Ada Deer, a member of the Menominee tribe in Wisconsin and a leading figure in the movement for greater Native American sovereignty since the 1960s, a role she played both as a critic of the federal government and as a top official within it, died on Tuesday in Fitchburg, Wis., a suburb of Madison.
She was 88.
Ben Wikler, her godson and the chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, confirmed her death, at a hospital.
She had been in hospice care since July.
Deer racked up a long list of firsts over the course of her life.
Persons:
Ada Deer, Ben Wikler, Deer
Organizations:
Democratic Party of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin, of Indian Affairs, Washington , D.C
Locations:
Ada, Menominee, Wisconsin, Fitchburg, Wis, Madison, Washington ,