Beatrice Medicine

Medicine was born on the Standing Rock Reservation in Wakpala, South Dakota on the 1st of August, 1923. == Education ==

Funded by a Laverne Noyes Scholarship, Medicine earned her BA in anthropology at South Dakota State University in 1945. She went on to teach in a number of roles between 1945 and 1951, including for a number of Native institutions: the Haskell Indian Institute (B.I.A.), 1947-1948, Santo Domingo Pueblo, 1949-1950, the Albuquerque Indian School, 1950-1951, and the Flandreau Indian School, 1950-1954. Beginning in 1951, she went back to school to attend Michigan State University, partially funded by the Illinois Federation of Women's Clubs Fellowships and a John Hay Whitney Foundation Fellowship, alongside acting as a Research Assistant in the Sociology and Anthropology department. == Career ==

Medicine studied the human behaviors involved in racism and linguistic discrimination, in both academia and social anthropology. Much of her work focused on the resurgence, survivance, and expansion of Indigenous languages and culture. Medicine was known internationally for her work with students and faculty, In her book, Learning to Be an Anthropologist and Remaining Native, Medicine playfully attributed her multi-institutional career as a result of embracing the traditional roots of the Lakota: "as far as moving so often is concerned, I jokingly refer to the former nomadism of my people". In 1984, Medicine was elected to the Common Cause National Governing Board, a nonprofit organization built with the intent on "holding power accountable". In 1993-94 Medicine took a stand for her beliefs and respect for the role of women in Indigenous cultures by accepting a position in the Women's Branch of Canada's Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, seeing this as acting as a voice for the people to fight for the legal rights of Indigenous families. Medicine's commitment to social action did not end when she retired from her career as a teacher and scholar in the early 1990s. Upon returning to her home on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota she assisted in the efforts to build a new public school for the community. She also sat on the Pardon Board and the Wakpala-Smee School District School board. == Death ==

Beatrice Medicine died during an emergency surgery on 19 December 2005, in Bismarck, North Dakota. In accordance with her wishes there was no funeral service. Her family requested that, rather than collect flowers for a gravesite, friends and family instead donate to the American Indian College Fund in Denver, Colorado. Medicine is survived by her sister Grace V Yardley, her son Ted Sitting Crow Garner, and her adopted daughter JoAllyn Archambault, who is also an anthropologist. == Legacy ==

In 2006 AltaMira Press published Drinking and Sobriety Among the Lakota Sioux, a work they had been producing with Medicine in the days prior to her death. In honour of Medicine and her lifelong dedication to education, The Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) created the Beatrice Medicine Award, a scholarship travel grant of $750 to assist in attending the Annual Meeting of the SfAA. It is awarded to three students who have been enrolled as a student during part of the current year and must have an accepted paper or poster abstract for the SfAA Annual Meeting program. Her papers are archived in the National Anthropological Archives at the Smithsonian Institution. == Awards ==

• (1991) Distinguished Service Award from the American Anthropological Association. • (1996) Bronislaw Malinowski Award from the Society for Applied Anthropology. • Ohana Award from the American Counseling Association]. • Outstanding Woman of Color Award from the National Institute of Women of Color. • Honoring Our Allies Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. ==Published work==

Collaborative works • (1973). "The Native American" in Don Speigel and Patricia Keith-Speigel eds. The Outsiders. New York: Rinehart and Winston Holt. • (1976) "The Schooling Process: Some Lakota (Sioux) Views" in Craig J. Calhoun and Francis A. Janni eds. The Anthropological Study of Education. The Hague: Mouton. • (1983). "Warrior Women." The Hidden Half: Studies of Plains Indian Women. Patricia Albers, ed. . • (1987). "Indian Women and the Renaissance of Traditional Religion" in Raymond J. DeMallie and Douglas R. Parks eds. pp. 159–171. Sioux Indian Religion, Tradition and Innovation. Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press. • (1998). "Alcohol and Aborigines: the North American Perspective." Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Journal, No. 8, pp. 7–11. • (1998). "American Indians and Anthropologists: Issues of History, Empowerment, and Application." Human Organization, Vol. 57, No. 3, pp. 253–57. Films • (1999). Seeking the Spirit: Plains Indians in Russia. Liucija Baskauskas, dir. Documentary Educational Resources. ==References==