5 Indigenous Women Making Modern-Day History
Women’s History Month gives us a great opportunity to bring to light the Indigenous Matriarchs in our communities that are breaking barriers! Here are 5 Indigenous women and femmes that have and continue to make their mark in history:
Deb Haaland, Pueblo of Laguna: First Native American Cabinet Secretary
Deb Haaland made history on March 16, 2021 when she was sworn in as the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet Secretary. During her time as the Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland championed initiatives within the department that addressed the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, supported President Biden’s designation of a number of National Monuments that ensured the inclusion of Tribal participation in land management, and championed the needs of Tribal governments across the Nation. She previously made history as one of the two first Native American women seated in Congress along with current Representative, Sharice Davids.
Deb Haaland has recently announced her run for the Governor of New Mexico.
Photo credit: Department of the Interior, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Lily Gladstone, Piegan Blackfeet & Nez Perce: First Native American Golden Globe Award Winner for Best Actress in a Motion Picture
For her incredible portrayal of Mollie Kyle, a survivor of the Osage Indian Murders in Martin Scorcese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, Lily Gladstone was the first Native American to win a Golden Globe for Best Actress, the first Indigenous actor to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Female Actor and was the first Native American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Lily Gladstone has made use of her red carpet appearances and platforms to amplify Indigenous fashion designers and jewelry makers along with advocating for authentic Indigenous representation in the arts.
Gladstone has several upcoming projects including The Wedding Banquet which will hit theaters on April 18, 2025.
Photo Credit: ​​Mrikkk, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Madison Hammond, San Felipe Pueblo & Navajo: First Native American Player in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
“I’m really excited to be the first Native American, but I’m more so excited to not be the last.” Madison Hammond is using her unique platform of being the first Native American player in the NWSL to push for inclusion and Indigenous representation in professional sports. Hailing from a family that encouraged athletic excellence rooted in traditional values, Madison is a role model for Indigenous youth.
Along with her advocacy, she has been hard at work on the soccer pitch. Angels on Parade, a website devoted to Angel City FC, LAFC and Orange County SC, named 2025 potentially the year Madison Hammond grows into one of the best defensive midfielders in the league.
Photo credit: Kabest, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Pyet DeSpain, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation & Mexican: First Winner of Gordan Ramsey’s Next Level Chef
Chef Pyet (Pyetwetmokwe) has dedicated her life’s work to Indigenous Fusion Cuisine, where she combines the food of her heritage - both Native American and Mexican. As the first winner of Next Level Chef, she competed against 15 other skilled chefs from around the U.S. Pyet uses her platform to uplift Indigenous cultures and cuisines in an effort to inspire others to pass down their cultural recipes from one generation to the next.
Pyet is currently promoting the upcoming short film, Courage, in which she is a member of the cast. The first trailer for the film will be released on March 23, 2025.
Photo Credit: Pyet’s Plate Website, https://www.pyetsplate.com/about-me
Nicole Mann, Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes: First Native American Woman in space
As the first female commander of a NASA Commercial Crew Program launch, Nicole Mann also made history as the first Indigenous woman from NASA to go to space and on January 20, 2023 was the first Native American woman to go on a spacewalk. In addition to being an astronaut, Mann is an accomplished pilot who has over 2,500 flight hours in 25 types of aircraft and 200 carrier landings and a Masters of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.
During an interview with Indian Country Today, she shared the importance of inspiring Indigenous youth, stating: “I think it’s so important that I share my journey, especially with that young generation so that they know that there are opportunities there for the taking.”
Photo Credit: NASA Johnson Space Center / NASA / Josh Valcarcel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Beyond Women’s History Month, we celebrate the ingenuity and leadership of Indigenous women and femmes since time immemorial and across so-called borders. We encourage you to share the Indigenous women and femmes who have inspired you in the comments!