Mary Brave Bird
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mary Brave Bird | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mary Ellen Brave Bird Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Mary Crow Dog Ohitaki Win Brave Woman |
| Ethnicity | Lakota |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Education | St. Francis Indian School |
| Occupation | Author and Activist |
| Known for | Lakota Woman American Indian Movement |
| Religious beliefs | Native American Church |
| Spouse(s) | Leonard Crow Dog (divorced) Rudi Olguin (separated) |
| Children | Pedro, Anwah, June Bug, Jennifer, Summer Rose, Rudi |
Mary Brave Bird, often known by her previous married name, Mary Crow Dog (born 1953 on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota), is a Native American writer and activist.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Mary Ellen Brave Bird was born in 1953 on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota. She is a member of the Sicangu Oyate also known as the Burnt Thighs Nation or Brulé Band of Lakota Indians.[1] She was raised primarily by her grandparents, while her mother was in nursing school and working.[2] Brave Bird was influenced by several traditional relatives, include her granduncle Dick Fool Bull, who introduced her to the Native American Church.[2]
During the 1960s, Brave Bird attended the St. Francis Indian School, in St. Francis, South Dakota, a Roman Catholic boarding school.[2] In 1971 she was inspired by a talk by Leonard Crow Dog and joined the American Indian Movement (AIM).[2] She participated in such historical events as the 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties and subsequent occupation of the BIA headquarters in Washington, DC. She was also part of the 1973 Occupation of Wounded Knee.[2]
Mary's first child, Pedro, was born during the 1973 siege at Wounded Knee.[1] Pedro was the only child born at Wounded Knee during the siege. For her bravery, two medicine men gave her the name Ohitaki Win or Brave Woman.[1] Mary later married AIM spiritual leader Leonard Crow Dog. The couple had two sons, Anwah and June Bug, and a daughter, Jennifer.[1]
[edit] Books
She is the author of two autobiographical books, Lakota Woman and Ohitika Woman. Richard Erdoes, a long time friend, helped edit the books. Lakota Woman was published under the name Mary Crow Dog and won the 1991 American Book Award. It describes her life until 1977.[2] Ohitika Woman continues her life story. Brave Bird's books talk about the conditions of the Sioux Indian and living on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, as well as conditions in the neighboring Pine Ridge Indian Reservation under the leadership of tribal chairman, "Dickie" Wilson and the role of the FBI, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs and the treatment of the Native American's and their children in the mid-1900s.
Crow Dog and Brave Bird made cameo appearances in the 1991 Oliver Stone film, The Doors.[3]
[edit] Movie
Brave Bird was the subject of the 1994 movie Lakota Woman, Siege at Wounded Knee, produced by TNT and Jane Fonda. "Lakota Woman" starred Irene Bedard as Mary Brave Bird. The movie depicted the events that occurred during the 1973 uprising of the AIM (American Indian Movement) organization and their stand-off at the grave site of the Wounded Knee massacre of December 1890. Brave Bird herself makes an appearance in the film.[3]
[edit] Personal Life
Brave Bird divorced Leonard Crow Dog.[1] In 1991, she married Rudi Olguin,[2] and they had a daughter Summer Rose and a son Rudi. Olguin and Brave Bird parted, and currently she is living in Rosebud, South Dakota with her youngest children.[3] She is a grandmother and is still active in the Native American Church.[3]
[edit] Quote
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mary Brave Bird |
Go to school and fight, fight. Fight in the courts, fight in the law.[3]
[edit] Published Works
- Brave Bird, Mary, with Richard Erdoes. Ohitika Woman. New York: Grove Press, 1993.
- Crow Dog, Mary, with Richard Erdoes. Lakota Woman. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1990.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Lorentz, Melissa. "First Nations of Minnesota: Famous Lakota." EMuseum @ Minnesota State University, Mankato. 2008 (retrieved 25 Jan 09)
- ^ a b c d e f g Bataille, Gretchen M. and Laurie Lisa. Native American Women: A Biographical Dictionary. Oxford: Taylor and Francis, 2001: 50-51.
- ^ a b c d e Wise, Christopher, and R. Todd Wise. "Mary Brave Bird Speaks: A Brief Interview." The American Indian Quarterly 24.3 (2000): 482-493
