commitment to excellence and have shown us all that it is possible to succeed despite seemingly insurmountable odds.

Today, we would like to recognize our honorees one more time. Thank you to: the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Billy Frank, Jr., Charlie Hill, Kateri Tekakwitha, Edward K. Thomas, Duke Kahanamoku, Richard Milanovich, Suzan Shown Harjo, Hattie Kauffman, the Black Lodge Singers, Sam Bradford, Lori Ann Piestewa, Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozsum, Shoni and Jude Schimmel, Mary Golda Ross, Russell Means, Jana Mashonee, Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole, Mary Kim Titla, Sherman Joseph Alexie, Jr., Earl Barbry, Irene Bedard, Oren R. Lyons, Kyle Lohse, Chris Eyre, Maria Martinez, N. Scott Momaday, the Iroquois Nationals, the Native American Ballerinas, and Floyd Red Crow Westerman. You have inspired all of us.

sterman began his career as a successful country music artist. He has collaborated with artists including: Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. In 1989 Mr. Westerman decided to pursue acting. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the Sioux leader Ten Bears in Dances with Wolves. Throughout his acting career, Mr. Westerman appeared in over 50 movies and television shows, including Hidalgo, Swing Vote, and Walker Texas Ranger. He dedicated much of his life to advocate for American Indian rights and environmental causes. His advocacy work includes the American Indian Movement (AIM), touring with Sting to publicize the decimation of rain forests and their residents, and serving as founder and executive director of the Eyapaha Institute, a non-profit corporation devoted to address racism, discrimination, depredation and genocide of indigenous peoples throughout the world. His many accolades include a Congressional Certificate of Special Recognition, Award for Generosity by the Americans for Indian Opportunity and Celebrity of the Year by the American Indian Exposition in 2000. He passed away on December 13, 2007.

de Monte Carlo and Grand Ballet de Marquis de Cuevas stages in the 1940s.

Maria Tallchief, Osage, was the first Native American to become a prima ballerina and danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo from 1942 to 1947. She helped create the New York City Ballet and helped found the Chicago Ballet in 1981.

Marjorie Tallchief, Osage, was the first American Indian to be "première danseuse étoile" of the Paris Opera Ballet and performed with the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas. She has performed for many notable public figures including President Kennedy, Charles de Gaulle, and President Lyndon B. Johnson. Ms. Tallchief became the Artistic Director of the Dallas Ballet.

Moscelyne Larkin, Shawnee-Peoria, joined the Wassily de Basil’s Original Ballet Russe at the age of fifteen before joining the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. In the 1950s she founded the Tulsa Civic Ballet and School. In 1978 she was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

Yvonne Chouteau, Shawnee-Cherokee, joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo at the age of fourteen and was the youngest dancer ever accepted. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1947 at the age of eighteen, the youngest member ever inducted. In 1960 she helped develop the University of Oklahoma’s dance program, which was the first fully accredited dance program in the United States.

Rosella Hightower, Choctaw, danced for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, before joining the American Ballet Theatre in New York City. Ms. Hightower opened the Centre de Danse Classique in 1962 in Cannes, which became one of Europe’s most prestigious ballet schools.

To learn more about the ballerinas:
http://bcove.me/s0vu3vvs

Seneca, Tuscarora and Cayuga). The Iroquois people are known for creating the sport of lacrosse itself and it is central to their social, spiritual and cultural heritage. In 1990 the Iroquois Nationals were admitted to the International Lacrosse Federation and have been competing in the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship since it first began in 2003. The games, held every four years, have given the team the opportunity to travel around the world to compete against nations including Australia and Canada. They have competed in all three of the games medaling in each. Most recently they took silver in the 2011 Prague games. They have also qualified to play in the World Lacrosse Championship since 1998, taking fourth each time. In 2012 they traveled to Finland for the World Championship and came in third, despite beating England and the USA. In 2006 the Iroquois Nationals partnered with Nike who is sponsoring programs to promote wellness-and-fitness activities in Native American communities throughout the region, as well as provide lacrosse equipment and sportswear for the team. The Iroquois Nationals program has had a significant impact on Native youth throughout the country as their triumphs have provided an international showcase of indigenous talent and culture.

