Millie Ketcheschawno

Mildred E. "Millie" Ketcheschawno (February 9, 1937 – December 11, 2000) was an activist for Native American rights and a filmmaker who was one of the founders of Indigenous Peoples' Day. In the 1970s she became the first woman president of the Intertribal Friendship House. She received her Bachelor of Arts (Honors) from the University of California at Berkeley in American Indian studies and film in the late 1990s. Her activism began when she provided leadership to an important pan-ethnic movement known as the Indians of All Tribes movement (IOAT). Through her activism, she facilitated the counteraction of Columbus Day with the creation of Indigenous Peoples' Day, that is celebrated across the United States till present.

Life and family

Early life and education Born in 1937, Ketcheschawno was from Oklahoma and left her hometown community at Shell Creek to attend an American Indian boarding school in Haskell, Kansas. Later she moved to Oakland, California, and in San Francisco, Ketcheschawno created ties with other Native Americans who advocated for the preservation of Indigenous traditions and provided support to those affected by stereotypes and discrimination.

Family Ketcheschawno married Angelo Barichello sometime in the late 1950s, and they later divorced in the early 1970s. Together they had two children named Leslie and Gino. This was, however, objected to by the U.S. government which sparked an Indian-nationalist movement. This movement culminated with the occupation of Alcatraz Island by Native American activists, among them was Ketcheschawno. The idea behind the Occupation of Alcatraz was to lay claim to Indigenous land rights and rebuild Indian America. According to Ketcheschawno's son, Gino Barichello, his late mother was among those in the community to visit the occupation whenever she could. The roots of Indigenous Peoples' Day come from three important conferences: Geneva in 1977, Ecuador in 1990, and D-Q University in 1991. Indigenous Peoples' Day was created to criticize and question the myths about Christopher Columbus, as well as bring to light atrocities Indigenous peoples faced. The holiday is also about celebrating Native American culture.

When the US Congress used the Bay Area for a commemoration of Columbus, there was a push to include Indigenous Peoples' Day in Berkeley. In 1991, the actions of the US Congress caused Ketcheschawno, who was a part of the Indigenous rights coalition called the Resistance 500, to advocate for Indigenous Peoples' Day. Ketcheschawno and other activists convinced the Berkeley City Council to vote in favor of making it an official holiday. This is where she helped spread information about the roots of the holiday, such as the 1977 Geneva Conference, which helped the group understand more about the complexities of Indigenous issues.

Death She died on December 11, 2000, at the age of 63, due to an accident in her home, and was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Eufaula, Oklahoma.