List of Native Americans of the United States facts for kids

This map shows where Indigenous Americans live across the United States and Puerto Rico, based on the 2020 United States Census.

This page shares a list of amazing and important Native American people. These are individuals from the many different Indigenous groups who have lived in what is now the United States for thousands of years. This includes Native Alaskans and Native Hawaiians too. Being Native American can mean different things. Sometimes it means being part of a tribe that the government officially recognizes. Other times, it's about your family history, culture, language, and traditions. Everyone on this list has Native American family roots. Some historical figures lived before official tribe lists existed, so they are included based on their cultural ties to their people.

Inspiring Artists

Many Native Americans are talented artists who create beautiful works. Their art often shares stories, traditions, and the rich history of their people.

• Elsie Allen, a Cloverdale Pomo artist famous for her basket weaving.
• Marcus Amerman, a Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma artist who works with many different materials.
• Annie Antone, a Tohono O'odham artist known for her intricate basket weaving.
• Spencer Asah, a Kiowa artist.
• James Auchiah, a Kiowa artist.
• Martha Berry, a Cherokee Nation artist who creates beautiful beadwork.
• Kelly Church, a Pottawatomi, Odawa, and Ojibwe artist who makes baskets, paints, and teaches.
• Amanda Crowe, an Eastern Band Cherokee artist who carved wood and was also an educator.
• Dennis Cusick, a Tuscarora painter who lived in the early 1800s.
• L. Frank, a Tongva and Ajachmem artist, writer, and activist who studies tribal history.
• Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty, a Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux artist known for her quillwork and beadwork.
• María Martínez, a San Ildefonso Pueblo artist famous for her pottery.
• Nampeyo, a Hopi-Tewa artist celebrated for her pottery.
• Nora Naranjo-Morse, a Santa Clara Pueblo artist.
• Jeri Redcorn, a Caddo and Potawatomi potter born around 1940.
• Lawney Reyes, a Confederated Colville Tribes (Sinixt) artist, author, and museum curator.
• Carol Lee Sanchez, a Laguna Pueblo author and artist.
• Gail Tremblay, a Micmac and Onondaga artist.

Great Chiefs and Leaders

Native American history is full of strong leaders who guided their people, made important decisions, and worked for peace and justice.

• Ahaya (around 1710–1783), the first known chief of the Alachua band of the Seminole tribe.
• Attakullakulla, a respected Cherokee chief.
• Awashonks, a 17th-century female chief of the Sakonnet people.
• Bill John Baker, a former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
• Black Hawk, a Sauk chief.
• Black Kettle, a Cheyenne chief.
• Andrew Blackbird, an Odawa leader, historian, and author.
• Elias Boudinot, a Cherokee leader, journalist, and publisher.
• Billy Bowlegs, a Seminole chief.
• Joseph Brant, a Mohawk leader.
• Carlos (Calusa) (died 1567), the powerful king of the Calusa people in Southwest Florida.
• Canonicus, a Narragansett chief.
• Chief Gall, a Hunkpapa Lakota chief.
• Cochise, a Chiricahua Apache chief.
• Cornplanter, a Seneca chief and diplomat.
• Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota chief, known for his bravery.
• Logan Fontenelle, an Omaha chief and interpreter.
• Geronimo, a Chiricahua Apache leader.
• Captain Jack, a Modoc chief.
• Red Jacket, a Seneca Nation chief.
• Overton James, a Chickasaw educator and former Governor of the Chickasaw Nation.
• Chief Joseph, a Nez Percé chief, war leader, and humanitarian.
• Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, the first female chief of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
• Hiawatha, an Onondaga-Mohawk chief, credited with helping to form the Iroquois Confederacy.
• John Horse, an African-American leader of the Black Seminole.
• Keokuk, a Sac and Fox chief.
• King Hagler, a Catawba chief.
• Little Turtle, a Miami chief.
• Major Ridge, a Cherokee chief.
• Wilma Mankiller, a Cherokee Nation chief, the first woman elected to this role.
• Manuelito, a Navajo chief, diplomat, and warrior.
• Massasoit, a Wampanoag chief who helped the Pilgrims.
• Alexander McGillivray, a Muscogee Creek Nation chief.
• William McIntosh, a Muscogee Creek Nation chief.
• Metacomet, a Wampanoag chief, also known as King Philip.
• Miantonomo, a Narragansett chief.
• Osceola, a Seminole leader.
• Chief Oshkosh, a Menominee leader.
• Chief Ouray, a Ute Tribe leader.
• Powhatan, a Pamunkey chief, father of Pocahontas.
• Chief Pontiac, an Odawa chief.
• Red Cloud, an Oglala Lakota chief.
• Chief G. Anne Richardson, the first female chief of the Rappahannock tribe since the 1700s.
• John Ross, a Cherokee chief.
• Greg Sarris, Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria tribal chairman, author, and professor.
• Sitting Bull, a Hunkpapa Lakota chief.
• Chad Smith, a former Principal Chief of Cherokee Nation.
• Samoset (1590–1653), the first Indigenous American chief to meet the Pilgrims in Plymouth.
• Chief Seattle, a Suquamish leader.
• Standing Bear, a Ponca chief.
• Uncas, a Mohegan chief.
• Weetamoo, a 17th-century female chief of the Pocasset people.
• William Weatherford, a Muscogee Creek chief.
• Yonaguska, a Cherokee chief.

