This is a list of notable Native American women of the United States. Please note that it should contain only Native women of the United States and its territories, not First Nations women or Native women of Central and South America. Native American identity is a complex and contested issue. The Bureau of Indian Affairs defines Native American as having American Indian or Alaska Native ancestry.
Legally, being Native American is defined as being enrolled in a federally recognized tribe or Alaskan village. These entities establish their own membership rules, and they vary. Each must be understood independently.
Ethnologically, factors such as culture, history, language, religion, and familial kinships can influence Native American identity.
All individuals on this list should have Native American ancestry. Historical figures might predate tribal enrollment practices and may be included based on reliable sources that document ethnological tribal membership.
Any contemporary individuals should either be enrolled members of federally recognized tribes, or have cited Native American ancestry and be recognized as Native American by their respective tribes. Contemporary individuals who are not enrolled in a tribe but are documented as having tribal descent are listed as being "of descent" from a tribe.
Louise Abeita (E-Yeh-Shure', Blue Corn) (b. 1926), Isleta Pueblo author
Alberta Schenck Adams (1928–2009), Inupiat civil rights activist
Rebecca Adamson (born 1950), Cherokee businessperson and advocate
Aguilar sisters, Santo Domingo Pueblo potters
Ai (born 1947), Choctaw, Chickasaw, Southern Cheyenne, and Comanche-descent poet
Elsie Allen, Cloverdale Pomo basket weaver
Paula Gunn Allen (1939–2008), Laguna Pueblo-Sioux-Lebanese poet, activist, literary critic, and novelist
Tammie Allen (Walking Spirit), Jicarilla Apache, potter
Queen Alliquippa (died 1754), Seneca Nation leader
Princess Angeline (Suquamish-Duwamish, ca. 1820–1896), daughter of Chief Seattle
Queen Ann (ca. 1650–ca. 1725), chief of the Pamunkey tribe
Annie Antone, Tohono O'odham basketweaver
Annette Arkeketa, Otoe-Missouria poet, playwright
Anna Mae Pictou Aquash (1945–1976), Mi'qmaq Indians rights activist
Awashonks, chief of the Sakonett tribe
Annette Arkeketa, Otoe-Missouria-Muscogee Creek writer
Marilou Awiakta (born 1936), Eastern Band Cherokee author
Margarete Bagshaw (Santa Clara Pueblo-descent, born 1964), painter and gallerist
Betty Louise Bell (born 1949), Cherokee-descent author
Diane E. Benson (b. 1954), Tlingit author
Martha Berry, Cherokee Nation bead artist and educator
Carrie Bethel, Mono Lake Paiute basketweaver, 1898–1974
Black Buffalo Woman, first wife of Crazy Horse
Black Shawl (Lakota, died 1920), second wife of Crazy Horse
Kimberley M. Blaeser (b. 1955), White Earth Ojibwe writer
Blue Corn (ca. 1920–1999), San Ildefonso Pueblo potter
Rita Pitka Blumenstein (born 1936), Yup'ik traditional healer, founding member of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers
Gloria Bird, Spokane Tribe of the Spokane Reservation poet and critic
Bowdash, Kootenai two-spirit warrior
Beth Brant (b. 1941), Bay of Quinte Mohawk
Mary Brant, Mohawk leader
Mary Brave Bird (1953–2013), Brulé Lakota writer and activist
Bras Piqué, Natchez woman who tried to warn the French of her tribe's plans to attack them
Ignatia Broker (1919–1987), Ojibwa writer
Vee F. Browne, Navajo author
Buffalo Bird Woman, Hidatsa author
Buffalo Calf Road Woman, Cheyenne cultural hero
Caroline Cannon, Inupiat environmental activist, 2012 Goldman Environmental Prize winner, mayor of Point Hope, Alaska 1998–2001
Gladys Cardiff (born 1942), poet and academic of Eastern Band Cherokee descent
Poldine Carlo (born 1920), Koyukon activist and writer
Kathleen Carlo-Kendall, Koyukon artist, daughter of Poldine Carlo
Tonantzin Carmelo, Tongva-Kumeyaay-descent actress
Lorna Dee Cervantes (b. 1954), Chicana-Chumash-descent
Nellie Charlie, Mono Lake Paiute basketweaver, 1867–1965
Marie Z. Chino, Acoma Pueblo potter
Vera Chino, Acoma Pueblo potter
Chipeta, Kiowa Apache, 1843/4-1924, beadworker and wife of Chief Ouray