To view the Iroquois Nationals defeat team USA in the 2012 World Lacrosse Championship:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWBBJqZUyy8

father and Cherokee mother in Lawton, Oklahoma. Mr. Momaday’s first novel House Made of Dawn was published in 1969 and earned the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The book is based on his experiences while living at the Jemez Pueblo and is considered a classic in Native American literature. He has written more than fifteen books and his recent titles include The Ancient Child, In the Presence of the Sun, and The Native Americans: Indian Country. He is featured as a commentator on a documentary about the American old west tilted “The West,” which was produced by Ken Burns, and is featured on the PBS documentary The American Experience: Last Stand at Little Bighorn discussing boarding schools and the Battle of Little Bighorn. He is the founder of Rainy Mountain Foundation and Buffalo Trust, a non-profit organization that works to preserve Native cultures. In 1992 he became the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers’ Circle of America and he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President George W. Bush in 2007. He is currently a professor of English at the University of Arizona.

To listen to Mr. Momaday give a reading at the National Museum of the American Indian’s 2008 Native Writers Series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypr3x8uBFgA

nd was from the San Ildefonso Pueblo, a community just outside of Santa Fe. At an early age, she learned pottery skills from her aunt. Traditional pottery making techniques were being lost, but Martinez and her family experimented with different techniques and helped preserve the cultural art. In 1908 an excavation in New Mexico led to the discovery of Pueblo pottery from the 1600s. Ms. Martinez was hired to re-create the once-lost style and she did so with great success. For years she perfected her craft and she created a style that would become world famous - pottery with a combination of a matte finish and a glossy jet-black surface. Ms. Martinez won many awards for her work and received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to fund a Martinez pottery workshop in 1973. She passed on her knowledge and skill to many others in her community providing them with a means of artistic expression and the ability to carry on a traditional part of the pueblo way of life. Ms. Martinez’s artwork and lessons helped revitalize her pueblo’s economy and today her pottery sells for as much as $20,000.

To learn more about Ms. Martinez:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AhX1MhvAG8

ahoma. He received his big break in 1998 with his directorial debut of Smoke Signals, the first feature-length film directed by a Native American to receive national theatrical release by a major distributor - Miramax Films. Smoke Signals became one the highest-grossing independent films of the year and it won the Audience award at the Sundance Film Festival. Mr. Eyre has continued to captivate audiences with his depictions of life for Native Americans. Mr. Eyre’s won a Directors Guild of American Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for his 2004 film Edge of America and in 2007 he was selected for two prestigious artist awards – the United States Artists Fellowship and the Bush Foundation Artists Fellowship in Film/Media for his work. Recently, he has directed A Thousand Roads for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, three episodes for the PBS miniseries We Shall Remain and select episodes of Friday Night Lights and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In February of 2012, Mr. Eyre was appointed chair of the Santa Fe University of Art and Design’s Moving Image Arts Department.

To view the Smoke Signals preview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4GthKmraXQ

ibe. He was drafted into the Major Leagues in 1997 by the Chicago Cubs and was later traded to the Minnesota Twins. On June 22, 2001, at the age of 22, Mr. Lohse made his Major League debut pitching for the Twins. Mr. Lohse became a full time starting pitcher in 2002 and helped the Twins reach the American League Championship Series. In 2008 Mr. Lohse signed on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals and has been in the starting rotation ever since. On August 28, 2011, Lohse won his 100th game as a pitcher when the Cardinals defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 7–4. He also led the team that year with 14 wins and a 3.39 earned running average (ERA). The St. Louis Cardinals then went on win the 2011 World Series. Mr. Lohse had the best winning percentage of any pitcher in the National League in 2012, with 143 strike outs and only 38 walks in 211 innings. Mr. Lohse’s contract expired with the Cardinals after his 2012 season and ESPN has listed Mr. Lohse as one of the top ten free agents in Major League Baseball. In 2008 Lohse was featured in an exhibit called “Baseball's League of Nations: A Tribute to Native Americans in Baseball,” at the Iroquois Indian Museum in New York.

