Western Meadowlark - Sturnella neglecta

When Cherokee Nation citizen Socia Love Thurman was younger, she periodically watched her parents work as emergency medical technicians, which piqued her interest in medicine.

"That kind of sparked my interest in it and then I just kind of watched them my whole life and saw that it was a really rewarding career to work with people and serve them through health care," the 25-year-old said.

Todd Harder, Creek, a young energetic entrepreneur, brought seven people with him to sell 500 pairs of limited edition of Vans Pendleton shoes at the 58th Annual Chicago Powwow at Navy Pier this past weekend.

It was a good thing he brought the help because the Vans "Off the Wall" booth was busy throughout the weekend.

The limited edition shoes are made by Vans with geometric designs provided by Pendleton. The shoes are touted as the "hottest shoes in NDN Country."

On Thursday, December 1, eleven Native Youth leaders were honored at the White House as Champions of Change. These young people are Champions in their tribes and communities as they work to improve the lives of those around them through innovative programs that help others, raise awareness of important issues like suicide and bullying prevention, energy efficiency and healthy eating.

Looking for the perfect gift for the young reader on your list? Check out these books that will delight young and old.

"Our Tlingit tradition is an oral tradition, said state Sen. Albert Kookesh as he introduced Sealaska Board Vice Chair and President of Sealaska Heritage Institute Rosita Worl — the final speaker in the Native American Heritage Month lecture series.

"And she is very, very versed in that area," Kookesh said.

Kookesh said Worl has peformed academic work at Harvard should be commended. He called her a great orator and a great leader.

Based on the popularity of the original Eagle Books series, the Native Diabetes Wellness Program (NDWP) is developing a series of novels for middle schoolers in Native communities. The novel, Coyote and the Turtle’s Dream, is the first in a series of three books that will include a four-volume graphic novel based on the same story. The book features characters from the original series, but also expands the characters to include family members, teachers, store owners, other residents of a small reservation town, and an elderly box turtle. Adding to the understanding of type 2 diabetes presented in the original books, Coyote and the Turtle’s Dream introduces the character of Arianna, a young girl with type 1 diabetes.

Music is universal and transcends language barriers. From flute music, country music to drumming, American Indian music comes in a variety of styles.

This point is illustrated well in "Native Musicians in the Groove," a book published by Native Voices as part of the Native Trailblazers Series by Vincent Schilling.

Schilling is a tribal member of the Saint Regis Mohawk tribe. "Native Musicians in the Groove" is written for young people from ages 9 - 16. Schilling has contributed to several American Indian news publications in the United States, including "Indian Country," "Native Times," "Tribal College Journal," and "Winds of Change."

When Walt Pourier was growing up in Pine Ridge, he would skateboard around Baker's Hill next to the baseball diamond.

Pourier is now 46. And thanks to his efforts, the next generation of skateboarders in Pine Ridge will have more than a hill to ride.

On a gusty day last week, a handful of skate-park builders from Seattle-based Grindline Skateparks were hard at work in between the baseball field and a new children's playground. They are turning a broken bottle-littered patch of dirt into a skate park that will be one of the largest in South Dakota.

To Native Americans known as the Coast Salish, the hair of the dog isn't a dubious hangover cure—it's a key ingredient in the large, beautiful blankets woven by their ancestors more than a century ago. A molecular analysis of some of these venerable textiles now confirms they are made partly of yarn spun from the fur of an unusual canine, verifying oral accounts handed down through the Pacific Northwest tribe over generations.

The Wyoming State Museum is restoring an elaborately beaded American Indian horse mask to prepare it for public display within the next year.

Mandy Langfald, curator of collections at the museum in Cheyenne, said Wednesday that the Lakota Sioux mask dates to between 1897 and 1910. She said it’s one of fewer than 50 such historic masks that survive from American Indian tribes around the West.