Navajo Native History

11/10/2025

07/10/2025

A Hidatsa woman named Waheenee, born around 1839, made it her mission to ensure her tribe's ancient gardening techniques were never forgotten. 🌱
Between 1907 and 1918, she shared her people's deep knowledge of agriculture, cooking, and daily life with an ethnographer.
Her incredible wisdom was published in 1917 in a book called "Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden," creating a permanent record of a fading way of life.
She wasn't alone in this vital work of preservation.
Around the same time, an ethnologist named Frances Densmore traveled the United States with a wax cylinder phonograph.
Over several decades, she recorded over 2,000 songs from various tribes, preserving their musical heritage for all time. 📖
Meanwhile, in Connecticut, a Mohegan woman named Gladys Tantaquidgeon dedicated her life to documenting traditional medicine and ancient healing practices.
Her detailed work not only preserved Mohegan culture but was instrumental in helping her tribe achieve federal recognition in 1994.
These women understood the importance of their heritage and worked tirelessly to create a bridge for future generations to connect with their past.

06/10/2025

Time to go German immigrant!

05/10/2025

This shirt carries spirit and story — ready to make it yours anytime. 🧡 https://789store.com/native-american-no-68
“This Land Remembers”
They came with maps,
but the rivers had their own names.
They came with laws,
but the trees had older ones.
We did not sign away the wind.
We did not give permission
for the silence between drumbeats
to be broken by greed.
The land we walk on
does not belong to us—
we belong to it.
Every step we take is a prayer,
every footprint a promise.
The buffalo still watches,
not just with eyes,
but with memory.
You can fence the earth,
but you cannot chain the spirit.
This land remembers.
So do we.

02/10/2025

She sang at Carnegie Hall, but the critics often just called her ‘the Indian Princess.’ 🏛️

This was the reality for Tsianina Redfeather Blackstone, a Muscogee singer born in 1882 in what was then Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.

Her journey started at a federally funded boarding school in Eufaula. Later, with the help of Oklahoma’s first congresswoman, Alice Robertson, she went to Denver to study voice professionally.

Tsianina rose to become a celebrated mezzo-soprano, performing in famous venues across the country, including for U.S. presidents.

She worked closely with a composer named Charles Cadman. Together, they created songs and operas that blended Native American themes with classical music, like the well-known piece, “From the Land of the Sky-Blue Water.”

But her success came with challenges. In the 1920s, many reviews focused more on her heritage than her incredible talent, a subtle prejudice she had to face throughout her career.

Despite this, she used her platform to be an advocate for Native representation in the arts. She wasn't just a performer; she was a trailblazer who worked to carve out a space for her people. 🎤

Tsianina lived a long life, passing away in 1985 at the age of 102, leaving behind a legacy of resilience and groundbreaking artistry.

Sources: Smithsonian archives, PBS, The New York Times reviews