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Angelo Baca Category Athlete Tribe Diné/Hopi Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 2/13/1980 Angelo Baca is a cultural activist, scholar, filmmaker and currently a doctoral student in anthropology at New York University. He is the cultural resources coordinator at Utah Diné Bikéyah , a nonprofit organization dedicated to the defense and protection of culturally significant ancestral lands. The National Parks Conservation Association recently designated him as one of “10 Under 40” dynamic cultural activists who make up the association’s Next Generation Advisory Council. He has published a widely read op-ed in the New York Times. Shash Jaa’: Bears Ears is Angelo Baca’s latest award-winning film about the five tribes of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition that worked together to protect 1.9 million acres of Utah wilderness through a national monument designation. His work reflects a long-standing dedication to both Western and Indigenous knowledge. Baca is also the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Champion in Cross Country and on the outdoor track in the 3000 meters steeplechase and 5000 meters in 2002-03. He also is a seven-time NJCAA All American in Cross Country, Track and the Half Marathon. Currently, he is training for trail races and long distances runs across Indigenous landscapes in Navajo country. Home 2024 Banquet 2024 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact Officials (Individual) More

Sunnie R. Clahchischilgi Category Media Tribe Diné (Navajo) Year Inducted 2022 Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi is a longtime storyteller from the Navajo Nation. She spent over a decade as sportswriter for the Navajo Times, telling stories of high school, college, and professional Navajo athletes. Clahchischiligi, a former athlete, developed an admiration for sports and storytelling at a young age. She completed six internships in three years, one at Sports Illustrated magazine in New York City. Clahchischiligi earned multiple awards for her writing in sports, editorial, community coverage, elder coverage, and investigative reporting. She wrote for the St. Cloud Times, the Albuquerque Journal, the Santa Fe New Mexican, the Osage News, Searchlight NM, and the Salt Lake Tribune. From her extensive coverage of basketball on the Navajo Nation, she has been dubbed an expert in rezball, a fast-paced style of basketball played throughout Indian Country. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian, to name a few. Clahchischiligi has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the University of New Mexico, a master’s degree in rhetoric, writing, and digital media studies from Northern Arizona University, and is currently a PhD candidate in rhetoric and writing at UNM. She also teaches composition in the English department. Home 2024 Banquet 2024 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact Officials (Individual) More

Officials Michael Thomas St. Croix Ojibwe

Sam McCracken Sioux and Assiniboine Induction Category: Year Inducted Builder 2022 <Back Sam McCracken, is a member of the Sioux and Assiniboine tribes in northeastern Montana on the Ft. Peck Indian Reservation and the General Manager of Nike N7. He also serves as the Vice Chair of the board for the Center for Native American Youth. McCracken started with Nike in 1997. He became the Manager of Nike’s Native American Business in 2000 and led the development of the Nike Air Native N7 shoe, the retail collection and the fund which provides access to sport for Native American and Indigenous youth in North America. Since 2009, the fund has awarded more than $8 million in grants to Tribal communities, reaching more than 500,000 youth. McCracken received Nike’s Bowerman Award in 2004, named after Nike co-founder and track and field coach Bill Bowerman. He was honored by the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge with the George Washington Honor Medal in 2004. In 2007, he was coined a "corporate change maker" and named among the 20 most innovative global “Intrapreneurs” by sustainability.com. He worked with Nike to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Indian Health Service in 2003 and 2009, and with the Bureau of Indian Education in 2010 bringing access to sport for Native American communities. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Advisory Council on Indian Education in 2010 and received the President’s "Leadership Award" from the National Indian Gaming Association in 2010. More recently, McCracken and N7 received the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s 2019 Corporate Business of the Year award and in 2020, McCracken was inducted into the Montana Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2022, McCracken was honored by the World Economic Forum as the Schwab Foundation’s Social Intrapraneur of the Year.

< Back Laticia DeCory ​ ​ ​ Laticia DeCory Oglala Lakota Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Laticia "Doni" DeCory's life journey is the epitome of excellence that has resonated across multiple domains. DeCory's early years were marked by exceptional accomplishments in high school. A three-time first team South Dakota all-state athlete in basketball, she was bestowed with the honor of being part of the All-USA Today South Dakota team and the USA Today Athlete of the Year for South Dakota. Notably, she was a three-time state shot put champion and held a state record in shot put. She was named valedictorian from Pine Ridge High School. Her collegiate journey continued the legacy of triumph, with DeCory playing basketball at Brigham Young University (BYU) and excelling in track and field at Utah State. Her achievements included being a part of the 1994 Big West conference team champions and establishing a Western Athletic Conference Shot Put record. She continued to carve her legacy, becoming the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year for BYU women's basketball. DeCory diligently training for the US Olympic track and field team as a heptathlete and contributing to the inaugural Indigenous nation handball development team. She was recognized as a Converse All-American in high school and an Academic All-American in college at Utah State. She also was a Divison 1 assistant coach for the University of South Dakota. DeCory's prowess was not confined to the sporting arena. In her professional career, her influence extended into public health and medical care, with notable roles at the CDC and two decades of service as a respected pulmonologist and respiratory care specialist. She further made her mark in corporate healthcare as a Quality and Compliance Director for the Indian Health Service (IHS) and other private facilities. However, it's her enduring commitment to youth development that sets her apart. As the director of Youth Opportunity and the co-founder of the BEAR program, she has directly impacted the lives of over 3,000 young individuals, guiding them towards professional careers in fields ranging from medicine to academia. Laticia "Doni" DeCory's life is a testament to the heights that can be reached through unwavering dedication and a commitment to excellence. <Back

