Tokata Iron Eyes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tokata Iron Eyes
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Iron Eyes at a climate forum at the Lakota People's Law Project in 2019
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| Born | 2003/2004 (age 20–21) |
| Nationality | Standing Rock Sioux, American |
| Alma mater | Bard College at Simon's Rock |
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Tokata Iron Eyes (born 2003/2004) is a Native American activist and member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. Iron Eyes was a youth leader of "ReZpect our Water", a campaign against the proposed route of the Dakota Access Pipeline, and served on the board of a sustainable energy group called Indigenized Energy. Iron Eyes is also a singer and songwriter.
Personal life
Tokata Iron Eyes is the child of Chase Iron Eyes–an activist, attorney, and politician–and Sara Jumping Eagle–a pediatrician and environmental activist.
Iron Eyes attended the Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Reservation and Bard College at Simon's Rock.
According to a statement made by their father in 2022, Iron Eyes is nonbinary. Iron Eyes uses she/they pronouns.
Activism
Iron Eyes became involved in activism at age 9, when she testified against a uranium mine in the Black Hills. At age 12, she spoke in a viral video advocating for action against the Dakota Access Pipeline, which later sparked the social media campaign, "Rezpect Our Water." In September 2019, Iron Eyes met youth climate activist Greta Thunberg at George Washington University. Iron Eyes invited Thunberg to Iron Eyes' homelands, and the two held multiple rallies together in North Dakota and South Dakota throughout October 2019. The pair spoke at multiple locations including at Red Cloud Indian School, the Youth Climate Activism Panel in Rapid City, South Dakota, and at Standing Rock High School in Fort Yates, North Dakota. Iron Eyes also served on the board of a new sustainable energy group called Indigenized Energy.
Relationship with Ezra Miller
In June 2022, Iron Eyes' parents filed legal documents asking a judge to issue an order of protection against actor Ezra Miller on her behalf. Although Iron Eyes was 18, due to tribal regulations Iron Eyes' parents were still considered her legal guardians.
Iron Eyes' parents claim that an inappropriate relationship began between the pair in 2016, during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. They further claim, and photos document, that the year after the two met, Iron Eyes flew to London to visit Miller on the set of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. In 2021, they dropped out of school, allegedly to follow Miller.
According to a September 2022 Vanity Fair article, the tribal court dismissed the request for a permanent protective order, and the parents say they withdrew their request for custody, believing the odds were stacked against them.
Awards and recognition
In January 2020, Iron Eyes was featured on Disney+ in an episode of Marvel's Hero Project as "Thrilling Tokata". In May 2020, they were named one of the Ms. Foundation's 2020 Women of Vision, and she received the Peggy C. Charren Free to Be You and Me Award.
See also
In Spanish: Tokata Iron Eyes para niños
