50 Faces of Indian Country 2016 II
In 2015 ICTMN introduced the 50 Faces of Indian Country magazine to celebrate the wealth of talented American Indians across Indian country. Last month the second annual issue, 50 Faces of Indian Country 2016, was published to highlight once again the work of a new crop of accomplished individuals and role models—including actors, leaders, and activists—who can offer inspiration to Native youth on a daily basis.
After all, what’s more uplifting than enjoying the positive contributions being made by some of the most talented people on the planet?
Careful readers will notice that movie star Adam Beach, who leads off this year’s issue, has the distinction of being the only Face of 2016 who was also featured in last year’s magazine. Given the release of Suicide Squad and other strong performances during the past two years, it only made sense for him to be our first repeat, year over year.
Below are the second 10 from 2016’s 50 Faces.
See the full magazine here.
The Young Educator: Dahkota Franklin Kicking Bear Brown
Dahkota Brown, 17, a recent high school graduate with a 4.4 GPA, is the first minor White House advisor appointed by a president. He serves on the National Advisory Council on Indian Education under the United States Secretary of Education. His passion for education began in 2012. He feared Native students did not have the resources to graduate from high school, so he founded the nonprofit organization, NERDS (Native Education Raising Dedicated Students). With 10 chapters and hundreds of students, NERDS has a 100 percent success rate of students graduating after participation in its summer school program. The awards have poured in: The Center for Native American Youth as a Champion for Change in 2013, named him one of UNITY’s “25 Under 25” outstanding young leaders in 2014 and he was the first federally recognized Native American selected to attend the United States Senate Youth Program in 2015. He is also a recipient of NCAI’s 2015 Ernest Stevens Jr. Youth Leader Award, the 2016 NEA “Leo Reano Memorial Award,” a 2016 Coca-Cola National Scholar, and a winner of the 2016 Gates Millennium Scholarship. He began attending Stanford University this fall, majoring in Political Science, with a focus on Native issues. “Being recognized as one of the 50 Faces of Indian Country is an extreme honor,” he tells ICTMN. “I am completely humbled to be in the presence and likes of such inspirational people and personal heroes.”
Vincent Schilling
Dahkota Franklin Kicking Bear Brown
The Foodie: Ben Jacobs
If you haven’t had a Tocabe Indian taco yet, you’re seriously missing out. Ben Jacobs, Osage, owner of Tocabe, a Native American restaurant out of Denver, Colorado, opened the eatery in 2008. Since then, Tocabe has been featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, has opened a second location, operates a catering service and even has a food truck. Tocabe also regularly sets up shop at popular area pow wows, such as Denver March Pow Wow. Jacobs focuses on foods that have become synonymous with Native culture, such as frybread, and on traditional ingredients. Bison, corn, hominy and chiles feature prominently on the menu, and wojapi—a traditional Lakota berry recipe—even makes an appearance on his dessert menu.
Adam Larkey Photography
Ben Jacobs
The Elder Teacher: Henrietta Mann
Dr. Henrietta Mann, Tsetsehestaestse (Cheyenne), the founding recipient of the Endowed Chair in Native American Studies at Montana State University, is MSU professor emeritus of Native American Studies, and an active member of MSU’s Council of Elders. She spent 28 years at MSU as the director/professor of Native American Studies. She also taught at the University of California, Berkeley; Graduate School of Education at Harvard University; and at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. Even though she is retired, she continues to travel the country teaching, speaking and advocating for Native American education. In March 2016, she was elected to the National Academy of Education. She told ICTMN then that “education has always represented true north on my compass.” About being named a 50 Faces of Indian Country recipient, she says, “I am honored, which is truly an understatement of a lifetime. This little, small-town Cheyenne girl from the Red Moon Community has traveled far to be recognized along with 49 others. You pay tribute to her family, community and ancestors. I wish to do nothing but to labor in the garden of humanity, doing what good I can and being of what assistance I can, utilizing the incredible gifts I have been given to help make this world a better place for Cheyenne and Arapaho children. Thank you.”
Courtesy Montana State University
Dr. Henrietta Mann
The Stylish Blogger: Jessica Metcalfe
Jessica Metcalfe began her blog, Beyond Buckskin, in 2009 to challenge the rampant cultural appropriation found in the mainstream fashion industry. In her posts, the Turtle Mountain Chippewa citizen has taken on a plethora of well-known retailers and designers, such as Urban Outfitters, Paul Frank and Etsy. In 2012, Metcalfe expanded the blog by creating an online shop to highlight Native designers, highlighting the contrast to fast-fashion retailers that rip off “Native-inspired” designs, colors and patterns. The store features apparel, jewelry, moccasins, accessories and even décor from people such as Jared Yazzie, of OXDX, Candace Halcro and Alano Edzerza, among others. In summer 2016, Metcalfe opened a brick-and-mortar Beyond Buckskin Boutique, on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota. Check out the blog and online storefront at beyondbuckskin.com. – S.L-R
Courtesy Rez Up Jason S. Ordaz
Jessica Metcalfe
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The Flyer: Kenny Dobbs
Kenny Dobbs is always flying high...on the basketball court that is, with an overwhelming 48-inch vertical. He is a member of the Choctaw nation who is widely recognized as the best slam dunk artist in the world. He has toured with the NBA, Sprite, Nike and RedBull as a celebrity dunker, performed in sold-out arenas during halftime shows, celebrity games and NBA All Star Weekends, appeared on ESPN, TNT, Fox Sports, MTV, BET, Good Morning America and NBA TV. He is also a YouTube sensation and is featured in the NBA2K video game. Off the court, Dobbs co-founded the Dare2Dream nonprofit, which provides athletic training and opportunities for inner-city youth, and is a sought-after motivational speaker. “I am honored to be part of the 50 Faces of Indian Country,” he tells ICTMN. “I’ve dedicated my time and talents to impacting our Native communities by instilling hope, and challenging the youth to overcome negative obstacles while pursuing their goals. I would not be where I am today without the love and support of my family and friends across the U.S and in Canada. My vision is to help empower more leaders throughout Native country to rise up and capture their dreams, whether that be through professional sports, artistic talents or educational careers. Again, I am honored to have been selected, this will only further fuel my passion to inspire our generations. Thank you!”
