Trailblazing Native Americans in Science

November is a time to celebrate the history and cultures of Native Americans. That includes their many contributions to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Native American knowledge of agriculture, astronomy, biology, and the environment dates back centuries and is part of their heritage.

Despite past policies and actions by the U.S. federal government that aimed to erase Native Americans’ cultures and identities, they have persevered. Native American conservationists, doctors, engineers, and scientists have long worked to improve the lives of people in their community and those of fellow Americans. Today, Native Americans continue to protect the environment, explore space, preserve their language for future generations, and fight for better health care.

Read about some of the advances made by Native Americans throughout history and how their modern counterparts are following in their footsteps.

November is a time to celebrate Native American history and cultures. Native Americans have contributed much to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Their knowledge of agriculture, astronomy, biology, and the environment goes back centuries. It’s part of their heritage.

In the past, the U.S. federal government aimed to erase Native Americans’ cultures and identities. But they’ve carried on. Native American conservationists, doctors, engineers, and scientists have long been at work. They’ve improved life for people in their community and fellow Americans. Today Native Americans continue to protect the environment and explore space. They’re also preserving their languages for future generations and fighting for better health care. 

Native Americans have made many advances throughout history. Read about some of their successes and see how modern Native Americans are following their example. 

Katie John, of the Ahtna Athabaskan tribe, was born in 1915 and raised in what is now Alaska. The community relied on salmon as its primary food source. In 1959, Alaska became a U.S. state. The state government took control of Native peoples’ fishing sites, making it illegal for them to fish for the salmon they’d long relied on.

In 1984, John asked the government of Alaska to reopen the fisheries. Her request was denied. The Native American Rights Fund, an organization that fights for the rights of Native Americans, took on her case. It became a decades-long legal battle. John died in 2013 at 97. A year later, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld past rulings in favor of her case, allowing the Ahtna people to fish again.

Dr. Serra Hoagland, a Laguna Pueblo citizen, has devoted her career to protecting tribal lands. She’s a biologist and the first Native American woman with a Ph.D. degree to work for the U.S. Forest Service. Hoagland works with tribal biologists to reduce wildfires and promote wildlife conservation in the U.S Southwest.

One animal Hoagland is helping is the Mexican spotted owl. Her team thins out forests by selecting specific trees to remove. This helps prevent wildfires from spreading, which protects the bird’s habitat.

“My ultimate goal is to preserve biodiversity [or variety of life],” says Hoagland. “I hope humans can learn to live on the landscape while allowing other species to exist and for Native people to be represented in the management of our land.”

Katie John was from the Ahtna Athabaskan tribe. She was born in 1915 and raised in what is now Alaska. The community’s main food source was salmon. In 1959, Alaska became a U.S. state. The state government took control of Native peoples’ fishing sites. The Ahtna people had relied on salmon for a long time. Now fishing for it was illegal.

In 1984, John asked the Alaskan government to reopen the fisheries. Her request was denied. The Native American Rights Fund took on her case. This organization fights for the rights of Native Americans. The legal battle lasted for decades. In 2013, John died at 97. A year later, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld past rulings in favor of her case. The Ahtna people could fish again.

Dr. Serra Hoagland has spent her career protecting tribal lands. She’s a Laguna Pueblo citizen and a biologist. She’s also the first Native American woman with a Ph.D. degree to work for the U.S. Forest Service. Hoagland works with tribal biologists. They’re trying to reduce wildfires and promote wildlife conservation in the U.S. Southwest.

The Mexican spotted owl is one animal Hoagland is helping. Her team chooses certain trees to remove from forests. This thins out the forests. Their work helps prevent wildfires from spreading. That protects the bird’s habitat.

“My ultimate goal is to preserve biodiversity [or variety of life],” says Hoagland. “I hope humans can learn to live on the landscape while allowing other species to exist and for Native people to be represented in the management of our land.”

John Herrington, of the Chickasaw Nation, began his career as a U.S. Navy test pilot. In 1996, he became the first Native American to participate in NASA’s astronaut program. He traveled to space in 2002. His mission was to transport new crew members and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting Earth. Herrington also brought some items to represent his heritage: arrowheads, eagle feathers, wooden flutes, and flags of the Chickasaw and Crow nations. During the mission, Herrington conducted three space walks, repairing segments outside the ISS. Herrington retired from NASA in 2005 but continues to inspire people from all backgrounds who dream of exploring space.

