible legacy’
Don Ivy was devoted to his tribe for decades. His impact continues to inspire and touch others today
Remembering Joanne Shenandoah Tekaliwakwah "She Sings"
Family obituary for the legendary Oneida singer, songwriter and peace humanitarian Joanne Shenandoah, who has died at 64
David Dalaithngu, famed Indigenous actor, dies at 68
The actor was often described as a bridge between Indigenous Australia and the outside world who never fit comfortably in either place
Marcella LeBeau filled lives with 'love and significant meaning'
The Lakota matriarch was honored for ‘fortitude and courage’ as a nurse, politician and advocate
Lee Cook or Waase Waagos was ‘larger than life’
Red Lake citizen was a lifelong advocate for the betterment of Native people
Longtime Indian Country Today contributor Steve Russell dies
Russell, Cherokee, was an Air Force veteran and a high school dropout who worked to become one of Indian Country’s most reputable attorneys
Mary Toya, mother of Deb Haaland, dies
Toya was a longtime civil servant and US Navy veteran
Marie Wilcox, who saved her tribe's language, dies
The Native elder was once the last fluent speaker of Wukchumni but she worked for more than 20 years to produce a dictionary of the language spoken by her tribe
Blackfeet Chief Earl Old Person leaves behind legacy to admire
A tireless advocate for the advancement of the Blackfeet people and the preservation of cultural traditions
David Kennedy, supporter of American Indian College Fund, dies
He was the co-founder of famed independent advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy
Hawai’i film champion ‘exuded aloha’
‘Her small thoughtful gestures coupled with her huge heart made a positive impact on everyone she met’
Digital Smoke Signals founder Myron Dewey dies in tragic accident
Dewey was known for his iconic drone footage of Standing Rock that gained international attention
Gone before her first jingle dress dance
Hours before her first powwow as a jingle dress dancer, young Nytalia Ashes was killed when a falling tree branch fell on her tent
Gambling pioneer Fred Dakota dies at 84
'Fred impacted not only (Keweenaw Bay Indian Community), but many tribal communities with his leadership abilities'
The son and brother they could not save
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation tried early and often to protect its citizens from COVID-19, but in this case, to no avail
Janine Marie Maddux 'was a jokester'
'She was always willing to help somebody [and was] easy to get along with people'
William Yellow Robe: ‘A pivotal Native playwright’
A consummate artist, Yellow Robe believed in the transformational power of theater
‘A leading light for tribes throughout the region’
Lorraine Loomis, chairperson of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, walks on at 81
Saginaw Grant: ‘I had to believe in myself’
Iconic actor and veteran died at 85 in California
Cora Nicholasa 'Nicky' Solomon was a 'fearless leader'
First National Director of Community Health Representatives dies at 88: A tribute to Cora Nicholasa "Nicky" Solomon, Ho-Chunk
Famous Blackfeet grass dancer dies at 62
'He got out there, and he didn't skip a beat'
Former US senator for Alaska dies at 91
Mike Gravel helped craft land claims legislation that resulted in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
Longtime Havasupai leader 'had this effect on people'
'As they listened to him, they were brought into his world and his way of understanding the Grand Canyon'
Elder, co-author of English-Yup’ik medical dictionary dies
'She brings salmonberries, brings seal oil and dried fishes'
Spiritual leader Chief Leonard Crow Dog dies
‘We danced so that our Lakota Nation should live’
Tongva elder, educator Julia Bogany dies at 72
Southern California’s Indigenous community mourns the loss of a cultural leader
LaDonna Brave Bull Allard 'changed history'
"Someone suggested we start a camp; all of a sudden LaDonna said, ‘Hey, I’ve got some land’”
Loretta 'Chet' J. Halfmoon valued treaty, fishing rights
Chet valued the treaty right to fish as one of the female woman warriors who was recognized as one of the 'Indigenous Women of the Columbia River'
John C. Sackett: Champion of rural Alaska
Nothing is ever given to you because ‘it is a necessary right. You have to fight for everything'