Brave Warriors and Military Heroes

Many Native Americans have served as brave warriors and military members, protecting their people and their country.

• Roy Benavidez, a Yaqui U.S. Army Master Sergeant and Medal of Honor recipient.
• Running Eagle, a Blackfoot war chief.
• Ira Hayes, a Pima Marine, famous for raising the flag on Iwo Jima during World War II.
• John Horse, a Black Seminole warrior during the Second Seminole War.
• Ely S. Parker, a Seneca U.S. Army Brigadier General.
• Lori Piestewa, a Hopi veteran who died while serving in Iraq in 2003.
• Popé, an Ohkay Owingeh religious and military leader.
• Tecumseh, a Shawnee warrior and statesman.
• Nancy Ward, a Cherokee warrior, diplomat, and "Beloved Woman."
• Washakie, a Shoshone warrior, diplomat, and chief.
• Stand Watie, a Cherokee leader and a Brigadier General during the American Civil War.
• Dragging Canoe, a Cherokee war chief.
• Pushmataha, a Choctaw chief and U.S. Army Brigadier General.

Important Politicians

Native Americans have played important roles in politics, working to represent their communities and make a difference.

• Bill Anoatubby, a Chickasaw Nation Governor since 1987.
• Lisa Johnson Billy, a Chickasaw Nation Oklahoma State Legislator.
• Ada E. Brown, a Choctaw Nation Federal Judge.
• Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a Northern Cheyenne chief, former U.S. Representative, and U.S. Senator.
• Brad Carson, a Cherokee Nation former U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma.
• Tom Cole, a Chickasaw Nation Congressman from Oklahoma.
• Charles Curtis, a Kaw, Osage, and Potawatomi U.S. Senator and the 31st Vice President of the United States.
• Sharice Davids, a Ho-Chunk U.S. Representative from Kansas.
• Affie Burnside Ellis, a Navajo, the first Native American to serve in the Wyoming Senate.
• Deb Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo U.S. Representative from New Mexico and the 54th United States Secretary of the Interior.
• Diane Humetewa, a Hopi Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.
• Larry Echo Hawk, a Pawnee Nation former Attorney General of Idaho.
• Yvette Herrell, a Cherokee Nation Congresswoman from New Mexico.
• Markwayne Mullin, a Cherokee Nation Congressman from Oklahoma.
• Mary Peltola, a Yup'ik Congresswoman from Alaska, the first Alaska Native member of Congress.
• Ben Reifel, a Brulé Lakota activist and Congressman from South Dakota.
• Kimberly Teehee, a Cherokee Nation White House Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs.
• Peterson Zah, a Navajo politician.

