Google has a doodle out for Native American Heritage Month that is worth a look.
The doodle features Maria Tallchief (1924-2013), one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century. A member of Oklahoma’s Osage tribe, she was America’s first prima ballerina and the one with whom George Balanchine started New York City ballet. She helped popularize ballet in the United States and was the first American to perform in the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.
The Google backgrounder explaining Tallchief’s life and the creation of the doodle includes a video interview. In it, she said she always supported Indigenous people “by doing the best job that I know how. If I can instill this into young people, that’s all I want.” The backgrounder also introduces a number of Indigenous artists who say they are proud to have been asked to help create the Tallchief doddle.
“100 Questions, 500 Nations: A Guide to Native America” is a Bias Busters collaborative update of a guide first done by the Native American Journalists Association. It is available from Amazon or the Front Edge Publishing bookstore. Royalties from sales of this guide go to NAJA.