Team 2024 Sagkeeng Old Timers Induction Category: Year Inducted <Back The Sakgeeng Oldtimers Hockey Club had its origins at the Sakgeeng First Nation, a community 100 kilometers northeast of Winnipeg, Manitoba, with players ranging in age from 35 to over 50. The players were of Ojibway and Cree ancestry and came from native communities throughout Manitoba. The team was founded by Walter and Verna Fontaine. The first language of the team is Saulteaux, and the club wears the red and white colors of the Fort Alexander Indian Band. Sakgeeng is the Saulteaux word for “at the mouth of the river”, and the community of Sakgeeng (named Fort Alexander by fur traders) is at the mouth of the Winnipeg River where it empties into Lake Winnipeg. The team joined the Canadian Old Timers Hockey Association (COHA) in 1978 and played in international tournaments sponsored by COHA in Copenhagen, Denmark (1978); Toronto, Canada (1982); Munich, West Germany (1983); London, England (1984); Nice, France (1985); Paris, France (1986); Montreal, Canada (1987); and Montreal, Canada (1988). The teams won the 1983 World Cup in Munich, the 1987 World Cup in Montreal, and the 1988 COHA National Cup in Montreal. The Sakgeeng Old Timers were honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and artifacts for the teams are there on display. The roster of the teams included: Bob Boyer, Don Campbell, Paul Chartrand, Rene Desjarlais, Ted Fontaine, Dave Harper, John Hunter, George Kakeway, Gord Woo, Wayne Viznaugh, Phil Fontaine, Walter Fontaine, Norman Gunn, Bernie Wood, Ken Young, Jim Neilson, Mercel Flett, Joe Malcolm, Ron Guimond, Gerald Harry, Jim Prince, George Hickes and Rene Norma Ted Fontaine and Jim Neilson are also individually inducted in the athlete category in the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame.

< Back Neilson Powless ​ ​ ​ Neilson Powless Oneida Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Neilson Powless burst onto the United States road racing scene as a 19-year-old and found instant success, finishing ninth overall at the 2016 Amgen Tour of California and winning a stage at the Tour de l’Avenir. Those results shot him to the World Tour where his adaptability accelerated his learning curve. His sporting family laid the foundation for his future professional success. His mom ran the marathon in the 1992 Olympics. His dad was in the Air Force and raced Ironman’s, winning an award for being the top Ironman finisher who was also in the military. His sister, Shayna is also a professional cyclist who has raced for the US National Team. Family time in the Powless household was spent outdoors: swimming in the lake, running, and riding bikes on the trails in Northern California. Before pursuing cycling, Powless won both XTERRA National and World Championships in 2012. Since entering the World Tour, with most notable results including: Winner of 2021 Klasikoa Donostia San Sebastián and the first time an American has won a World Tour one day race in over a decade, and; 5th place in 2021 Pro World Championships and the best result for an American in over two decades. Competed twice in the Tour de France and first ever North American Native to compete in the Tour de France. Neilson Powless became a professional cyclist in 2018 after stand out performances in the Tour of California, Tour de L’Avenir, and World Championships for U23 cyclists. Since joining the ranks of World Tour professionals. Neilson has most notably led Polka Dot jersey competition as the best climber in the Tour de France for a record 13 days as an American. Neilson has also won professional races across the globe from Europe to Asia. Some of which include the Klasikoa San Sebastián, Japan Cup, Étoile de Bessèges, and the Grand Prix de Marseilles. After finding a niche for himself in 1 day races, Powless now has his eyes set on the prestigious “Monuments” in cycling. In 2023, Powless finished 5th in the cobblestone monument, Ronde Van Vlaanderen. Since then his dream has been to become the first American to win the Ronde Van Vlaanderen. Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images <Back

Kyle Ḵaayák’w Worl Category Athlete Tribe Tlingit, Deg Hit’an Athabascan and Yup'ik Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 3/16/1991 Kyle Ḵaayák’w Worl is an award-winning Arctic Sports athlete and coach currently residing in Juneau, Alaska. Worl is Tlingit of the Lukaax̱.ádi clan, Deg Hit’an Athabascan and Yup'ik. Over his 13 year career in the sport he has won over 100 medals, traveling through Alaska, Canada and Greenland to participate in various competitions. He is credited for spurring a renaissance in Arctic Sports in southeast Alaska as the first coach for Juneau in over 25 years to bring a team to the Native Youth Olympics in 2018. Along with training and coaching year-round in Alaska, Worl travels across the world to share Arctic Sports, including the Riddu Riddu Festival in Norway, Orenda Art International Gallery in Paris, and Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Currently, Worl works with the Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska as the Wellness Coordinator, overseeing a region-wide Traditional Games program. A few of his accolades include being featured in October 2019 Men’s Health Magazine; 2018 & 2019 NYO Games Alaska Healthy Coach Award; 2021, 2018, 2017 & 2016 World Eskimo Indian Olympics Outstanding Athlete Award. Arctic Sports are a collection of Indigenous games based on hunting and survival skills of the north. The games trained both physical and mental abilities that allowed the indigenous people of Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Chukotka to thrive in the Arctic for millennia. Today athletes from across the Arctic and beyond carry on the tradition of the games in events such as Native Youth Olympics, World Eskimo-Indian Olympic, and Arctic Winter Games. Photos: Nobu Koch, Sealaska Heritage and Greg Lincoln, Delta Discovery. Home 2024 Banquet 2024 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact Officials (Individual) More