To learn more about Mr. Lohse’s career highlights and statistics:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/4789/kyle-lohse

rked to foster the preservation of tribal values, to convince the Bureau of Indian Affairs to honor its treaties with Native American tribes, and to eradicate international racism toward indigenous peoples. In 1982, Mr. Lyons helped establish the Working Group on Indigenous Populations at the United Nations and in 1992, addressed the General Assembly at the opening of the International Year of the World’s Indigenous People conference. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival. Mr. Lyons is a Faithkeeper for his tribe and his ability to keep the peace has made him a successful moderator and negotiator. In 1990 he was a negotiator between the governments of Canada, Quebec, New York State and the Mohawk Indians in the Oka crisis, and met the conflict with honor and success. Mr. Lyons serves on the board of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development and is board Chairman of Honoring Contributions in the Governance of American Indian Nations. His many accolades include the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, the Earth Day International Award for the United Nations, and the Elder and Wiser Award from the Rosa Parks Institute for Human Rights.

To hear Mr. Lyons discuss the UN's Declaration of Rights for Indigenous Peoples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOw6S_immM4

dropped.” Ms. Bedard got her big break in 1994 when she stared in “Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee,” a film about the 1970s standoff at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Ms. Bedard has had an active career in Hollywood and she has starred in “Smoke Signals,” Disney’s “Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale,” “Tortilla Heaven,” “Wildflowers,” “Miracle at Sage Creek,” and “The New World.” In 2005, she was cast in Steven Spielberg’s television mini-series “Into the West,” portraying the half-Lakota, half-white adult Margaret “Light Shines” Wheeler. Currently, she has filmed three additional films that will be released next year. Irene Bedard is known for bringing a powerful emotional presence to her characters and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work in “Lakota Woman.” She was chosen as one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1995 and the Disney Pocahontas character was actually modeled after her likeness. Ms. Bedard’s culture remains very important to her and she helped found Guardians of Sacred Lands, a group which educates the public about sacred sites and helps protect religious grounds.

To learn more about Ms. Bedard’s acting career:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0065942/

airman Barbry, who was born in 1950, was elected Chairman in 1978 and for the last 34 years he has guided the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe’s self-determination efforts to grow from a Tribe with little infrastructure and resources to one of the largest labor forces in central Louisiana. Chairman Barbry also works to promote national American Indian issues, and currently serves on the board of the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET). In this capacity, he testified in March before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on the President’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget for Tribal Programs. Chairman Barbry also has a leadership role in the Louisiana Inter-Tribal Council, an organization that serves federal and state-recognized Indian communities. He has received numerous awards on the local and national levels, which are a testament to his work on behalf of his people as well as all Native Americans and the surrounding communities. In 1993, Barbry was named the recipient of the Avoyellean of the Year Award by the Avoyelles Journal, the highest award given in the parish. In 1996, the Marksville Chamber of Commerce named him Minority Businessman of the Year. He received the 2005 Leadership Award of the National Indian Gaming Association and in 2006 he was named a Louisiana Legend by Louisiana Public Broadcasting in recognition of his cultural, educational and economic contributions to the region and the state, becoming the first American Indian to receive this honor. He encourages all tribal members to remember their ancestors and heritage while they move forward in today’s world and his motto is“Cherishing our past, building for our future.”