Spiritual and Religious Leaders

Native American spiritual leaders have guided their communities, preserving ancient traditions and bringing comfort and wisdom.

• William Apess, a Pequot Methodist minister.
• Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota religious leader.
• Charles J. Chaput, a Prairie Potawatomi Roman Catholic bishop.
• Neolin, a Lenni Lenape religious leader.
• Handsome Lake, a Seneca religious leader.
• Samson Occom, a Mohegan clergyman.
• St. David Pendleton Oakerhater, a Southern Cheyenne warrior, artist, and saint in the Episcopal church.
• Oral Roberts, a Choctaw Nation preacher.
• John Slocum, a Squaxin Island Tribe founder of the Indian Shaker Church.
• Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk and Algonquian convert, now a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.
• Tenskwatawa, a Shawnee religious leader.
• Wovoka, a Paiute religious leader and founder of the Ghost Dance religion.

Talented Writers

Native American writers share their stories, poems, and histories, offering unique perspectives and preserving their cultures.

• Sherman Alexie, a Spokane and Coeur d'Alene novelist and comedian.
• Paula Gunn Allen, a Laguna Pueblo poet, critic, and novelist.
• Jim Barnes, a Choctaw editor, author, and poet.
• Sherwin Bitsui, a Navajo poet.
• Ignatia Broker, a White Earth Ojibwe author.
• Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, a Crow Creek Sioux author, poet, and editor.
• Nora Marks Dauenhauer, a Tlingit author and poet.
• Ella Cara Deloria, a Yankton Dakota and Standing Rock Sioux author (1889–1971).
• Vine Deloria, Jr., a Yankton Dakota and Standing Rock Sioux historian and writer (1933–2005).
• Natalie Diaz, a Mojave poet and language activist.
• Louise Erdrich, a Turtle Mountain Ojibwe writer and poet.
• Joy Harjo, a Muscogee Nation poet, musician, and former U.S. Poet Laureate.
• Linda Hogan, a Chickasaw Nation poet and storyteller.
• Stephen Graham Jones, a Blackfeet author.
• N. Scott Momaday, a Kiowa poet, author, and scholar.
• Cynthia Leitich Smith, a Muscogee Creek author.
• Tommy Orange, a Cheyenne-Arapaho novelist.
• Simon J. Ortiz, an Acoma Pueblo poet.
• Susan Power, a Standing Rock Nakota author.
• John Rollin Ridge, a Cherokee author.
• Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, an Ojibwe author.
• Leslie Marmon Silko, a Laguna Pueblo poet and novelist.
• Luci Tapahonso, a Diné poet.
• James Welch, a Blackfeet and Gros Ventre author and poet.
• Ray Young Bear, a Meskwaki author.

Television and Film Stars

Native Americans have made their mark in television and movies, bringing diverse stories and characters to life.

• Irene Bedard, an Iñupiaq, Yupik, Cree, and Métis actress and activist.
• Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, a Lakota actor.
• Chris Eyre, a Southern Cheyenne-Arapaho director and producer.
• Kiowa Gordon, a Hualapai actor.
• Russell Means, an Oglala Lakota activist and actor.
• Will Rogers, a Cherokee actor and humorist.
• Will Sampson, a Muscogee Nation painter and actor.
• Wes Studi, a Cherokee Nation actor.
• Floyd Red Crow Westerman, a Sisseton Dakota actor and musician.

Musicians and Singers

Native American musicians and singers share their talents through various genres, from traditional music to hip hop.

