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Jeff Shattler Category Athlete Tribe Ojibwa Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 12/26/1984 Jeff Shattler, a Toronto raised Native from the Ojibwa tribe, has played in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) for 15 years. Shattler spent his rookie year with the Buffalo Bandits, but spent the majority of his career with the Calgary Roughnecks. Jeff is currently in his 16th season, with the Saskatchewan Rush where he was most recently named playoff MVP during the 2018 season, and where he helped win the team the championship that year. In addition to two NLL championships during his career, Jeff has also won two Mann Cup championships and participated in nine all star games. Prior to his latest achievements with the Saskatchewan Rush, Shattler had several other career highlights with the Calgary Roughnecks. In 2011 he was awarded with both the ‘Transition Player of the Year’ and the ‘League MVP. Shattler also represents Team Iroquois on an international level where he helped secure three world championships: one bronze medal in field lacrosse, and two silver medals in box lacrosse. At present, Shattler is the all time leading scorer amongst aboriginals in box lacrosse, and number 16 in the NLL. Currently, Shattler and his family are residing in Regina, Saskatchewan where he has founded, The Shattler Lacrosse Academy, an outlet he uses to spread his knowledge and passion for the sport to individuals all across North America. Home 2027 Banquet 2027 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

David Powless Category Athlete Tribe Oneida Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 5/29/43 David Powless’ high school football team was the undefeated Illinois State Champions of 1960. He was an All State offensive tackle. He received college football scholarship offers. He chose the Oklahoma University (OU). He left OU as a sophomore and went to the University of Illinois and played offensive guard on the University of Illinois Big 10 and Rose Bowl Championship team in 1964. In 1965 as a graduating senior he was drafted in the National Football League (NFL) by the New York Giants and also by the American Football League (AFL) by the Kansas Chiefs. He was with the New York Giants one year and then went to the Washington Redskins his second year. That year he had a spinal injury requiring surgery that ended his football career. Powless worked for Native American tribes including his Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin. He also owned several personal businesses. His expertise was in economic development. In 1983 he received an award in the “White House Rose Garden” from Vice President of the United States George Bush for the development of recycling technology. In 2008 he was inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame for his athletic contributions. Home 2027 Banquet 2027 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

Joy SpearChief-Morris Category Athlete Tribe Blackfoot (Blood Kainai) Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 3/17/1994 Joy is an Indigenous Black Canadian writer, advocate, and athlete. She is a proud member of the Kainai Blood Tribe and grew up in Lethbridge, Alberta. Joy is a retired 100m hurdler in athletics, three-time Canadian National Championship finalist and two-time Team Canada member. As a member of Team Canada, she is a 2014 North American Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) U23 silver medalist and a fifth place finisher at the 2019 FISU World Universidad. She has sat on the AthletesCAN Board of Directors and Athletics Canada’s Athletes Council, and now sits on the AthletesCAN Diversity and Equity Advisory Committee. Joy has achieved several notable accolades. Most notably, she was the 2016 and 2017 OUA Female Track MVP, 2017 USports Student-Athlete Community Service Award winner, 2017 Tom Longboat Award winner and the featured cover athlete for the 2019 May/June issue of Canadian Running Magazine. Joy has a Bachelor’s degree in History and First Nations Studies and a Master’s degree in Political Science specializing in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction from Western University. Joy is now pursuing a career as a journalist, having bylines in The Globe and Mail and CBC Sports. She is currently in the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University. Home 2027 Banquet 2027 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

< Back Cory Witherill Cory Witherill Navajo Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 Cory Witherill is a Navajo professional race car driver from Pacific Palisades, CA who competed in the INDYCAR Series, Indy Racing League, NASCAR, ARCA and ASA series. He made an incredible bump day qualifying run on a brand new Menard’s engine to qualify for the 2001 Indianapolis 500, becoming the only full-blooded Native American to race in the Indy 500. He finished nineteenth after a flat tire, dropping to 26th and two laps down. Most of the race prior to the flat, Cory was running near the top 10. In 2002 and 2003, he went to the Indy Racing League’s Infinity Pro Series driving for Ron Hemelgarn Racing. In 2002, he had eight podium finishes and one win at Nashville Super Speedway. In 2003 while driving for Hemelgarn Racing, Cory almost won, but finished second in the inaugural Freedom 100 race at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Cory also competed in other forms of professional motorsports before making it to the Indy 500. He is a six-time Canadian Stadium Off-Road champion, 4 time U.S. Off Road Stadium champion and a professional motocross racer. He also raced in the Shelby Can-Am series, US F2000 series, CART Indy Lights and USAC sprint cars. Cory was raised and adopted by two loving non-native parents, Carole and Listion Witherill who are both very supportive in Cory for finding his path. He hopes one day to find and meet his biological family. <Back

