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ELDER, HEREDITARY CHIEF, MEDICINE MAN, ACTOR AND LIVING LEGEND, SAGINAW GRANT JOURNEYS ON Saginaw Grant, elder, actor, artist, hereditary chief and medicine man of the Sac & Fox tribe, who traveled the world speaking and teaching of his traditions has passed away at the age of 85. Saginaw was honored with a Living Legend award in 2016 at the Native American Music Awards. At the 2018 Awards ceremony, Saginaw won for Record of the Year his album entitled, "Don’t Let The Drums Go Silent." Saginaw spent a lot of time recording the voice over work for the album to tell a story for his people. Saginaw appeared in numerous films and television shows. He played Grey Cloud, an ally of Indiana Jones, opposite Harrison Ford in the 1993 episode "Mystery of the Blues" of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. He played the Gatekeeper in the 1999 film, "Purgatory". He played Chief Big Bear in the 2013 film The Lone Ranger. He appeared as a man who sells his truck to Walter White in the Breaking Bad episode "Ozymandias" and much more. Saginaw was a member of the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma. His mother's ancestry was from the Iowa and Otoe-Missouria tribes of Oklahoma. He was a United States Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War. Saginaw was always happiest sharing the traditions of his people. He came to acting later in life and felt enormous pride Saginaw is survived by his daughter Lisa Grant, daughter-In-law Dodie L Kent, grandchildren Cassandra and Vanessa Kent, his brothers Austin JR and Francis SR, adopted daughter Lani Melisa Carmichael, his adopted son Rick Mora, adopted daughter Heather Everette, and his nieces, nephews and cousins in Oklahoma. The Native American Music Awards would like to express our sincerest condolences to Saginaw's family on their profound loss. Saginaw will be greatly missed. One of Saginaw Grant's final public messages was during the COVID pandemic which went viral on social media: "This isolation is temporary for most, but for many elders what you are now experiencing is the norm. It is human nature to come together in times of crisis, but this time we are having to stay apart for the health and safety of one another. Take this opportunity to get to know yourself and what’s important. Take this time to reflect on God’s purpose for you. Check on others and let them know you care. Take a moment to find the beauty in a negative situation...spend extra time with someone and let them know they’re loved. Recognize the opportunities you have in every situation, know that your choices in a crisis define who you are, let this define you in a positive light." - Saginaw Grant, NAMA Living Legend |
A Great Warrior Has Been Called Home
in sharing culture through movies and public speaking. He was also a jewelry maker and artist. During the pandemic, Saginaw shared an inspirational message: "Take a moment to find the beauty in a negative situation...spend extra time with someone and let them know they’re loved. Recognize the opportunities you have in every situation, know that your choices in a crisis define who you are, let this define you in a positive light."
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The Native American Music Awards & Association
Congratulations to musician Pete Sands (on right in both pictures), musician, activist and member of the Navajo Nation is among Time Magazine's Guardians of the Year along with Dr. Fauci and the Frontline workers. Sands is being recognized for his tremendous work helping the Navajo Nation during the pandemic. He created the Utah Navajo Health System’s COVID-19 Relief effort that has delivered food, firewood and water to thousands throughout the Navajo Reservation in Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.
In the U.S., Native American communities, have the highest risk for both infection and hospitalization than among any
other group in the country. “There was just something that kind of spoke inside all of us saying, ‘This is going to come here,’” he said. By May, the Navajo Nation had surpassed New York for the highest case rate in the country. Sands and the clinic established pop-up testing sites and in collaboration with the Mormon church, the Utah Trucking Association, the produce company SunTerra and others, he provided food and firewood through deliveries to rural residents and curbside pickups, where cars lined up for miles as residents waited their turns. For more visit: https://time.com/guardians-of-the-year-2020-anthony-fauci-frontline-health-workers/
CONGRATULATIONS TO NAMA FOUNDER ELLEN BELLO
Congratulations to Founder, President Ellen Bello on receiving the Woman of Distinction Award presented by Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean Pierre and the State Assembly of New York
Joy Harjo
JOY HARJO is the First Native American to hold the honor of U.S. Poet Laureate and was awarded Best Female Artist by the Native American Music Awards.
Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She is serving her second term as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States and is the first Native American to hold that honor.
In 2009, Joy Harjo won Best Female Artist at the Native American Music Awards and performed live with her saxophone at the inaugural awards ceremony in 1998. Her newest album, Pray for My Enemies, is set for release this March 5, 2021. As a musician and performer, she has produced six award winning albums. She is also The author of nine books of poetry, and her many honors include the Ruth Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Foundation, and the Academy of American Poets Wallace Stevens Award. She currently lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
#JoyHarjo #uspoetlaureate #Saxophone #WomensHistoryMonth
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