Nathan Phillips (activist) facts for kids

Nathan Phillips (born February 22, 1954), also known as Sky Man, is an Omaha Native American activist. He is known for his work to protect Native American culture and for his role in an event at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2019.

Early Life and Military Service

Nathan Phillips was born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1954. He spent his first five years living in a traditional home with the Omaha Nation. When he was about five years old, he was raised by a foster family. He later moved to Washington, D.C.

In 1972, Phillips joined the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. He was trained to work with anti-tank missiles and also served as a refrigerator technician. He was discharged from the Marines in 1976. He was not sent to Vietnam or any other country overseas.

Activism and Community Work

Phillips (right) at the 2017 Native Nations Rise March

Nathan Phillips is a well-known activist who works to support Native American rights and culture. An activist is someone who works to bring about social or political change.

By 1999, Phillips was working to create a foster care system run by American Indians. This system aimed to help Native children learn about and appreciate their heritage. He believed it was important for children to connect with their culture.

Phillips was a former director of the Native Youth Alliance. This group works to keep traditional culture and spiritual ways alive for future generations of Native Americans. He also leads an annual ceremony to honor Native American war veterans at Arlington National Cemetery.

Phillips was involved in the Dakota Access Pipeline protests in 2016 and 2017. These protests were against the building of an oil pipeline in North Dakota. Many people believed the pipeline would harm the environment and sacred Native American lands. Phillips described his participation as "a prayer" and a commitment to stand up for youth, nature, and his nation.

In 2019, an article in Indian Country Today described Phillips as a "keeper of a sacred pipe." This shows his important role in his community's spiritual traditions.

"Between Earth and Sky"

Phillips is featured in a documentary film from 2013 called Between Earth and Sky. The film follows him and his wife, Shoshana, as they travel back to his Omaha reservation. They sought traditional healing for Shoshana after she was diagnosed with cancer. Shoshana passed away in 2014.

Music Video Appearance

In 2012, Phillips and his son appeared in the music video for the song "Make It Bun Dem" by Skrillex and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley. Phillips explained that he took part in the video to help his children cope with his wife's illness.

Lincoln Memorial Event

On January 18, 2019, Nathan Phillips was involved in an event at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Videos of the event were widely shared online.

Phillips was at the Lincoln Memorial for an Indigenous Peoples March. At the same time, a group of high school boys from Covington Catholic High School were also there. They had attended the annual March for Life.

Phillips walked towards the group of students and began to sing the AIM Song. This is a Native American song often sung at intertribal gatherings. Videos showed Phillips and one student, Nicholas Sandmann, standing very close to each other. Phillips was chanting and beating his drum. Some students in the background were seen making gestures. Several students wore red hats.

After the videos became popular, there were different ideas about what happened. Phillips said he heard students chanting and making comments that he felt were racist. He stated that the land was "indigenous land" and that "we're not supposed to have walls here."

Other people, including some of the students, said that the videos did not show the full story. They said that another group, the Black Hebrew Israelites, had been shouting insults at both the students and the Native Americans. Phillips later said he was trying to calm a situation between the students and the Black Hebrew Israelites.

The event led to a lot of discussion about how people interpret what they see in videos and how important it is to understand all sides of a story.