Issue Date: September 19, 2004

As a new D.C. museum opens, we join with the Smithsonian to spotlight

7 Native-American standouts

By Reed Karaim

THIS WEEK marks the opening of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Nearly 15 years in the making, the $200 million structure fills the last open spot on the National Mall and will showcase artifacts as the largest institution of its kind.

Its most important role, though, might be educating visitors on the vitality of Native-American life today. That's why the leaders of the new Smithsonian museum, in conjunction with USA WEEKEND, have identified here seven Native Americans who represent the promising future of this vibrant people. "These young people," says museum director W. Richard West Jr., "represent the great diversity of the contemporary Native experience and the many areas in which we are excelling."

Sherman Alexie, 37, a Spokane/ Coeur d'Alene Indian, grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Wash. Childhood health problems left him wanting to be a doctor until a college professor handed him a volume of Native-American poetry. "There was one line in a poem by Adrian Louis," Alexie says. "It was, 'I am in the reservation of my mind.' That did it. ... I read that line and I knew what I wanted to do: I wanted to write poems." Alexie published his first volume of poetry and stories within a year of graduating from Washington State University. He has since written acclaimed short stories, award-winning novels and the screenplay for the film Smoke Signals. He even has added stand-up comedy to his continuing effort to examine the human condition.

Bill Lomax, 36, a member of the Gitxsan Nation, grew up in a small town in British Columbia where his father ran a corner store. New York and Wall Street must have seemed a world away, but Lomax worked his way toward both, studying Japanese and economics before going to law school, then getting an MBA from Columbia University. Today he works for Smith Barney/Citigroup in New York, where he focuses on bringing financial services to Indian communities. He hopes to encourage more Native Americans to join Wall Street: "People have this perception that because of casinos, Native Americans have gotten wealthy. But at least half the tribes do not have casinos, and many face financial challenges."

Andrew Lee, 31, who is half-Seneca, runs the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, which studies how Indian Nations achieve social and economic progress. He also founded the Honoring Nations program that identifies outstanding tribal governance. His academic and professional achievements put him at the forefront of Indian leaders nationally. But Lee grew up straddling two worlds. Raised in South Windsor, Conn., his parents made frequent trips to see family on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in New York. Says Lee: "Tribes are doing some of the most innovative work in economic development out there. There are lessons in what they've accomplished for nations around the world."

Beverly Russell, 30, a San Carlos Apache, was born on a reservation in Arizona but has dedicated herself to the 50% of the Indian population living off-reservation. Russell is executive director of the National Council of Urban Indian Health, where she works to see that the Indian Health Service extends more care to Native Americans living in cities. It's an uphill fight. Indian Health is underfunded, and less than 2% of its budget goes for urban care. But Russell doesn't give up easily. As a child, she "wanted to be president" and still hopes to run for office.

Lillian Sparks, 28, is executive director of the National Indian Education Association, the largest Native-American education group. A member of the Rosebud and Oglala Sioux tribes, she grew up in Baltimore, where her dad was a social worker. She earned a B.S. from Morgan State University, then a law degree at Georgetown. A sense of political commitment is at the center of Sparks' work. "The biggest misconception about Indians is that we're a special-interest group, when we're actually sovereign nations," she says. "It looks like we're asking for more, when in fact we're just asking that treaties be recognized."

Stacey Halfmoon, 35, grew up in Oklahoma where her grandfather had been the chairman of the Caddo Nation, which helped provide her with a strong sense of tribal traditions. Since graduating from the University of Oklahoma, she has worked in several nationally significant roles to promote Native cultures. She recently returned to Oklahoma after a stint at the Defense Department where she managed a $10 million program to help restore Indian land. Halfmoon believes the effects of being "separated from their cultural identity are still lingering" for many Native Americans, and that reconnecting to tribal culture and history can be a great source of pride.

Zach Pahmahmie, 31, was only 28 when he was elected tribal chairman of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Kansas, making him one of the youngest tribal leaders in the nation. As a child on the reservation, Pahmahmie watched both his parents struggle with alcoholism, but went on to success at both Stanford and the University of Kansas law school. As chairman, he's focused on economic development and protecting treaty rights. "Indian nations [are] very distinct and diverse. In Hollywood, they think we all live in tepees, but we're separate groups of people who have our own contemporary societies," he says.

DISPLAY OF PRIDE:
Financier Bill Lomax and activist Lillian Sparks visit the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, opening this week.

"In Hollywood, they think we live in tepees ... but we're ... contemporary societies."