• Chuck Billy, a Pomo singer for the band Testament.
• Radmilla Cody, a Navajo model, singer, and activist.
• R. Carlos Nakai, a Navajo musician known for his flute music.
• Supaman, an Apsáalooke rapper.
• Taboo (rapper), a Shoshone-descent rapper and singer.
• John Trudell, a Santee Dakota musician, poet, and activist.
• Frank Waln, a Sicangu Lakota rapper.

Sports Heroes

Native Americans have excelled in many sports, achieving great success and breaking barriers.

• Taffy Abel, a Chippewa Hall of Fame NHL Hockey Player. He was the first Native American in the Winter Olympics (1924) and the first in the NHL (1926).
• Ron Baker, a Citizen Potawatomi NBA player.
• Notah Begay III, a Navajo PGA Tour golfer.
• Johnny Bench, a Choctaw Hall of Fame Catcher in baseball.
• Chief Bender, an Ojibwa Hall of Fame pitcher in baseball.
• Sam Bradford, a Cherokee Nation American football quarterback.
• Gerald Brisco, a Chickasaw Nation Pro Wrestler.
• Jack Brisco, a Chickasaw Nation Pro Wrestler and former NWA World Champion.
• Ellison "Tarzan" Brown, a Narragansett U.S. Olympian and Marathon Runner.
• Joba Chamberlain, a Ho-Chunk pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.
• Chris Chavis, a Lumbee professional wrestler known as "Tatanka."
• Jacoby Ellsbury, a CRIT Navajo outfielder for the New York Yankees.
• Joe Guyon, a Chippewa American football and baseball player who won the NFL championship in 1927.
• Bronson Koenig, a Ho-Chunk basketball player.
• Ashton Locklear, an Artistic Gymnast of the Lumbee tribe, a World Champion and Pan American Champion.
• Kyle Lohse, a Nomlaki pitcher.
• Edward "Wahoo" McDaniel, a Choctaw and Chickasaw professional wrestler.
• Billy Mills, an Oglala Lakota athlete, Olympic Gold medalist in running.
• Shoni Schimmel, from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, a WNBA basketball player.
• Jim Thorpe, a Sac and Fox Nation Olympic Gold medalist in track and field, and a football and baseball player.
• Chris Wondolowski, a Kiowa soccer player for the San Jose Earthquakes and the U.S. national team.
• Lyle Thompson, an Onondaga professional Lacrosse player.

Dedicated Activists

Native American activists have worked tirelessly to protect their rights, lands, and cultures, fighting for justice and equality.

• Anna Mae Aquash, a Mi'kmaq who participated in the American Indian Movement (AIM).
• Dennis Banks, a Leech Lake Ojibwe activist and co-founder of the American Indian Movement.
• Mary Brave Bird, a Brulé Lakota activist and member of the American Indian Movement.
• Clyde Bellecourt, a White Earth Ojibwe activist and co-founder of the American Indian Movement.
• Carter Camp, a Ponca activist.
• Don Coyhis, a Mohican sobriety leader and mental health activist.
• Billy Frank Jr., a Nisqually environmental leader and advocate for treaty rights.
• Winona LaDuke, a White Earth Ojibwe environmental activist and writer.
• Susan LaFlesche Picotte, an Omaha, Ponca, and Iowa activist and the first female Native American physician.
• Susette LaFlesche Tibbles, an Omaha, Ponca, and Iowa spokesperson for Native American rights.
• Betty Osceola, a Miccosukee educator and conservationist, advocating for clean water in the Florida Everglades.
• Deborah Parker, a Tulalip activist who worked to give tribal courts more power to protect women and families.
• Elizabeth Peratrovich, a Tlingit civil rights activist who helped pass Alaska's Anti-Discrimination Act in 1945.
• Zitkala-Sa, a Yankton Dakota writer and activist who co-founded the National Council of American Indians.
• Simon Pokagon, a Potawatomi author and Native American advocate.
• Sarah Winnemucca, a Paiute advocate for Native American rights, interpreter, and author.

