Angelique EagleWoman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Angelique EagleWoman
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EagleWoman in 2016
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| Born | December 1, 1969 |
| Nationality | Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate |
| Other names | Wambdi Awanwicake WasteWin |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) University of North Dakota (JD) University of Tulsa (LLM) |
| Occupation | Legal scholar |
| Known for | First Aboriginal person appointed as a dean of a Canadian law school. |
Angelique EagleWoman (whose Dakota name is Wambdi Awanwicake WasteWin) was born in 1969. She is a Dakota law professor and an expert in Indigenous law. She is a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribe from the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation. From 2016 to 2018, EagleWoman was the Dean of the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. She stepped down from this role due to serious concerns about unfair treatment.
Today, she is a law professor and co-director of the Indian Law Program at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Her Early Life and Inspirations
Angelique EagleWoman was born in Topeka, Kansas. She grew up with her mother and brother, and her family faced tough financial times. When she was 8, she saw her aunt and uncle on TV. They had won a lawsuit because her uncle, who was African-American, had been unfairly treated by the police. This event showed her the power of law and justice.
As a teenager, she moved with her father and brother to her family's home, the Lake Traverse Reservation. Her grandmother and father had both attended government boarding schools in South Dakota. When she was 15, she received her Dakota woman's name, Wambdi Awanwicake Was'teWinyan, in a special family ceremony.
A respected leader named Roger Jourdain mentored her when she was young. He was the former Chairman of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians. He strongly believed in the right of Indigenous nations to govern themselves.
Her Journey in Law
Before becoming a Dean, Angelique EagleWoman taught law at several universities. She taught at the University of Idaho College of Law, where she started a program focused on Native American Law. She also taught at Hamline University School of Law and the University of Kansas School of Law. Her classes covered topics like tribal business growth, creating legal rules, and international Indigenous law.
During one school year (2017-2018), EagleWoman taught important courses on Indigenous legal traditions to all first-year students. She also taught a required course on Aboriginal legal issues to all second-year students. She did this to make sure these subjects were taught by an Indigenous law expert.
EagleWoman has served on the board for the National Native American Bar Association many times. She is also a member of the bar associations in District of Columbia, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. She worked as a lawyer for her own tribe, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Oyate. She also worked as a public defender for the Kaw Nation and the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma.
On January 12, 2016, Lakehead University announced that EagleWoman would be their new Dean of Law. She started in May 2016, becoming the first Indigenous law dean in Canada. Her appointment was celebrated by many Indigenous legal groups. However, in June 2018, she stepped down. She stated that she faced unfair treatment within the university and law school.
She is now a visiting law professor at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. There, she teaches in the Indian Law Program and courses on contracts and solving legal disagreements.
Education and Special Recognitions
Angelique EagleWoman has a strong educational background. She earned her bachelor's degree in Political Science from Stanford University. She then received her law degree (JD) with honors from the University of North Dakota School of Law. Later, she earned a master's degree in American Indian and Indigenous Law (LLM) with honors from the University of Tulsa College of Law.
She has received many awards for her leadership and dedication. In 2008, she received the Kansas University Center for Indigenous Nation's Crystal Eagle Award. This award recognized her work in helping Indigenous communities and students. Other awards include:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Award (2000)
- William F. and Joan L. Boyd Excellence in Teaching Award (2010)
- Named one of twelve national Emerging Scholars by Diverse Issues in Higher Education (2010)
- Recognition as Distinguished Alumni Scholar by Stanford University (2010)
- Inspirational Faculty Award by the University of Idaho (2010)
- Allan G. Shepard Distinguished Professor at the College of Law (2011-2012)
- Named one of 9 Notable Women Who Rule American Indian Law by Indian Country Today (2013)
- University of Idaho Athena Woman of the Year Award for Faculty (2014)
- University of Idaho College of Law Diversity & Human Rights Award (2016)
- University of Idaho Dr. Arthur Maxwell Taylor Excellence in Diversity Award (2016)
- Federal Bar Association, Indian Law Section, Recognition for Service (2016)