Denise TsadeyohdiWaterman Category Builder Tribe Oneida Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 6/9/1953 Denise Tsadeyohdi Waterman is a Haudenosaunee Oneida Nation citizen and Turtle clan family member. Ms. Waterman has served as a teacher and Mathematics Specialist for nearly forty years at the Onondaga Nation School. In 2016 the NIEA-NYS awarded Teacher of the Year, and The NIEA awarded her the National Community Service Teacher of the Year in 2014. Ms. Waterman co-founded the Onondaga Nation Education organization, the Onondaga Nation Minor Athletics, & the Onondaga Nation OLA Junior Lacrosse, Advisory Board member for Ohngwe sports, and is a Founding Board member (1983) of the Iroquois National Lacrosse of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Denise Waterman said, “I enjoy applying Haudenosaunee ideology manifesting itself through the Haudenosaunee lacrosse, which allows the entire world to see, learn, and feel the pride of indigenous peoples and lacrosse enthusiasts from every corner of the world.” During her tenure as Executive Director of the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse 2010-2015, she wrote, established, and negotiated the 2011 FIL merger initiative for the Haudenosaunee regarding the full nation membership for all our people within the world lacrosse organization. She also is widely noted for winning the bid to host the international 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships on Native Lands; under her auspices as Executive Director. The World Lacrosse. Inc., an international sporting organization, has awarded Ms. Waterman the International Spirit of Lacrosse Award in 1998, 2007, 2011, and 2016. Her colleagues say, “The sustainability and future of indigenous sports are protected, thanks to the vigilance and character and truth of Denise Waterman that is the energy, the positive leadership that is the inner wisdom that provides us a view beyond ourselves; at no expense to others.” Denise Waterman’s educational background includes a B.S., SUCO New York in Education, Master’s Syracuse University, CAS in Education Leadership, and Ed.D Executive Leadership candidate at LeMoyne College. Denise’s family members are Lawson, Madex, Kohen, Kimaura, Tia, and Gewas. Done:toh. Home 2027 Banquet 2027 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

Gerald (Jerry) Gourneau Turtle Mountain Chippewa Induction Category: Year Inducted Trainer 2023 <Back Gerald (Jerry) Gourneau, Mukaday Maaingan (Black Wolf) from the Horse clan is from the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota. Jerry holds a Master’s degree in Administration graduating from Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD. He has worked as a teacher, administrator, project coordinator, director, and self-employed horse trainer. Jerry’s desire for thoroughbred horse racing and training began at the age of 16 when his father Larry Sr. with brothers Bill and Dave Sr. later identifying as “Gourneau Brothers Racing” purchased their first horse named “Sima’s Award”. His passion for racing grew as he began to work at various racing circuits in the United States and Canada. Tracks he frequented are Turf Paradise, Delta Downs, Fairgrounds, Sam Houston and Lone Star Park, Century Mile, Fonner Park, and Assiniboia Downs. He began to perfect his skills and knowledge as a horsemen along with the love of horses and his family pushed him to do the very best he could in making his First Nations people proud. Jerry just completed three consecutive years as the leading trainer at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, MB earning purse money of $1,850,050.00. The first leading trainer title came in 2019 and was successfully shared with his brother Dave Sr. The most memorable and meaningful times in horse racing are with family from Belcourt, ND and his wife Lyn Blackburde from Rainy River Manitou Rapids First Nation in Treaty 3 Ontario. Jerry was recently highlighted in a book published by the Manitoba Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Council celebrating the history of over 100 Indigenous athletes from Manitoba, Canada titled “A History of Excellence, The Untold Stories of Manitoba’s Indigenous Sport 2021”.

