Ada Deer Fought for Native American Rights

by Bridgett McPark, age 13

Ada Deer was one of the most influential Native American leaders of the 20th century. She was a member of the Menominee Tribe and followed in the footsteps of her mother, Constance Wood Deer, by becoming an advocate for Native American rights.

Deer was born on Aug. 7, 1935, on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Keshena, Wisconsin. She was the first Menominee member to get an undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1961, she also made history as the first Native American to earn a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University. Deer became the first woman to head the Menominee Tribe because of her achievements.

The unfair laws of the 1950s motivated Ada to fight for the Menominee people. She helped lead a movement that ended the Termination Era, which was a federal policy era that took reservation land, cut funds, and forced Native Americans to conform to white society. Her political activism led her to run for the U.S. Congress, which she nearly won. She later became assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, where she led the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Ada Deer also worked closely with other tribal leaders to restore federal recognition of the Menominee Tribe, which was officially achieved in 1973. She continued to advocate for educational opportunities for Native American students throughout her career. Deer, as an educator, highlighted the importance of preserving Indigenous languages and cultural traditions as integral to Indigenous identity and freedom.

Deer’s leadership and determination made her a powerful voice for Native American rights and liberty. Her achievements in education, politics, and activism have left a lasting impact on the Menominee Tribe and Indigenous communities all across the United States.

[Sources: National Park Service; Wisconsin Women Making History]