Tetona Dunlap is a graduate student in journalism at the University of Montana. She is an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone tribe from the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming.

Tetona Dunlap

On April 6, Wilma Mankiller died after battling pancreatic cancer. Three days later Minnie Two Shoes died after her own struggle with cancer. I had the chance to meet both of these inspiring Native American women through journalism.

Mankiller came to speak to my class when I participated in the American Indian Journalism Institute in South Dakota in 2003. Mankiller was the first woman to serve the Cherokee people as principal chief. She was an advocate for Native American and women’s rights. She has also written two books. One is an autobiography titled, “Mankiller: A Chief and Her People” and “Every Day Is a Good Day: Reflections by Contemporary Indigenous Women.” As a result of her activism, she was received several awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998. She was also inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame in New York City in 1994.

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President Barack Obama reaches around the head dress of Chief Joseph Medicine Crow to place a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom around his neck, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Here’s the White House statement: “As a warrior and living legend, history flows through Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow High Bird. Born on a reservation and raised by traditional grandparents, he became the first member of his tribe to earn a master’s degree. For his valiant service in World War II, he was awarded the status of Crow War Chief, and his renowned studies of the First Americans and contributions to cultural and historical preservation have been critical to our understanding of America’s history. Joe Medicine Crow is a symbol of strength and survival, and the United States honors him for his dedication to this country and to all Native Americans.”

Montana Sen. Jon Tester, who joined Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson in nominating Medicine Crow for the honor, is among the many offering congratulations.

“Joe’s incredible life is chock-full of historic occasions. Today is no different,” Tester says. “Montanans will be talking about Joe and the stories of his heroism for generations. He earned the Medal of Freedom a long time ago as an American warrior, as a teacher, as a lifelong student of history and culture, and as a role model for his tribe.Today Joe is honored as a role model for all of America.”

From Gov. Brian Scwheitzer: “Joe is an inspiration and deserving of this prestigious honor for he is an example of a hero, scholar, historian and mentor for the Crow people, all Montanans and all Americans.”

Medicine Crow, 95, became a Crow war chief, the only one remaining, after performing four “war deeds” fighting Nazis in World War II. He earned a Bronze Star and the prestigious French Legion of Honor.

We’ll post updates about the ceremony itself as soon as that information becomes available.

Gwen Florio

Tags: buffalo post, Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Joe Medicine Crow, Native American news, Native veterans, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Sen. Jon Tester

Joe Medicine Crow talks to then-candidate Barack Obama during Obama's 2008 visit to Billings, Mont. (Billings Gazette/James Woodcock)

Finally, the kind of celebrity we can get behind. Crow War Chief Joe Medicine Crow, who is 95, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honor – from President Obama in just a couple of weeks. Read the AP story here.

Medicine Crow, who wore war paint under his World War II uniform, and stole horses from a Nazi camp while singing Crow battle songs, already holds a Bronze Star and the French Legion of Honor, and has been nominated for the Congressional Gold Medal. He became the first in his tribe to receive a master’s degree, and is its last surviving war chief.

Montana Sen. Jon Tester and Wyoming’s Alan Simpson nominated him for the medal. “Anyone who’s had the honor of meeting Joe knows he’s an American hero,” Tester says. “Joe earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom a long time ago. His lifetime of hard work, his devotion to the Crow Tribe and his dedication to this country will always be remembered.”

Medicine Crow will receive the medal from a relative. Obama became an honorary mem-ber of the tribe while campaigning in Montana.

Gwen Florio

Tags: Barack Obama, Bronze Star, buffalo post, Crow Tribe, French Legion of Honor Chevalier, Joe Medicine Crow, Native American news, Presidential Medal of Freedom