The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian will unveil its fourth installment in its popular “Did You Know They’re Native” biography exhibit series on Saturday, August 23. Many famous and prominent people in the United States and Canada are Native or have Native ancestry. The exhibit explores the lives of American Indian artists, musicians, politicians and other public figures as they continue to make significant contributions to the United States and the world.

Visitors can attend the Public Opening of “Did You Know They’re Native IV” with regular admission ($5 adults/ $3 Children/ FREE members and Tribal members) during museum open hours from 10:00am-5pm. While individuals featured in the exhibit have varying percentages of American Indian ancestry, they have all celebrated this important part of their heritage.

Explore the lives of 24 people in the exhibit including popular author Sherman Alexie (Spokane, Couer d’ Alene & Euro-American). Alexie won the PEN/Hemingway Award for his story collection The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. He also won the National Book Award for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, The PEN/Faulker award for War Dances, and the Native Writer’s Circle of the American Lifetime Achievement Award. Discover Valerie Red Horse (Cherokee), an award-winning filmmaker and founder of the first female Native American owned investment bank on Wall Street. She has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Small Business, and Minority Business Entrepreneur, and in 2008 was inducted into the National Association of Women Business Owners Hall of Fame. Learn about Dexter Stacey (Mohawk), who is a professional racecar driver, and was the youngest driver to ever compete in a NASCAR race. Dexter was also runner-up for the prestigious NASCAR rookie of the year award, and is the only Native racecar driver who competes in all three of NASCAR’s top

divisions. These are just a few of the prominent American Indians featured in “Did You Know They’re Native IV.”

The complete list of people featured in the exhibit includes: Sherman Alexi (Coeur d’Alene & Euro-American): Author and Filmmaker

Keith Harper (Cherokee): First Native American Ambassador

Patty Talahongva (Hopi): Journalist and News Program Host

Allie Reynolds (Creek): Major League Baseball Pitcher

Valerie Red-Horse (Cherokee): Actress, Entrepreneur and CEO

Dexter Stacey (Mohawk): Racecar Driver

Miles & Lyle Thompson (Onondaga & Mohawk): Outstanding College and Professional Lacrosse Players

Dr. Robbie E. Hood (Cherokee): Atmospheric Scientist

Nancy Cornelius Skenandore (Oneida): First Native American Professionally Trained Nurse

Crazy Horse aka Tashunca-ultco (Oglala Lakota): Warrior and Leader

Charley Patton (Cherokee, African American & Euro-American): Musician, “The Father of the Delta Blues”

Billy Caldwell aka Sauganash (Pottawatomi & European or Scots-Irish): Fur Trader and Tribal Activist

Black Hawk (Sauk): War Leader and Tribal Leader

Ben Jacobs (Osage): Restaurateur

Dr. Stanley Atcitty (Navajo): Engineer

Russell Means (Oglala Lakota Sioux): Tribal Activist and Actor

Tim Giago (Oglala Lakota): Journalist and Publisher

Gladys Tantaquidgeon (Mohegan): Anthropologist, Ethnobotanist and Medicine Woman

Louis Erdrich (Turtle Mountain Chippewa &Euro-American): Author and Book/Native Arts Store Owner

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Salish): Artist

Dr. Jessica R. Metcalfe (Turtle Mountain Chippewa): Fashion Entrepreneur, Blogger and Scholar

Maria Pearson (Yankton Sioux): Founder of the Modern Indian Repatriation Movement

Dr. Karletta Chief (Navajo): Asst. Professor & Asst. Specialist in Dept. of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences

Valerie Segrest (Muckleshoot): Native Foods Educator and Community Nutritionist

The Mitchell Museum is one of only a handful of museums in the country that focuses exclusively on the art, history and culture of American Indian and First Nation peoples throughout the United States and Canada. In 2012, the Mitchell Museum was named “Best Museum of The North Shore: Up and Comer” by Make it Better magazine, won the Superior award by the Illinois Association of Museums and was named a national finalist by the American Association of State and Local History award program.

For more information about the Mitchell Museum of The American Indian, visit www.mitchellmuseum.org or call 847-475-1030. The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, students and children and Free for Mitchell Museum members and Tribal members.

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