Yvonne Chouteau (1929–2016), Shawnee ballerina
Kelly Church, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians basketweaver, birch bark biter, painter, and environmental activist
Chrystos (born 1946), Menominee-descent two-spirit poet
Mildred Cleghorn (1910–1997), Chairwoman of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma
Elouise Cobell (Blackfeet), Executive Director of the Native American Community Development Corporation
Radmilla Cody (Navajo), Navajo language singer, 46th Miss Navajo Nation
Colestah, Yakama wife of Chief Kamiakin
Lyda Conley (Wyandot, born 1874-1946), first Native American female attorney, and first Native American woman admitted to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Wyandot Nation activist and attorney
Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, Crow Creek Sioux poet and novelist
Hilda Coriz, Kewa Pueblo potter
Cuhtahlatah, Cherokee heroine
Dahteste, Apache fighter and compatriot to Geronimo
Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone activist
Mary Dann (died 2005), Western Shoshone activist
Nora Marks Dauenhauer (born 1927), Tlingit poet and ethnolinguist
Alice Brown Davis (1852–1935), Principal Chief of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma
Angel De Cora, Ho-Chunk artist and lecturer
Ada Deer, Menominee author, activist, and the first Native American woman to head the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Susan Deer Cloud, Mohawk-Seneca-Blackfeet author
Ella Cara Deloria (1888–1971), Yankton Sioux educator, anthropologist, ethnographer, linguist, and novelist
Mavis Doering, Cherokee Nation (1929–2007) basket weaver
Do-Hum-Me, Sac entertainer
Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, Brulé Lakota writer and educator
Juanita Suazo Dubray, Taos Pueblo potter
Joyce Dugan, first female elected chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Eagle of Delight (died 1822), Otoe tribe emissary
Chief Earth Woman, Ojibwa warrior
Ehyophsta, Cheyenne warrior
Louise Erdrich (born 1954), Turtle Mountain Ojibwe writer
Corine Fairbanks, Oglala Lakota author and activist
Fidelia Fielding (1827–1908), last native speaker of the Mohegan Pequot language
Cecilia Fire Thunder (born 1946), former president of the Oglala Sioux in South Dakota
Te Ata Fisher (1895–1995), Chickasaw Nation storyteller and actress
Elaine Fleming, Ojibwa mayor of Cass Lake, Minnesota
L. Frank, Tongva-Ajachmen Indian artist, tribal scholar, and activist
Kalyn Free, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma lawyer and activist
Martha George, Suquamish tribal chairman
Diane Glancy, author, poet, and playwright of Cherokee descent
Glory of the Morning (born 1709), Ho-Chunk chief
Rose Gonzales (ca. 1900–1989), Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo potter
Katherine Gottlieb (born ca. 1952), Alutiiq health care executive and 2004 MacArthur Fellow
Janice Gould, Koyangk'auwi Maidu writer
Gouyen, Apache warrior
Dorothy Grant, Alaska-born Haida fashion designer active in Canada
Teri Greeves, Kiowa-Comanche bead worker
Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty, Assiniboine-Sioux bead worker and quill worker
Margaret Gutierrez, Santa Clara Pueblo potter
Janet Campbell Hale, Coeur d'Alene-Kootenay-Cree-Irish writer
Hanging Cloud, Ojibwa warrior
Charlotte Hallmark, chief of the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama
Helen Hardin, Tsa-Sah-Wee-Eh (1934–1984), Santa Clara Pueblo painter
Joy Harjo, Muscogee Creek-Cherokee poet, lecturer, and musician
Suzan Shown Harjo, Muscogee Creek-Southern Cheyenne activist
LaDonna Harris, Comanche president of Americans for Indian Opportunity
Ernestine Hayes (born 1945), Tlingit memoirist
Allison Hedge Coke, Huron-Cherokee poet, writer, educator, activist
Robbie Hedges, first elected woman chief of the Peoria tribe
Rosella Hightower, Choctaw-Shawnee Tribe, born 1920, ballerina
Joan Hill (Chea-Se-Quah), Muscogee (Creek) Nation-Cherokee painter
Linda Hogan (born 1947), Chickasaw poet, storyteller, academic, playwright, novelist, environmentalist and writer of short stories.