Linguists and Interpreters

These individuals helped bridge communication gaps between different cultures and worked to preserve Native languages.

• Jessie Little Doe Baird, a Wampanoag linguist who is helping to bring back the Massachusett language.
• Hobomok, a Wampanoag interpreter.
• Toby Riddle, a Modoc interpreter and diplomat (1848–1920).
• Sacajawea, a Shoshone interpreter who helped the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
• Sequoyah, a Cherokee who invented the Cherokee syllabary, a writing system for his language.
• Squanto (around 1585–1622), a Patuxet who helped the Pilgrims in Plymouth.

Journalists and Columnists

Native American journalists and writers share news, stories, and opinions, often focusing on issues important to Indigenous communities.

• Charlie LeDuff, a Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa journalist and writer.
• Rob Capriccioso, a Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians journalist and writer.
• Terri Crawford Hansen, a Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi journalist and author.
• Jim Northrup, a Fond du Lac Ojibwe columnist and political writer.
• Willie Ottogary, a Northwestern Shoshone journalist and leader.
• Mark Trahant, a Shoshone-Bannock journalist and author.

Scholars and Educators

Native American academics and educators have contributed greatly to knowledge, teaching, and understanding of Indigenous cultures and histories.

• Buffalo Bird Woman, a Hidatsa woman who shared her knowledge.
• Gregory Cajete, a Santa Clara Pueblo ethnobotanist, author, and educator.
• Vine Deloria, Jr., a Yankton Dakota and Standing Rock Nakota theologian, historian, and writer.
• Charles Eastman, a Santee Dakota author and physician who helped found the Boy Scouts of America.
• LeAnne Howe, a Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma author and scholar.
• Joseph Marshall III, a Lakota educator and author.
• Devon A. Mihesuah, a Choctaw Nation historian, author, and editor.
• Joe Medicine Crow, a Crow Nation anthropologist.
• Delphine Red Shirt, an Oglala writer and chair at the United Nations.

Amazing Scientists

Native American scientists have made important discoveries and contributions in various fields of science.

• Fred Begay, a Navajo nuclear physicist.
• Karletta Chief, a Navajo soil scientist.
• Kathleen R. Johnson, from the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, a paleoclimatologist who studies past climates.
• Mary G. Ross, a Cherokee Nation engineer.
• Krystal Tsosie, a Navajo geneticist and bioethicist.
• Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, a Hunkpapa and Oglala Lakota social scientist who developed the idea of historical trauma.

Other Notable People

This section includes other remarkable Native Americans who have made unique contributions.

• George Bent, a Cheyenne soldier, warrior, interpreter, and cultural expert.
• Polly Cooper, an Oneida Tribe aid to the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
• Leonard Crow Dog, a Sicangu Lakota medicine man and activist.
• Deganawida, also known as The Great Peacemaker, founder of the Iroquois Confederacy.
• John Herrington, a Chickasaw Nation NASA astronaut.
• James and Ernie, a Navajo comedy duo.
• Maude Kegg, a Mille Lacs Ojibwe writer and folk artist.
• Owl Woman, a Cheyenne negotiator and peacemaker.
• Pocahontas, a Powhatan mediator with the early colonists in Jamestown.
• Paul Chaat Smith, a Comanche and Choctaw writer and curator at the National Museum of the American Indian.
• Maria Tallchief, an Osage Nation ballerina.
• Marjorie Tallchief, an Osage Nation ballerina.
• Randy'L He-dow Teton, a Shoshone-Bannock, who was the model for the US Sacagawea dollar coin.
• Tsali, an Eastern Cherokee warrior and chief.

See also

• List of Principal Chiefs of the Cherokee
• Leading chief of the Seminoles
• List of Lumbees
• List of Native American artists from Oklahoma
• List of Native American Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Native American women of the United States
• Category: Native American scientists
• List of indigenous artists of the Americas
• List of writers from peoples indigenous to the Americas