Juanita Helphrey
Juanita Helphrey | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 2, 1941 North Dakota, U.S. |
| Died | January 5, 2018 (aged 76) Minot, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Other names | Maaodagabagi Oxhaadish, White Flower, Juanita Boyd-Helphrey |
| Occupation(s) | Community leader, churchworker |
Juanita Jean Smith Boyd Helphrey (March 2, 1941 – January 5, 2018), also known as Maaodagabagi Oxhaadish or White Flower, was a Native American community leader, a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, active in the work of the United Church of Christ denomination. She was executive director of the Indian Affairs Commission of North Dakota, and of the Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM).
Early life and education
[edit]Boyd was born and raised on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation,[1] the daughter of Samuel Boyd and Frances L. Smith Boyd. She was born into the Alkali Lodge Clan of the Hidatsa.[2] Her father was a farm agent and her mother was a social worker. She attended Dickinson State College and Mary College in North Dakota, and the University of California, San Diego.[3]
Career
[edit]Helphrey was the first assistant director of the Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM), from 1971 to 1975.[4][5] She was executive director of the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission from 1975 to 1990.[6][7][8] She spoke at community events,[5][9] made reports about legislation,[10] promoted educational programs,[2] wrote letters to government agencies,[6] and represented North Dakota at the International Women's Year event in Houston in 1977.[3] She was a member of the Peace Pipe Indian Center for Bismarck-Mandan.[5][11]
Helphrey was a member of the national staff of the United Church of Christ from 1991 to 2004.[12][13] In 1997, after several years of protests,[14] she and Vernon Bellecourt were arrested[15] while burning an effigy of the Chief Wahoo mascot of the Cleveland Indians baseball team.[16] The charges were later dismissed.[17] In 2000, she was part of Indigenous Peoples' Day events in Cleveland.[18]
From 2004 to 2006, she was executive director of CAIM.[19] She wrote liturgical materials, including prayers and poems, based in her knowledge of Hidatsa traditions.[20] Beginning in 2007, Helphrey was a Congregational pastor at Fort Berthold, and she wrote a history of Congregational churches at Fort Berthold. She was an invited attendee at Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration.[3]
Personal life
[edit]Boyd married David Helphrey in 1969.[21] She had five sons.[3] She competed in women's horseshoes contests in Bismarck.[22] She died in 2018, at the age of 76, at a rehabilitation facility in Minot, North Dakota.[3][19]
References
[edit]- ^ "Discussion Set on Indians". Hartford Courant. 1974-11-23. p. 19. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Holland, Darrell (1991-07-27). "UCC campaigns to rid Cleveland of Chief Wahoo". The Plain Dealer. p. 16. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Juanita Helphrey", Langhans Funeral Home (2018).
- ^ Zikmund, Barbara Brown (2007-06-01). Hidden Histories in the United Church of Christ. The Pilgrim Press. ISBN 978-0-8298-2066-9.
- ^ a b c "Religion Digest: Day of Prayer". The Bismarck tribune. 1981-02-28. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b United States Congress Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, National Parks, and Forests (September 12, 1989). Miscellaneous Parks and Public Land Measures: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Public Lands, National Parks, and Forests of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate. U.S. Government Printing Office.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Pejman, Peyman (1990-10-05). "'I lost faith in the state': Indian affairs director quits over agency revamp". The Bismarck tribune. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hendrickson, Lucille (1981-10-23). "The Revolving Door of Assimilation". The Bismarck tribune. p. 80. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Friesen, Jill (1977-06-06). "Indian Women Keep Traditional Roles". The Bismarck tribune. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Labatte, Jill (1978-05-05). "Indian Unit Director Discusses Current Concerns, Legislation". The Bismarck tribune. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Indian Club Organizes, Elects, Enlists 75 People". Morning Pioneer. 1970-03-24. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Shepard, Paul (1992-09-16). "Indian activists to protest Chief Wahoo at Stadium". The Plain Dealer. p. 12. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Stark, Mike (2004-11-15). "Racism persists against Indians, speaker says". The Billings Gazette. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Shepard, Paul (1993-07-11). "Indians blame lack of clout for Wahoo decision". The Plain Dealer. p. 22. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Powers-Beck, Jeffrey P. (2004-01-01). The American Indian Integration of Baseball. U of Nebraska Press. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-8032-3745-2.
- ^ Spindel, Carol (2002). Dancing at Halftime: Sports and the Controversy Over American Indian Mascots. NYU Press. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-8147-8127-2.
- ^ "Charges dismissed against Wahoo protesters". The Tribune. 1998-04-08. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Carney, Jim (2000-10-10). "American Indians honor ancestors". The Akron Beacon Journal. p. 35. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Larkman, Connie (2018-01-09). "UCC mourns justice advocate Juanita Helphrey". United Church of Christ. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ Tirabassi, Maren C.; Eddy, Kathy Wonton (1995-06-15). Gifts Of Many Cultures. The Pilgrim Press. ISBN 978-0-8298-2063-8.
- ^ "Marriage Licenses". The Bismarck tribune. 1969-06-20. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Women's horseshoes". The Bismarck Tribune. 1986-07-08. p. 16. Retrieved 2024-08-09 – via Newspapers.com.