Ask someone to name famous Native Americans, and they tick off names like Geronimo and Sacagawea. They are unfamiliar with the impressive achievements of people like Mary Golda Ross and Ben Nighthorse Campbell. - BY DONNA BENJAMIN

The heroic, larger-than-life stories of Native Americans such as Sitting Bull, Geronimo, and Chief Joseph are fascinating and important historical tales. They are not the only stories though, and too many names of Native Americans are not recognized by the general public despite their outstanding accomplishments in science, the arts, and business. During Indigenous Heritage Month, it is an honor to name some Native American women and men who have cleared the path for inclusion in many industries. These have achieved remarkable success by relying on their sheer determination to overcome difficult circumstances and biases and apply their innovative and creative abilities in different ways.

ROCKETS AND ROBOTS

Mary Gold Ross, a member of the Cherokee Nation (1908-2008), was the first Native American aerospace engineer. Anyone who saw the movie Hidden Figures knows that minority women have contributed to NASA’s space program for decades, but never received recognition. So many worked in the background achieving remarkable results, and Mary Gold Ross was one of those women. Ross, also a mathematician, began working for Lockheed in 1942, as a mathematician who helped troubleshoot the P-38 Lightning fighter plane. She became the first female engineer in the Lockheed Skunk Works Program in 1952, a top-secret think tank to develop innovative aircraft systems. Her contributions were critical to the Agena rocket project and eventually contributed to the Apollo program. Ross earned the respect of coworkers in a primarily male workplace as a mathematician and engineer. She helped write NASA’s Planetary Flight Handbook. Much of Ross’s work remains classified to this day.

Aaron Yazzie is Diné (Navajo) and was born on the Navajo Reservation in Tuba City, Arizona, in 1986. Aaron is a Mechanical Engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. He designs mechanical systems for NASA’s robotic space research missions, focusing on Planetary Sample Acquisition and Handling. Yazzie has worked on projects studying Jupiter, Earth, and Mars, participating in projects developing flight hardware for missions to Mars. He has contributed to the Mars2020Rover Mission, the Mars Science Laboratory Rover Mission, and the Mars Insight Lander Mission. Yazzie is active in programs helping to increase the representation of Indigenous people in STEM.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND GIVING BACK

Native American entrepreneurs also give back to the community in significant ways. Stephen Mills is the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of AQIWO, an information services firm delivering professional and technical services. His heritage is the Native American Chumash of North Central California. AQIWO means “shooting star.” Mills and AQIWO partner with Native American tribes to develop economic self-sustainment by securing government contracts. This enables his company to provide mentorship and internship programs to future Native American entrepreneurs and Indian youths.

BARBECUES AND BALLET

Native Americans contribute more than $33 billion to the U.S. economy as business owners, employing over 200,000 employees. Famous Dave’s BBQ franchise was started by Dave W. Anderson, who belongs to the Chippewa and Choctaw tribes. Today, it is one of the fastest-growing BBQ franchise companies in the country. There are also company-owned restaurants and “ghost kitchens” operating out of shared kitchen space with another restaurant. It is growing so fast that the number of restaurants is constantly changing, but counting all locations, it is around 180, plus there are locations in Winnipeg, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. As a young Native American child without many opportunities, Anderson knew that he would one day open a BBQ restaurant. After years of learning everything he could about BBQ, his childhood ambition came true.

BALLET

Maria Tallchief passed away in 2013 but left an incredible legacy as a ballerina. She was a member of the Osage Nation. When she was selected as an apprentice with Ballet Russe, the Russian ballet company in the U.S., Tallchief was encouraged to change her last name to avoid discrimination. She refused. Tallchief became the first American to dance with the Paris Operate Ballet in 1942, and the first to perform at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. Tallchief opened the Chicago City Ballet upon retirement and was never hesitant about speaking out against discrimination and injustices. When she died, the New York Times wrote, “Ms. Tallchief remained closely identified with her Osage lineage long after she found fame and glamour in Paris and New York, and she bridled at the enduring stereotypes and misconceptions many held about American Indians,” and called her “one of the most brilliant American ballerinas of the 20th century.”

LIFE IN POLITICS TO BRING CHANGE

Ben Nighthorse Campbell is an American Cheyenne who was the first Native American elected to the Senate since Charles Curtis (Kaw Nation) in the 1920s. He joined the Air Force in 1951 and served in the Korean War. Campbell was the first Native American on the U.S. Olympic judo team and competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He is also a recognized jewelry artist. Campbell retired from the Senate in 2005, leaving behind impressive achievements that benefitted the Native American communities and the country as a whole. He was the first Native American to chair the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and passed legislation settling Native American water rights and protecting Colorado’s wilderness areas. He sponsored the legislation creating the Sand Creek Massacre Historic Site and the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. Campbell also worked to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome, a severe issue on tribal reservations. He also co-sponsored legislation that established the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian Institution.

TOUCHING EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE

During Indigenous Heritage Month, Native American men and women are honored for their resilience, achievements, and contributions to the historical and present United States. Name an industry to discuss, and a Native American success story is part of the narrative. It is time to break the stereotypes and recognize their innovative spirits, creativity, and persistence even when the odds seemed stacked against them.

When asked to name the names of Native Americans, continue to say names like Geronimo, but add names like Mary Gold Ross and Dave Anderson, people who are integral to America’s past or contributing to America’s future.