Minnie Hollow Wood, Lakota woman who fought at the Battle of Little Big Horn
Hononegah (ca. 1814–1847), Ho-Chunk pioneer
LeAnne Howe, Choctaw writer
Diane Humetewa, Hopi federal judge
Pamela Rae Huteson (born 1957), Haida / Tlingit artist, disc jockey and writer
Debora Iyall (born 1954), Cowlitz-descent singer and printmaker
Sarah James (born 1946), Gwich'in environmental activist, 2002 Goldman Environmental Prize winner
Jana (born 1980), Lumbee-Tuscarora-descent singer
Viola Jimulla (1878–1966), Yavapai, chief of the Prescott Yavapai tribe
Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, also known as Potackee (1923-2011), Chairwoman, Florida Seminole Tribe (1967-1971), last matriarch of Snake Clan.
Marie Smith Jones (1918–2008), Eyak activist and honorary chief, last known living speaker of the Eyak language
Juana Maria (died 1853), last member of the Nicoleño tribe
Yvonne Kauger (born 1937), Cheyenne-Arapaho Oklahoma Supreme Court justice
Geraldine Keams (born 1951), Navajo Nation actress
Maude Kegg (1906–1996), Ojibwa bead worker and traditionalist
Louisa Keyser Dat So La Lee (ca. 1829–1925), Washoe basket weaver
Loretta Kelsey, last living speaker of Elem Pomo
Edith Kilbuck, Lenape missionary
Mary Killman, Citizen Potawatomi Nation Olympic synchronized swimmer, b. 1991
Kuiliy, Pend d'Oreille warrior
Madeline La Framboise (1740–1846), Odawa fur trader
Winona LaDuke (born 1959), White Earth Ojibwe activist, environmentalist, economist, and writer
Carole LaFavor, two-spirit Ojibwa novelist and activist
Naomi Lang (born 1978), Karuk figure skater and ice dancer
Moscelyne Larkin (born 1925), Peoria-Shawnee ballerina
Sally Larsen (born 1954), Apache-Aleut photographer
Sharmagne Leland-St. John, Nespelem poet
Kelsey Leonard, (Shinnecock Indian Nation) first Native American woman to earn a degree from the University of Oxford
Edmonia Lewis (ca. 1845–ca. 1911), African-Mississauga Ojibwe sculptor
Lucy M. Lewis (1898–1992), Acoma Pueblo potter
HollyAnna DeCoteau (Pinkham) Littlebull (1968) Yakama Artist, Musician, Speaker, Spiritual Leader
Sacheen Littlefeather (born 1947), White Mountain Apache-Yaqui-Pueblo actress and activist
Linda Lomahaftewa, Hopi-Choctaw painter, printmaker, and educator
Lozen, Apache warrior, spiritual leader, and compatriot to Geronimo
Merina Lujan (Pop Chalee), Taos Pueblo painter
Wilma Mankiller (1945–2010), first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
Maria Martinez (1887–1980), San Ildefonso Pueblo potter
Barbara McAlister, Cherokee Nation opera singer and artist
Mabel McKay, Pomo-Patwin (1907–1993) basketweaver and medicine woman
Doris McLemore (Wichita tribe, 1927–2016), last fluent speaker of the Wichita language
Isabel Meadows (1846–1939), Rumsen Ohlone language consultant and last speaker of the Rumsen language
Methoataske, mother of Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa (Shawnee)
Elaine Miles (born 1960), Cayuse-Nez Perce actress
Devon A. Mihesuah, Choctaw writer
Deborah A. Miranda, Esselen-Chumash-French poet
Catherine Montour (1710–1804), Seneca leader
Mountain Wolf Woman (1884–1960), Ho-Chunk Native American Church member
Moving Robe Woman, a Hunkpapa Lakota fighter in the Battle of Little Bighorn