NAIAHF Film Screenings Oneida Casino Hotel Three Clans Conference Center Green Bay, WI, USA Saturday, May 30, 2026 Free and Open to the Public Featuring the films of NAIAHF inductees in the Media category The Long Walk/A Dance with Humanities 2:00pm, 66:00 runtime Filmmakers: Edison Eskeets, Diné and Philip Lawrence The Long walk is a documentary created to remember the experiences of the Navajo people during a historic event that forced men, women, elderly and children over 330 miles Medicine Ball 3:15pm; 57:00 runtime Filmaker: Leaya Hale, Sisseton/Wahpeton Dakota, Diné "Medicine Ball" follows Native college athletes, Lexus Redthunder and Leroy Fairbanks IV, as they navigate college life and basketball at the University of Minnesota Morris located on the site of a former Native boarding school. Their journey reveals how basketball became a powerful symbol of resilience, hope, and cultural pride in Native communities. My Native America 4:20pm, 75:00 runtime Filmaker: Jim Warne, Oglala Lakota This production is a long-term dream to create a show that share stories and perspectives from a wide representation of Indigenous Tribal Nations. Join me as we learn about an America you may not know... Indian Country... the indigenous communities within the hundreds of Tribal Nations throughout the US. Wopila Carley Buckets 5:45pm, 25:00 runtime Filmaker: Mark Williams, Choctaw A small Choctaw reservation gets behind Tribal member Carly Keats, as she overcomes hardships and adversity in taking her basketball journey to the University of Arkansas.

< Back Stevie Ray Doxtator Stevie Ray Doxtator Oneida Nation Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 Born on January 26, 1997, Stevie Doxtator began his martial arts journey at the age of 12, training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. From a young age, Stevie showed discipline, focus, and a strong work ethic, qualities that would later define his athletic career. By the time he turned 18, he had earned his purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, demonstrating years of dedication to the art of grappling and self-improvement. After finishing school, Stevie took some time away from competition to focus on work, but his passion for martial arts never left. Within a couple of years, he returned to training—this time immersing himself fully in Muay Thai, also known as the art of eight limbs. Over the past five years, Stevie has dedicated himself to mastering the striking discipline, training full-time and competing across Canada. Through relentless effort and determination, Stevie rose to become one of the country’s most respected Indigenous combat athletes. He currently holds a record of 12 fights and was crowned Canadian National Muay Thai Champion in the 71-kilogram division in 2025. His achievements represent not only his personal dedication but also pride and inspiration for his Indigenous community. Stevie’s talent and impact have been recognized throughout his career. He was honored with the Indigenous Fighter of the Year Award in 2022 and received Montreal’s Fighter of the Year Award in 2020, marking his consistency, sportsmanship, and excellence inside and outside the ring. Balancing humility with fierce competitiveness, Stevie continues to grow as both an athlete and role model. His journey from a young martial artist to a national champion stands as a testament to perseverance, cultural pride, and passion for combat sports. Through his accomplishments, Stevie hopes to inspire the next generation of Indigenous athletes to chase their dreams and represent their heritage with strength and honor. <Back

< Back Henry Boucha Henry Boucha Ojibwe Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 While growing up in Warroad, Minnesota, Henry Boucha played on the 1964 Bantam State Championship team, was all-conference in football, baseball, and hockey and was three-time All-State in hockey. Boucha graduated in 1969 from Warroad High School. The Warroad Warriors were runner-up at 1969 Minnesota Boys State Hockey Tournament. He signed with the Winnipeg Jets of the WCHL after high school. As an 18-year old, Boucha was chosen to represent the USA in the 1970 World Championships in Bucharest, Romania. In 1970, he was drafted in the US Army during the Vietnam War. He served two years in the Army while playing with the 1971 US World Championship Team and competing in the 1971 World Championships in Bern and Geneva Switzerland. In 1971 the Detroit Red Wings drafted him 16th overall. Still in the service he also played for the US Olympic Team in 1972 in Sapporo, Japan winning a silver medal. Boucha was the first draft choice of the Minnesota Fighting Saints in the new World Hockey Association just after the Olympics. He signed with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1971-72 season and played the last 16 games with Detroit. In 1973, he scored the fastest goal at the start of the game against the Montreal Canadians. Boucha was traded to the Minnesota North Stars in the summer of 1974. He suffered a major eye injury on January 4, 1975 when Dave Forbes of the Boston Bruins hit him with his stick resulting in a devastating and career ending eye injury. Boucha retired in 1977 as a 25-year-old. He returned to Warroad in the mid 80’s to raise his family. Henry coached youth hockey, was Indian Education Director at Warroad Public Schools, and was a realtor. He is the CEO of Boucha Films, LLC, and CEO of Boucha Films LTD, Canada. Boucha Films is currently in pre-production on the movie based on his book he authored called “Henry Boucha, Ojibwa-Native American Olympian”. <Back