Kenny Dobbs
The Funny Activist: Dallas Goldtooth
If you don’t know who Dallas Goldtooth is, it’s possible your ceiling is a very large rock, or you share your quarters year-round with a bear. Goldtooth, Mdewakanton Dakota and Diné, is one of the five well-known faces from comedy troupe 1491s. Goldtooth has emerged as one of the most popular faces of Indian country today, thanks to 1491s videos such as the Pow Wow Emcee series. If you do know who Goldtooth is, it’s still very possible you didn’t know he’s also a key player in the Indigenous Environmental Network. Goldtooth has been an outspoken opponent of the Keystone XL Pipeline, and more recently the Dakota Access Pipeline, among other environmental threats. Goldtooth is a master at combining serious issues, such as pipelines and protecting sacred sites, with humor, which is, of course, what Natives do best. Follow him on Instagram (@dallasgoldtooth) or on YouTube (username the1491s).
Dallas Goldtooth
The Strategist: Charlie Galbraith
Charlie Galbraith, Navajo, serves as an advisor for presidential-hopeful Hillary Clinton’s Native American strategy. Galbraith also works as a lawyer and lobbyist, and was instrumental in President Obama’s success with the
Native American vote four years ago. “Every Native working in politics or government has a responsibility to ensure
Native young people have access to the political process, not just to be engaged, but involved,” he tells ICTMN. “Native youth need to be working on the Hill, on campaigns, in newsrooms, and building relationships to other communities. It’s how the broader public best comes to understand our issues and how we start to see more Native people become judges, senators, ambassadors, cabinet members, and one day the president.” Galbraith served as the White House Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, and has worked on everything from budgets and tribal police to the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. As one of Clinton’s top Native American advisors, Galbraith could become a key figure in Indian country during the 2016 election season. “I’ve been able to meet a lot of young Native leaders through my work and I’m especially excited to see a generation that is challenging the status quo and building a more unified and organized effort to confront bigger and bigger issues facing Indian country in a changing world,” he says. – S.L-R
Charlie Galbraith
The Favorite Auntie: Tonia Jo Hall
Tonia Jo Hall, Lakota and Hidasta, perhaps better known as Auntie Beachress, is quickly becoming an Internet sensation with her short Instagram video caricatures of everyone’s favorite, feisty auntie. Auntie Beachress has been known to pop off about everything from not getting into the Black Hills pow wow to, more recently, the Dakota Access Pipeline. She has well over 40 videos on both YouTube and Instagram, with more than 10,600 and 47,000 followers, respectively. Hall is also a mother, wife, jingle dress dancer and fitness advocate, as well as a member of the four-strong Ladies of Native Comedy. Check out her YouTube (username Toniajo Hall) and Instagram (@toniajohall) for regular updates on what Auntie Beachress, and Hall, are up to.
Tonia Jo Hall
The Native Rights Fighter: LaDonna Harris
She’s been a steadfast advocate for Native American rights for more than four decades and is the current president of Americans for Indian Opportunity. LaDonna Harris is known as a remarkable statesmen and national leader who has enriched the lives of thousands. She has also been a powerful advocate in areas of civil rights, environmental protection, the women’s movement and world peace. The Comanche citizen applies much of her energy to strengthening tribal governments, and has encouraged tribes to reweave traditional value-based methods of consensus building into their governance systems. In the 1960s, she founded Oklahomans for Indian Opportunity, and she’s presided over the national AIO since the ’70s. She is also responsible for founding some other leading Native organizations, including the National Indian Housing Council, the Council of Energy Resource Tribes, the National Tribal Environmental Council and the National Indian Business Association. “I was so fortunate that my grandparents instilled in me Comanche values, especially that everybody has medicine and that we are all related. My work has always centered on building relationships with people who have embraced my Comanche values and helped me with my work,” Harris tells ICTMN. “Now, we are collaborating with our global family through our shared values and worldview. Together, with our Indigenous brothers and sisters we can continue to advance our rights and protect the rights of Mother Earth.”
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The Hall of Famer: Ernie Stevens Jr.
Now on his eighth two-year term leading the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), Chairman Ernie Stevens Jr. is an anchor in Indian gaming, a tireless advocate for Indian sovereignty and economic growth and sustainability. “We have to move our economies forward, not just in diversifying, but by strengthening and building upon the gaming world we’ve built,” Stevens has told ICTMN. Throughout his tenure, Stevens, a member of the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin, has represented Indian country before Congress, and influenced policies that impact the gaming industry. Under his leadership, Indian gaming revenues have risen from $11 billion in 2000 to $28.6 billion in 2014. Prior to joining NIGA, Stevens served as an elected councilman for the Oneida Tribe from 1993-99, and as the first vice-president of the National Congress of American Indians. In 2014, Stevens was inducted into the American Gaming Association’s Gaming Hall of Fame, the gaming industry’s highest honor given to those who have made significant contributions in leadership and entertainment. Stevens and his wife Cheryl have been married for more than 30 years, and have five children and 13 grandchildren.
Courtesy NIGA
Ernie Stevens Jr.
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