Includes bibliographical references (p. 315-321) and index.

Through the centuries and across tribal boundaries, countless Native Americans have made history, despite prejudices against them. The nine men and women in this collection are just a few of them. Jim Thorpe, a Sac and Fox, won the 1912 Olympic decathlon and is considered by many experts to be the greatest athlete the United States has ever known. Will Rogers, often billed as "The Cherokee Kid", was the most popular entertainer in America in the early 1900's. Wilma Mankiller was the first women elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, serving from 1985 to 1995. Award-winning novelist and poet Louise Erdrich has helped thousands of readers to understand growing up in American Indian and mixed-blood communities. In powerful, dramatic essays, Paula Gunn Allen and Patricia Clark Smith celebrate the diversity and talents of Native Americans who have made great contributions to arts, politics, sports, and other aspects of American life.