Mary Musgrove, Muscogee Creek interpreter, trader, and political leader
Helen Naha, Hopi aka "Feather Woman" potter
Nampeyo, "Hano Nampeyo", (ca. 1859–1942) Tewa, Hopi potter
Elva Nampeyo, Hopi potter
Fannie Nampeyo, Hopi potter
Iris Nampeyo, Hopi potter
Dextra Nampeyo Quotskuyva, Tewa/Hopi (daughter of Rachel) potter
Nora Naranjo-Morse, Santa Clara Pueblo potter
Sally Noble (Chimariko), last speaker of the Chimariko language
Roscinda Nolasquez (Cupeño, 1892–1987), last known speaker of the Cupeño language
Hannah Ocuish (died 1786), executed Pequot
Old-Lady-Grieves-The-Enemy, Pawnee warrior
One Who Walks With the Stars, Oglala Lakota warrior in the Battle of Little Bighorn
LaRue Parker (1935–2011), chairperson of the Caddo Nation
Essie Parrish, Kashaya Pomo basketweaver, 1902–1979
Elise Paschen, Osage Nation poet
Lotsee Patterson, Comanche librarian and professor
Tillie Paul (1863–1952), Tlingit educator and Presbyterian Church activist
Elizabeth Peratrovich (1911–1958), Tlingit civil rights activist
Susan La Flesche Picotte (1865–1915), first female Native American physician, Omaha tribe
Lori Piestewa (1979–2003), Hopi soldier killed in Iraq
Pine Leaf, Crow warrior
Pocahontas (1595–1617), Powhatan diplomat, wife of John Rolfe, rescued Captain John Smith from his execution
Pretty-Shield, Crow Nation medicine woman and autobiographer
Jaune Quick-To-See Smith (born 1940), Flathead nation artist
Rattling Blanket Woman (Miniconjou), mother of Crazy Horse
Delphine Red Shirt, Oglala writer and chair of Nongovernmental Organization Committee on the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations
Martha Redbone, Choctaw-Shawnee-descent musician
Jeri Redcorn, Caddo-Potawatomi potter, b. ca. 1940
Red Wing (1884–1974), Winnebago silent film actress
Luana Reyes, Confederated Colville Tribes (Sinixt) health activist and educator, 1933–2001
G. Anne Richardson, chief of the Rappahannock tribe
Toby Riddle (1848–1920), Modoc interpreter and diplomat
Joanelle Romero (born 1957) Cheyenne-Apache, actress, filmmaker
Luana Ross, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes sociologist and author
Wendy Rose (born 1948), Hopi-Miwok anthropologist and writer
Running Eagle, Blackfoot war chief
Sacagawea (ca. 1787–1812), Shoshone guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition, wife of Toussaint Charbonneau
Brenda Schad (born 1968), Cherokee-Choctaw-descent model
Shoni Schimmel (born 1992), Umatilla basketball player
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (1800–1842), Sault Ste. Marie Ojibwe writer
Anfesia Shapsnikoff (1901–1973), Aleut artist and educator
Joanne Shenandoah, Oneida singer and guitarist
Clara Sherman (born ca. 1915), Navajo weaver
Leslie Marmon Silko (born 1948), Laguna Pueblo-Keres writer
Pauline Small (1924–2005), first female leader of the Crow Nation
Cynthia Leitich Smith, Muscogee Creek Nation children's author
Lois Bougetah Smoky (1907–1981), Kiowa painter and bead artist
Molly Spotted Elk (1903–1977), Penobscot actress and dancer
Minnie Spotted-Wolf (Blackfeet), first female Native American Marine
Boeda Strand (born 1834), head basket weaver of the Snohomish tribe
Virginia Stroud (born 1951) United Keetoowah Band Cherokee-Muscogee Creek painter, author, and former Miss Indian America.
