From The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture: Born in Ponca City, Oklahoma, in 1939 and raised by maternal grandparents, he grew up in a traditional Ponca lifestyle, which later shaped his strong belief in tribal traditions. By his late teen years he was a noted powwow fancy dancer and singer. His abhorrence for Indian discrimination, poverty, oppression, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and his strong belief in Indian pride led him to speak out against Indian injustices at every opportunity. In the mid-1960s Warrior established a national reputation as an activist with two important essays, "Which One Are You?: Five Types of Young Indians" and "We Are Not Free." His participation in Indian youth workshops and his impatience with moderate Indian organizations like the National Congress of American Indians led him to help co-found the National Indian Youth Council (NIYC) in 1961. Within a short time NIYC became a major Indian political organization, and it still exists.

Abenaki activist, musician, and one of the most acclaimed Indigenous film makers in the world. Best known for her documentaries Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance about the Oka Crisis and Incident at Restigouche, she has made over 30 documentaries about First Nations issues. On her childhood, she said “They were teaching hate towards our people for many generations. And then when I understood, I became a fighter against it … I felt that the children should hear other stories than what they were hearing.” She says what she wanted most was “the voice of our people to be heard in the educational system, especially;” that she could share her belief in “our people, the culture, the language, all the beautiful ways of living;”