Aaron Yazzie, who is Diné, was in high school when Herrington walked in space. Herrington became Yazzie’s role model. “Until then, I never thought someone like me could work at NASA,” he says. Today, Yazzie is a mechanical engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

Yazzie led a team of engineers that created parts for the Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars and began exploring the planet last year. The team designed and constructed the drill component the rover uses to collect rock samples. NASA scientists hope to discover signs of ancient microbes in the samples. “If we do find that Mars once had life, it opens up the possibility that we aren’t the only life in this universe,” says Yazzie.

John Herrington began his career as a U.S. Navy test pilot. He’s from the Chickasaw Nation. In 1996, he became the first Native American in NASA’s astronaut program. He traveled to space in 2002. His mission was to bring new crew members and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). This large spacecraft orbits Earth. Herrington also brought some items to represent his heritage. He carried arrowheads, eagle feathers, wooden flutes, and flags of the Chickasaw and Crow nations. During the mission, Herrington did three space walks and repaired sections outside the ISS. Herrington retired from NASA in 2005. He still inspires people from all backgrounds who dream of exploring space.

Aaron Yazzie was in high school when Herrington went to space. Yazzie is Diné, and Herrington became his role model. “Until then, I never thought someone like me could work at NASA,” he says. Today, Yazzie is a mechanical engineer. He works at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

Yazzie led a team of engineers that created parts for the Perseverance rover. Last year, the rover landed on Mars and began exploring. It uses a drill to collect rock samples. The team designed and constructed the drill. NASA scientists hope to discover signs of ancient microbes in the samples. “If we do find that Mars once had life, it opens up the possibility that we aren’t the only life in this universe,” says Yazzie.

Ella Cara Deloria, of the Sioux Nation, was born in 1889 on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. She attended Columbia Teacher’s College in New York City, where she studied education. While there, she met Franz Boas, an anthropologist—a scientist who studies human societies past and present. His research focused on Native American languages. Deloria, who was fluent in the Dakota and Lakota dialects of the Sioux language, helped Boas translate Native texts and recorded audio pronunciations.

This work inspired Deloria to devote her life to collecting information about the Sioux and their language through interviews with tribe members. After her death in 1971, her novel Waterlily was published. The book is a compilation of her work and has helped keep the history of the Sioux people alive.

Manuelito Wheeler is Diné and the director of the Navajo Nation Museum in Arizona. He also works to preserve his nation’s history and language. That’s important so people within the community can better share tribal knowledge. It’s estimated that only 170,000 people currently speak Diné, the language of the Navajo people, and that number is declining. Wheeler wondered if dubbing a popular movie in Diné could promote the language and help it survive.

Wheeler is a fan of the movie Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope. He thought it would be the perfect film to dub because so many people are already familiar with it. Wheeler’s wife Jennifer, who teaches Diné to students, and four other translators translated the script. Then Lucasfilm (the makers of Star Wars) agreed to release a version of the movie with characters speaking Diné.

In 2020, Wheeler got another movie dubbed in Diné: Disney’s Finding Nemo. Today, both films can be streamed on the Disney+ platform. “Our culture is embedded in our language,” says Wheeler. “That’s not just true for Navajo people, but for all cultures, so when a language goes away, a big part of those people’s culture goes with it.”

Ella Cara Deloria belonged to the Sioux Nation. In 1889, she was born on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. She studied education at Columbia Teacher’s College in New York City. There, she met Franz Boas. He was an anthropologist, a scientist who studies human societies past and present. His research focused on Native American languages. Deloria was fluent in the Dakota and Lakota dialects of the Sioux language. So she helped Boas translate Native texts. She also recorded pronunciations.

This work inspired Deloria to spend her life collecting information about the Sioux and their language. To do this, she interviewed tribe members. After her death in 1971, her novel Waterlily was published. Her work is collected in this book. It has helped keep the history of the Sioux people alive.

