7 Indigenous Pioneers You Need to Know

Occupation: Mathematician and Engineer

Native Affiliation: Cherokee Nation

Ross (1908-2008) was a NASA mathematician and engineer who played a pivotal role in sending Apollo astronauts into space. For Lockheed Martin, she helped develop plans for the P-38 Lightning fighter plane and was one of just two women on the original Skunk Works team. Much of her work in the research, evaluation, and testing of top-secret rocket and missile systems is still classified. Ross also helped write NASA’s Planetary Flight Handbook, the agency’s guide to space travel.

Occupation: Archaeologist
Native Affiliation: Seneca Nation

Parker (1907-1978) developed a passion for archaeology when, as a child, she joined her archaeologist father at various dig sites. She discovered a number of archaeological sites, including the Scorpion Hill Pueblo Site and the Corn Creek Campsite. She’s best known for discovering the skull of a ground sloth next to a manmade artifact in the famed Gypsum Cave, proving that man and beast coexisted.

Occupation: NASA Astronaut
Native Affiliation: Chickasaw Nation

Herrington (1958- ) was the first Native American to go to and walk in space and was part of the 16th shuttle mission to the International Space Station in 2002. To commemorate his heritage, he carried six eagle feathers, a braid of sweet grass, two arrowheads, and the Chickasaw Nation’s flag, according to the American Indian Education Fund.

Occupation: Physician
Native Affiliation: Omaha Nation

La Flesche Picotte (1865-1915) was the first Native American to earn a medical degree. She studied at the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and graduated first in her class in 1889. She soon returned to the Omaha Reservation, where she went on to treat thousands of people. She’s credited with building the first private hospital on a Native American reservation.

Occupation: NASA Mechanical Engineer
Native Affiliation: Diné (Navajo Nation)

Yazzie (1986- ) is a mechanical engineer who works at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. He has developed mechanical systems that help analyze Mars’ atmosphere and Martian soil samples. His technology is currently at work on the Mars Insight Lander, and he worked on the Mars 2020 mission.

Occupation: Climate Activist
Native Affiliation: Otomi-Toltec Nation in Mexico

Bastida (2002-) is a youth climate activist from a small town just outside Mexico City. She has worked to bring awareness to Native perspectives and keep Native voices at the forefront of the climate movement. Inspired by Greta Thunberg, Bastida has joined the Fridays for Future initiative and protests each Friday in front of the United Nations Building in New York.

Occupation: Inventor
Native Affiliation: Fond du Lac Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa Nation

Petite (1956-) has contributed technology to the development of the “smart grid,” which harnesses the power of and monitors wireless-enabled devices at a specific location. He has over 50 U.S. patents, founded the Native American Inventors Association, and works to support Native American inventors throughout the country.