< Back Dr. Joseph “Bud” Sahmaunt Dr. Joseph “Bud” Sahmaunt Kiowa Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete/Administrator 2026 Dr. Joseph “Bud” Sahmaunt left an indelible imprint on Oklahoma City University athletics as a basketball player and later athletic director. Sahmaunt earned most valuable player in the All-College Tournament in 1958 while playing basketball for OCU. After transferring from Cameron (Okla.), Sahmaunt became a member of the OCU basketball team from 1958-60. OCU won the 1958 All-College Tournament and participated in the 1959 National Invitational Tournament. In July 1987, Sahmaunt was named athletic director for OCU and served the university for 13 years as such. Before being named athletic director, Sahmaunt served as professor of education and associate dean of education. During Sahmaunt’s tenure as athletic director, OCU captured 15 NAIA national championships. OCU won national titles in women’s basketball in 1988, 1999 and 2000, men’s basketball in 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1996, men’s tennis in 1998, 1999 and 2000 and softball in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2000. Sahmaunt hired OCU baseball coach Denney Crabaugh, men’s golf coach Kyle Blaser and softball coach Phil McSpadden. Each led OCU to NAIA championships in their sport. Jim Abbott, who later became OCU athletic director, worked under Sahmaunt from 1991-94 as director of athletic development and promotions. Sahmaunt is a member of OCU’s 1960 graduating class as well as a member of the OCU Athletics Hall of Fame. Sahmaunt was inducted into the hall of fame in November 1981 while working for the university as the dean of an OCU program that linked higher education institutions with the local Native American communities. He is also a member of the Kiowa Nation Hall of Fame, the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame and was a member of The Oklahoman’s 1950’s all-star basketball team. <Back

< Back Frederick George Sasakamoose Frederick George Sasakamoose Plains Cree (nêhiyawak) Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Frederick Sasakamoose was born at Whitefish Lake to a traditional Cree family. As a child, Fred developed a strong bond with his Grandfather. It was during this time that Fred was introduced to hockey by the elderly Sasakamoose. At seven years old, Fred, along with his brother were forcefully removed from their family and taken into the Residential School System. Subjected to the constant of traumatic abuse, Fred found light in recreational sport when a French-Canadian priest encouraged the young boy to take up hockey. It was during his introductory career with his Residential School Hockey team, the St. Michael’s Ducks that Fred shined as a player. After his departure from St. Michael’s in 1949, Fred would be recruited by the junior ice hockey team, the Moose Jaw Canucks. After an impressive 31 goal season in the 1953-54 regular season, Fred’s talents were called upon by the Chicago Blackhawks where Sasakamoose would become the First Treaty Indian to play in the National Hockey League. Sasakamoose’s NHL career lasted only eleven games, before loneliness for his homeland struck. He would continue playing for the minor leagues in Western Canada, until finally returning home in 1962 and over twenty years since he was forcefully removed by authorities. Fred lived a life in shadow of his experiences at Residential School; both alcohol and anger shackled him for many decades. In 1981, Fred became Chief of his band and sobriety of alcohol followed soon. Rather than resenting the past, Fred took the future and became a leader for Indigenous youth. He was a stern advocate for reconciliation and Indigenous sport, and in 2017, headed the inaugural Chief Thunderstick Hockey Tournament; the largest Indigenous hockey event in North America. For his work towards reconciliation and efforts in supporting Indigenous youth, Fred was awarded the Order of Canada in 2018. Fred passed away on November 24th, 2020. Photograph #1, Profile (Fred as an elderly man): Photograph of Fred Sasakamoose, September 16th, 2020. Credit: Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs Photograph #2, Action (Fred as a young man): Photograph of Fred Sasakamoose, as a Chicago Blackhawks player. Credit: Sasakamoose family <Back

< Back Kyle Ḵaayák’w Worl Kyle Ḵaayák’w Worl Tlingit, Deg Hit’an Athabascan and Yup'ik Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 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. <Back