Manuelito Wheeler is the director of the Navajo Nation Museum in Arizona. He is Diné, and he works to preserve his nation’s history and language. This important work allows people within the community to share tribal knowledge better. Today, only around 170,000 people speak Diné, the language of the Navajo people. And that number is declining. Wheeler thought about dubbing a popular movie in Diné. Could that promote the language and help it survive?

Wheeler likes the movie Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope. Many people already know the movie, so he thought it would be perfect to dub. Wheeler’s wife, Jennifer, teaches Diné to students. She and four other translators translated the script. Then Lucasfilm (the makers of Star Wars) agreed to help. They released a version of the movie with characters speaking Diné.

In 2020, Wheeler got another movie dubbed in Diné. It’s Disney’s Finding Nemo. Today, both films can be streamed on the Disney+ platform. “Our culture is embedded in our language,” says Wheeler. “That’s not just true for Navajo people, but for all cultures, so when a language goes away, a big part of those people’s culture goes with it.”

Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, of the Omaha tribe, was born in 1865. She overcame incredible odds as both a woman and Native American to become the first Native American physician. After graduating from medical school in 1889, La Flesche returned to her tribe to practice medicine on the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska, where she was born. She was the only physician on the entire reservation, which was nearly the size of the state of Rhode Island. La Flesche would travel by horseback to reach patients in dire need. Before her death in 1915, she raised enough donations to build a hospital—the first modern one in the region—in the reservation town of Walthill, Nebraska.

Today, health care is still a problem for many Native Americans. Dr. Donald Warne, who is a member of the Lakota tribe of South Dakota, is working to change that. Warne is a public health physician at the University of North Dakota. He doesn’t treat patients in a medical office or hospital. Rather, he helps create government policies focused on improving health care—particularly for Native peoples. “One size does not fit all when it comes to health care,” says Warne. But for a long time, “that’s been the country’s approach to health science.”

According to the Indian Health Service, the life expectancy for Native Americans is 5.5 years shorter compared with that of other Americans. Native Americans also die from common diseases at a higher rate than the rest of the population. Warne attributes that to the fact that 23 percent of Native Americans live in poverty. They don’t have the same access to healthy foods, medical treatments, and affordable doctors as others. As a result, Native Americans suffer the poorest health of any ethnic group in the nation, says Warne.

Warne, who’s the director of the Indians Into Medicine program at the University of North Dakota, is trying to help other Native Americans become physicians. Only 0.4 percent of doctors in the U.S. are of Native descent. “We need our own people to develop our own solutions,” says Warne.

Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte was born in 1865. She was from the Omaha tribe, and she became the first Native American physician. To do that, she overcame incredible odds as both a woman and Native American. La Flesche graduated from medical school in 1889. Then she returned to her tribe. She practiced medicine on the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska, where she was born. The reservation was nearly the size of the state of Rhode Island. But she was the only physician on the entire reservation. La Flesche traveled by horseback to reach patients in serious need. Before she died in 1915, she raised enough money to build a hospital in the reservation town of Walthill, Nebraska. It was the first modern hospital in the state.

Today, health care is still a problem for many Native Americans. Dr. Donald Warne is working to change that. Warne is a member of the Lakota tribe of South Dakota. He’s also a public health physician at the University of North Dakota. He doesn’t treat patients in a medical office or hospital. Instead he helps create government policies to improve health care. His work focuses on Native peoples. “One size does not fit all when it comes to health care,” says Warne. But for a long time, “that’s been the country’s approach to health science.”        

The Indian Health Service compared the life expectancy of Native Americans and other Americans. For Native Americans, it’s 5.5 years shorter. Common diseases kill a higher rate of Native Americans than other Americans. Warne says that’s because 23 percent of Native Americans live in poverty. They don’t have the same access to healthy foods and medical treatments as others. It’s also harder for them to find affordable doctors. That’s why Native Americans suffer the poorest health of any ethnic group in the nation, says Warne.

Warne is the director of the Indians Into Medicine program at the University of North Dakota. He’s trying to help other Native Americans become physicians. Only 0.4 percent of doctors in the U.S. are Native American. “We need our own people to develop our own solutions,” says Warne.