Winona LaDuke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Winona LaDuke
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LaDuke in 2021
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| Born | August 18, 1959 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Education | Harvard University (BA) Antioch University (MA) |
| Political party | Green |
| Parent(s) | Betty LaDuke, Sun Bear |
Winona LaDuke (born August 18, 1959) is an American environmentalist, writer, and farmer. She is well-known for her work helping Native American tribes get their land back and protecting the environment. She also supports ways of living that are good for the Earth, called sustainable development.
In 1996 and 2000, she ran for Vice President of the United States with Ralph Nader. They were part of the Green Party. Until 2023, she led an organization called Honor the Earth. She helped start it with the music group Indigo Girls. This group helps Native American communities protect their environment. They were very involved in the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.
In 2016, Winona LaDuke received an electoral vote for vice president. This was a special moment because she was the first person from the Green Party to get an electoral vote. She was also the first Native American woman to receive one.
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Early Life and Education
Winona LaDuke was born in 1959 in Los Angeles, California. Her first name, Winona, means "first daughter" in the Dakota language. Her father was from the Ojibwe White Earth Reservation in Minnesota. Her mother was of Jewish European background from New York. Winona grew up mostly in Ashland, Oregon.
Even though she was enrolled with the Ojibwe Nation as a child, she didn't live on a reservation until 1982. After college, she moved to White Earth and became the principal of the high school there.
Winona LaDuke went to Harvard University. While there, she joined a group of Native American activists. She graduated in 1982 with a degree in economics. Later, she earned a master's degree from Antioch University. She studied how to help communities grow their economies in a good way.
Fighting for the Earth and Native Rights
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After college, LaDuke moved to her father's community at White Earth. She started working to help the Anishinaabe people get their lands back. A treaty from 1867 gave the Anishinaabe more than 860,000 acres for the White Earth Indian Reservation. But over time, due to different laws and sales, the tribe lost control of most of their land. By the mid-1900s, they only had about one-tenth of their original land.
Reclaiming Native Lands
In 1989, LaDuke started the White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP) in Minnesota. She used money from a human rights award to begin this work. The project's main goal is to buy back land on the reservation that was sold to non-Native people. It also creates businesses that provide jobs for the Anishinaabe.
By 2000, WELRP had bought back 1,200 acres. This land is held in a special trust to eventually be returned to the tribe. The project also works to plant new trees and bring back the growing of wild rice. Wild rice is a very important traditional food for the Ojibwe people. WELRP sells wild rice and other traditional foods and crafts under the name Native Harvest. They also have an Ojibwe language program, raise buffalo, and work on wind energy projects.
Honor the Earth: A Voice for Nature
LaDuke also served as the executive director of Honor the Earth. She co-founded this organization in 1993 with the music group the Indigo Girls. Honor the Earth is a group that helps Native American environmental groups. It raises public support and money for their important work.
The organization works on big issues like climate change, renewable energy, and environmental justice. They were very active in the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. Their goal is to raise awareness and support for Native environmental issues. They use music, art, and Native wisdom to remind people that we all depend on the Earth. Winona LaDuke left her role at Honor the Earth in April 2023.
A Voice in Politics
Winona LaDuke has also been involved in politics. In 1996 and 2000, she ran for vice president with Ralph Nader on the Green Party ticket.
In 2016, something historic happened. A person called an "elector" from Washington state voted for Winona LaDuke for vice president. This made her the first Green Party member and the first Native American woman to receive an Electoral College vote for vice president.
LaDuke has continued her activism, especially against oil pipelines. In 2016, she was part of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests in North Dakota. She spoke to the media about the issues. In 2019, she spoke at a convention about stopping other pipelines, like the Sandpiper pipeline. She urged everyone to be "water protectors" and stand up for their rights. In 2020 and 2021, she led protests against the Line 3 pipeline.
Personal Life
In 1988, Winona LaDuke married Randy Kapashesit. They separated in 1992.
In 2008, her house in Ponsford, Minnesota, burned down. Luckily, no one was hurt. However, she lost all her belongings, including her large library and collection of Native American art. As of 2020, she has one son and six grandchildren.
Selected Books
Winona LaDuke is a published author. Here are some of her books:
- Last Standing Woman (1997), a novel.
- All our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life (1999), about reclaiming tribal land.
- The Sugar Bush (1999)
- Recovering the Sacred: the Power of Naming and Claiming (2005), about traditional beliefs.
- To Be A Water Protector: The Rise of the Wiindigoo Slayers (2020)
She has also co-authored many other books and written articles for different media.
Film and TV Appearances
Winona LaDuke has appeared in several films and TV shows:
- In the 1997 documentary film Anthem.
- In the 1990 Canadian documentary film Uranium.
- On The Colbert Report in 2008.
- In the 2017 documentary First Daughter and the Black Snake. This film shows her fight against a pipeline that would go through her tribe's land.
Awards and Recognition
Winona LaDuke has received many awards for her important work:
- 1994: Time magazine named her one of America's fifty most promising leaders under forty.
- 1996: She received the Thomas Merton Award.
- 1998: She won the Reebok Human Rights Award.
- 1998: Ms. Magazine named her Woman of the Year for her work with Honor the Earth.
- 2007: She was added to the National Women's Hall of Fame.
- 2015: She received an honorary doctorate degree from Augsburg College.
- 2017: She received the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and Tolerance.
Images for kids
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Winona LaDuke in earlier years
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LaDuke in 2009
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Winona LaDuke speaking at Intellectual House, University of Washington, 2018
See also
In Spanish: Winona LaDuke para niños
