Maria Tallchief, who was America’s first prima ballerina, is one of five women who will be individually featured on U.S. quarters next year as part of a program that depicts notable women on the coins.
Tallchief “broke barriers as a Native American ballerina who exhibited strength and resilience both on and off the stage,” the U.S. Mint said in a press release on Wednesday. Tallchief, Osage, is one of three Indigenous women to be featured.
The opposite side of each quarter will show President George Washington.
The Secretary of the Treasury consults with the Smithsonian Institution’s American Women’s History Initiative, the National Women’s History Museum and the Congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus to select the women. The selection is in accordance with the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020.
“The range of accomplishments and experiences of these extraordinary women speak to the contributions women have always made in the history of our country,” Mint Deputy Director Ventris C. Gibson said. “I am proud that the Mint continues to connect America through coins by honoring these pioneering women and their groundbreaking contributions to our society.”
(Related: Osage Ballerina Maria Tallchief Walks On at 88)
(Related: Wilma Mankiller’s greatness minted onto 2022 quarter)
The late Native Hawaiian hula teacher Edith Kanaka’ole will also be featured. The U.S. Mint described Kanaka’ole, who died in 1978, as a composer, chanter, dancer, teacher and entertainer.
“Her moʻolelo, or stories, served to rescue aspects of Hawaiian history, customs and traditions that were disappearing due to the cultural bigotry of the time,” it said in a news release.
The Edith Kanaka’ole Foundation in Hilo, which was established in 1990 to perpetuate her and her husband Luka Kanaka’ole’s teachings, said she has been recognized as “the preeminent practitioner of modern Hawaiian culture and language.”
Bessie Coleman, the first African American and first Native American woman pilot is another Indigenous woman to be featured on the U.S. quarter next year. Coleman has descendancy from the Cherokee Nation and was the first African American to earn an international pilot’s license.
The other two women to appear on the coin next year were: Eleanor Roosevelt, first lady and author; and Jovita Idár, the Mexican American journalist and activist.
This year, the program is issuing coins featuring five other women, including poet Maya Angelou and astronaut Sally Ride.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute $5 or $10 today to help Indian Country Today carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT’s free newsletter.