To view Mr. Barbry’s testimony:
http://www.indian.senate.gov/hearings/loader.cfm?csModule=security%2Fgetfile&pageid=8316

y, books and short stories revolve around the theme of what it means to live as a Native American in modern day America. Mr. Alexie achieved mainstream popularity in the literary circle through the publication of his first novel, Reservation Blues, which he received an American Book Award for “outstanding achievement.” Mr. Alexie is now an international success and his works have been translated into more than 12 different languages. He is best known for his books, The Lone Ranger and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, his collection of short stories and poems, entitled War Dances, and for his legacy film, Smoke Signals. Mr. Alexie has also received numerous awards including the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award, the 2001 PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story category, and the 1994 PEN/Hemingway Award for Best First Fiction. Mr. Alexie remains committed to giving back to the Native community, and in 2005 helped establish Longhouse Media, a non-profit organization committed to teaching filmmaking skills to Native American youth. He hopes that the youth will use their life experiences and artistic eye to use media as a tool for cultural expression and social change.

To watch Mr. Alexie discuss War Dances on the Colbert Report:
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/257719/december-01-2009/sherman-alexie

spent her television reporting career with the NBC affiliate KPNX Channel 12 in Phoenix, where she has covered nearly 5,000 stories and received numerous awards from the Associated Press, Arizona Press Club, and the Native American Journalists’ Association. She also was a co-host for Native Nation Building, a television/radio series focusing on ways Native nations are working together to make sustainable, self-determined community and economic development a reality. After retiring from journalism, Ms. Titla announced her candidacy for Arizona’s First District Congressional seat in 2007. After a narrow loss, she focused her efforts on educating and meeting the needs of Native American youth and she currently serves on the board of trustees for United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc. (UNITY). Her motto is “Everyone involved in a child’s education must go above and beyond to ensure every student receives a world class education in a safe environment.”

e began performing for audiences on stages across the island of O‘ahu with his ukulele. In his early teen years he formed a music group called Mākaha Sons of Ni‘ihau. The band was a central part of a period known as “the Hawaiian Renaissance”, during which Native Hawaiians experienced a surge in interest in their language, cultural practices, traditions, and rights as the Native people of Hawai‘i. In 1990, IZ decided to take a turn as a solo artist and in 1993 he gained international attention with the release of his album “Facing Future.” The album shot to number one on the Billboard World Music charts with one medley in particular, Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World, becoming an international success. The certified platinum album earned IZ Entertainer of the Year by the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts, as well as Male Vocalist of the Year, Favorite Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, and Island Contemporary Album of the Year by the annual Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards. IZ went on to release five more albums, and in 2010 National Public Radio named him one of the 50 great voices of all time. He was known for promoting Native Hawaiian rights both in his music and his life. His song Hawai‘i ‘78 exhibits the hopes he had for the people of Hawai‘i: “the life of this land is the life of the people, and that to care for the land is to care for the Hawaiian culture.” When he died on June 26, 1997 at the age of 38, IZ was lain in state at the Hawai‘i State Capitol, an honor only granted twice before. His passing was also marked with vigils across the state and an island-wide caravan on his home island of O‘ahu. His music remains an inspiration for all who call Hawai‘i home.

To view his rendition of Over the Rainbow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I&feature=relmfu

nd Billboard's Top 10 Artists to Watch list, received two Grammy nominations and won 10 Native American Music Awards. She is Lumbee and from Robeson County, North Carolina. Ms. Mashonee is probably best known for her songs Ooh, Baby, Baby, More than Life, The Enlightened Time, and her techno rendition of Stairway to Heaven. Ms. Mashonee also brings in her culture to her music and in 2005 released American Indian Christmas, featuring classic Christmas songs sung in ten different Native American languages and accompanied by a full orchestra with traditional Native American instruments. The following year she released her album American Indian Story, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Native American Music Album. Ms. Mashonee also runs Jana’s Kids, a non-profit organization for Native American youth that addresses issues of cultural pride, education, drug awareness, and provides scholarships for college for students who excel in art, academia and athleticism.

To listen to Ms. Mashonee’s song, The Enlightened Time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yKxXo75wXk