Largest Indigenous cohort elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Jourdan Bennett-Begaye
ICT

Eleven Indigenous people joined the American Academy of Arts and Sciences April 23, making it the largest Indigenous cohort yet.

The new Indigenous members ranged from law to film, nonprofit leaders to journalism. The academy celebrates the excellence of leaders who bring new ideas and address issues to advance the public good.

The academy was founded during the American Revolution in 1780 by John Hancock, John Adams, and 60 scholar-patriots. It is made up of more than 14,500 members.

“The Academy honors excellence across a wide range of disciplines and professions, and our newly elected members have demonstrated expertise and leadership of astonishing breadth and impact,” said board Chair Board Goodwin Liu, associate justice of the California Supreme Court, in a news release. “We look forward to engaging their diverse talents and experiences through Academy initiatives that bring interdisciplinary inquiry and unfettered pursuit of knowledge to bear on our society’s greatest challenges.”

In addition to the new Indigenous members, this year’s cohort includes CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper; Ava DuVernay, filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer; and Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella. They join a list of other notable members including Benjamin Franklin, Robert Frost, Charles Darwin, Martin Luther King Jr., and John Legend, just to name a few.

The class of 2025 makes the total of Indigenous members in the academy 53. Of the 11 new Indigenous members, two are International Honorary Members: Duncan McCue and Taika Waititi.

Read more about the 2025 Indigenous cohort below. 

INTERDISCIPLINARY 

Mary Kathryn Nagle, Cherokee, is a playwright and attorney. She specializes in federal Indian law and appellate litigation. Her plays include “Sovereignty,” “Manhatta,” and “Sliver of a Full Moon.”

JOURNALISM, MEDIA, AND COMMUNICATIONS

Peggy Berryhill, Muscogee, is an award-winning producer and founder of Native Media Resource Center. Mark Trahant, a former editor of ICT who is also an academy member, wrote on social media that “when the history of radio is written, she will be a major focus.”

Duncan McCue, Anishinaabe, is also an award-winning journalist who worked for CBC News for more than two decades. He hosted the eight-part podcast, “Kuper Island,”on residential schools and recently published his book, “Decolonizing Journalism.” His latest endeavor is creating an Indigenous journalism certificate program in his role as associate professor at Carleton University. McCue is an International Honorary Member of the academy.

HISTORY

Ned Blackhawk, Western Shoshone, is a professor of history at Yale University. He recently authored his book, “The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History.” He holds a doctorate in history from the University of Washington and led the establishment of two fellowships for students.

VISUAL ARTS

Jeffrey Gibson, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, is a multimedia artist who represented the United States at the Venice Biennale, also known as the Olympics of the art world. His work has been exhibited at the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Indian, and the Institute of Contemporary Art.

Anita Fields, Osage and Muscogee, is a multidisciplinary artist who works in clay and textiles, “often fusing the two by incorporating into her ceramics aesthetic qualities that are unique to Osage ribbon work.” Her work is in permanent collections at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

PERFORMING ARTS

Taika Waititi, Māori, is a New Zealand filmmaker, comedian, director, producer, and actor known for his humor in the entertainment industry. TIME magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022. His film, “Jojo Rabbit” won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay in 2020 and was also nominated for Best Film the same year. Waititi is an International Honorary Member of the academy.

ANTHROPOLOGY AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Kim TallBear, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, is a professor at the University of Alberta. Her work has largely focused on genomics, race, science, technology, Indigenous self-definition, self-Indigenization, and Indigenous sexualities. She wrote, “Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science.”

SCIENTIFIC, CULTURAL, AND NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP

Della Warrior, Otoe-Missouria, is president and chief executive officer of Multi-Indigenous Community Action. She was elected in the scientific, cultural, and nonprofit leadership category of the academy. Warrior was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2007. She previously served as the director of the New Mexico Museum of Arts and Culture and sat on the board of the White House Initiative on tribal Colleges and Universities.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC POLICY

William Iggiagruk Hensley, Iñupiaq, played a critical role in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. He was one of the key leaders in the Alaskan land rights movement. After helping form the Alaska Federation of Natives, the largest statewide organization, in 1966, he served as its executive director, president, and co-chairman. He is currently chair of the First Alaskans Institute and teaches at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

LAW

Kevin K. Washburn, Chickasaw, is the former dean at the University of Iowa’s College of Law, 2018-2024. He also served as dean and the regents professor of law at the University of New Mexico’s School of Law. Washburn worked as a political appointee in the Obama administration from 2012-2016 as the assistant secretary of Indian affairs in the U.S. Department of Interior. 

Indigenous members in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Class of 2025 (11)
Peggy Berryhill
Ned Blackhawk
Anita Fields
Jeffrey Gibson
William Iggiagruk Hensley
Duncan McCue
Mary Kathryn Nagle
Kim TallBear
Taika Waititi
Della Warrior
Kevin K. Washburn

Class of 2024 (4)
Megan Bang
Muriel Miguel
Lori Pourier
W. Richard West

Class of 2023 (10)
Maria Campbell
Cynthia Chavez Lamar
Dalee Sambo Dorough
John EchoHawk
Walter R. Echo-Hawk
Matthew L.M. Fletcher
Stephanie Fryberg
Patricia Marroquin Norby
Murray Sinclair
Wes Studi

Class of 2022 (3)
Oren Lyons
Jeani O’Brien
Buffy Sainte-Marie

Class of 2021 (5)
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Jeraldine Redcorn
Robbie Robertson
Linda Tuhiwai Te Rina Smith
Haunani-Kay Trask

Class of 2020 (8)
Kevin Gover
Joy Harjo
Suzan Shown Harjo
Edgar Heap of Birds
Aileen Moreton-Robinson
Charles Roessel
Greg Sarris
Kay WalkingStick

Class of 2019 (2)
Candis Callison
Patty Loew

Class of 2018 (5)
Tim Giago
K. Tsianina Lomawaima
Henrietta Mann
Robert Warrior
Rosita Worl

Class of 2017 (1)
Mark Trahant

Class of 2015 (1)
Phil Deloria

Historical members (3)
Leslie Marmon Silko, elected in 2001
Louise Erdrich, elected in 1999
Navarre Scott Momaday, elected in 1992

Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute $5 or $10 today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT’s free newsletter.