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 Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1990. This act provides comprehensive protection for Native American burials and associated artifacts on federal properties and in public and private museums and collections. Her accomplishments in this area were recognized not only at a national level but in several international conferences dealing with human rights and repatriation issues.
In 1990 she traveled to Venezuela to attend the Second World Archaeological Congress as an official indigenous member of the Executive Council. The BBC made a documentary program, Bones of Contention, about Maria that was broadcast in 1995.
Maria was featured in the Leadership 2003 series of the Ames Tribune.