Peacemaker, warrior, cross-cultural community builder, American
Indian activist, tribal elder, cultural preservation consultant,
Native American issues advisor, Founding Mother of the modern
Indian repatriation movement, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, local
Unsung Hero, religious advisor, and the Rosa Parks of NAGPRA --
these are a few of the descriptors applied to a unique woman who
spent the last 16 years of her life in Ames (1987-2003). Maria
Pearson (Running Moccasins) was a proponent of human rights for
all Americans, and, in particular, those of American Indians. A
member of the Yankton Sioux tribe, she worked tirelessly on
behalf of Native American peoples in Iowa and nationwide.
Largely through her efforts, the Iowa Burial Code was changed in
the 1970s mandating the reburial of American Indian skeletal
remains. Her work in Iowa and continued advocacy on behalf of
Native American rights was instrumental in the passage of
important federal legislation, most recently the Native American
Graves Protection and