Lincoln, NE — Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Chief Standing Bear Prize for Courage.
Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a former U.S. congresswoman, served as Interior Secretary during the Biden Administration.She will be presented with the award during a ceremony Oct. 13 — Indigenous Peoples’ Day — at the Lied Center for Performing Arts in Lincoln.
The award is given annually by the Chief Standing Bear Project, a nonprofit group founded in 2022 to recognize those who embody the spirit of Ponca Chief Standing Bear. It was Standing Bear’s legal fight with the U.S. government that led to the recognition of Native Americans as “persons” under the law.
A Project official said that Haaland, a 35th generation New Mexican, is being recognized for overcoming financial hardship as a single mother to earn a law degree and become the first Native American woman to lead a state political party, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress and becoming the first Cabinet Secretary,
“Former Secretary Haaland’s life and leadership reflect the many forms that courage can take — quiet resilience, determination in the face of hardship and the willingness to lead, even when the path is uncertain,” said Katie Brossy, board president of the Chief Standing Bear Project.
As Interior Secretary, Haaland addressed the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous people and helped the nation confront the painful legacy of federal boarding schools.
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