In Memory of: 16 More People We Lost in 2014

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Author Peter Matthiessen was a champion of Indian rights, not least of all for his controversial In the Spirit of Crazy Horse: The Story of Leonard Peltier and the FBI's War on the American Indian Movement (Viking Press, 1991) and the prophetic Indian Country (Viking Press, 1984). He walked on April 5, 2014 at the age of 86 due to leukemia. (Associated Press)

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Doris Pilkington Garimara, the aboriginal author of Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, walked on April 10, 2014 at the age of 76. (NICOLE EMANUEL via Sydney Morning Herald)

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Billy Frank Jr., a Nisqually tribal elder who was arrested dozens of times while trying to assert his native fishing rights during the 1960s and ‘70s, walked on May 5, 2014. His life of accomplishments simply cannot be summed up in a few words. (AP Photo)

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Cpl. Tom Jones Jr., a Navajo Code Talker, walked on May 12 after a battle with pneumonia and other medical conditions. He was 89. Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly ordered Navajo Nation flags flown at half staff in his honor and called him a hero and role model. (AP Photo/The Daily Times, Jon Austria)

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Ruth Ziolkowski, who promised her sculptor husband, Korczak Ziolkowski before he died in 1982 that she would continue work on the controversial Crazy Horse Memorial being carved into the Black Hills, passed away May 21, 2014. She was 87. (Crazy Horse Memorial)

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Puyallup Tribal Chairman Herman Dillon Sr., photographed in 2008, walked on May 23, 2014. He was elected to the Puyallup tribal council in 1971 and was a “tireless advocate for the social and economic betterment” of his tribe and tribes throughout the Northwest, Gov. Jay Inslee told The Seattle Times. He was 82. (Dean Rutz/AP File)

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Poet, author, actress, civil rights activist and professor Dr. Maya Angelou, whose works resonated with themes of unity, liberation and moving forward, walked on May 28, 2014 at age 86. (Associated Press)

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Chester Nez, who had been the last survivor of the original 29 Navajo code talkers, walked on June 4, 2014. Those 29 men were largely credited with the outcome of World War II. He was 93 when he passed and had been dedicated to educated people about the work the code talkers did for more than a decade. (Kevin Anderson Photography)

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Sidney Bedoni, a former Navajo Code Talker, walked on June 8, 2014, due to complications from influenza and pneumonia. He was 91. (Navajo Nation)

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Darrell “Chip” Wadena, who served as the tribal chairman of the White Earth Chippewa in Minnesota for 20 years from 1976 to 1996, walked on June 24, 2014 after a long illness. He was 75. (Richard Sennott/Star Tribune)

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James Garner, the Cherokee television and film actor most famous for his starring roles in the series Maverick and Rockford Files, passed away July 19, 2014 at the age of 86. (AP Photo/Wally Fong)

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Rosalie Little Thunder helped preserve the Lakota language, protect sacred sites and species, and founded The Buffalo Field Campaign in 1997. She walked on August 9, 2014. (sicangulakota.net)

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Gerald One Feather was the founder of Oglala Lakota College and an advocate for higher education. He became president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in 1970, and was alarmed by high school graduation rates—his solution was to create a college on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He walked on August 21, 2014. He is seen here with his daughter, Sandra One Feather at the University of Colorado. (Sean Cridland)

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Misty Upham, a Blackfeet actress famous for her performances in Frozen River and August: Osage County disappeared October 5. Her body was discovered October 16 near the White River. It was determined that her death occurred the same day she disappeared. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

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Bob Hicks, Muscogee Creek, a longtime advocate for American Indians in Hollywood, walked on November 14, 2014 at the age of 80. He co-founded First Americans in the Arts, and was the organization’s first president. He is seen here with the organization’s first vice chair. (dreammerchantstudio.com/pages/Events/CINEFAITA.htm)

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Jayla Marie Rodriguez was killed November 18 by a pack of feral dogs behind her home on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Her death at just 8 years old has led her family and friends to start a shelter for those uncared for dogs, which was Jayla’s wish. (Friends of Danielle Griffith)

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In Memory of: 16 More People We Lost in 2014

By:

ICTMN Staff

1/2/15

As 2014 comes to a close, we remember those who walked on during the past year and pay tribute to their service and their lives. Whether prominent on the international stage or the home front, these kind spirits touched our lives in a myriad of ways. They were code talkers, educators, actors, activists, and elders. Some were heroes. Others were struck down in the prime of their lives.

Now we take a moment to commemorate those lives. Here is a sampling of the people who passed through Indian country for what seemed, in the end, all too brief a time. May they travel well.

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