Anita Louise Suazo, Santa Clara Pueblo potter
Madonna Swan, Lakota, 1928–1993
Roxanne Swentzell, Santa Clara Pueblo ceramicist and sculptor
Tacumwah (ca. 1720–ca. 1790), chief of the Miami tribe and businesswoman
Margaret Tafoya, (1904–2001) Santa Clara Pueblo potter
Maria Tallchief (1925–2013), Osage ballerina
Marjorie Tallchief, Osage ballerina
Margo Tamez (born 1962), Jumano Apache, Lipan Apache activist, poet, community historian, educator
Gladys Tantaquidgeon (1899–2005), Mohegan elder, anthropologist, historian, and medicine woman
Luci Tapahonso (born 1953), Navajo poet and lecturer
Leonidas Tapia (died 1977), Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo potter
Kimberly Teehee (b. 1969/70), Cherokee Nation senior policy advisor for Native American Affairs in the White House Domestic Policy Council
Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680), Mohawk-Algonquian woman beatified by the Catholic church
Lucy Telles, Mono Lake Paiute-Yosemite Miwok basketweaver, ca. 1885-1955
Charlene Teters, Spokane tribe artist, writer, activist, educator, and lecturer
The Other Magpie, Crow fighter at the Battle of the Rosebud
Jennie Thlunaut (1892–1986), Tlingit artist
Florence Owens Thompson (1901–1983), Cherokee-descent subject of the famous photograph "Migrant Mother"
Lucy Thompson (1856–1932), Yurok writer
Jennie Thlunaut, Tlingit (1982–1986) Chilkat weaver
Susette LaFlesche Tibbles (1854–1903), Omaha-Iowa-Ponca lecturer, writer, and artist
Sheila Tousey (born 1960), Menominee-Stockbridge-Munsee actress
Toypurina (born 1761), Tongva medicine woman and rebel
Gail Tremblay, Onondaga-Mi'kmaq artist and poet
Catherine Troeh (1911–2007), Chinook activist, artist, elder, historian
Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, Muscogee Creek-Seminole-Navajo photographer
Minnie Two Shoes, Assiniboine journalist
Tyonajanegen, Oneida woman who fought in the 1777 Battle of Oriskany during the American Revolutionary War
Ulali, all female, musical group of Native American descent
Paula Underwood, Oneida historian
Carrie Underwood, Muscogee Creek Nation enrolled tribal member, singer
Misty Upham (1982–2014), Blackfeet Nation actress
Pablita Velarde, Tse Tsan (1918–2006), Santa Clara Pueblo painter
Velma Wallis, Athabascan writer
Kay WalkingStick, Cherokee Nation-Ho-Chunk painter and educator
Wanagapeth (Miami tribe, died 1908), daughter of Chief Michikinikwa
Yvonne Wanrow (born 1943), of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
Nancy Ward (ca. 1738–1822 or 1824), Cherokee leader
Ingrid Washinawatok (1957–1999), assassinated Menominee activist
Watseka (born 1810), Potawatomi woman for whom Watseka, Illinois is named
Marie Watt (born 1967), Seneca artist
Annie Dodge Wauneka (1910–1997), Navajo activist and author
Weetamoo (ca. 1635–1676), Wampanoag chief
Charmaine White Face, Oglala Lakota activist and writer
Emmi Whitehorse (born 1958), Navajo painter
Lorraine Williams, Navajo potter
Sarah Winnemucca (ca. 1841–1891), Northern Paiute activist and writer
Kim Winona (1930–1978), Sioux actress
Woman Chief (c. 1806–1858), Crow chief and warrior
Elizabeth Woody, Navajo-Wasco writer
Melanie Yazzie, Navajo printmaker and educator
Mary Youngblood, Aleut-Seminole flutist
Ofelia Zepeda, Tohono O'odham linguist and writer
Zitkala-Sa (1876–1938), Yankton Nakota writer, editor, musician, teacher and activist
List of Native American women of the United States Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA