Harriett Skye, a pioneering Sioux woman who paved the way for Native Americans and hosted an unprecedented TV program in Bismarck, has died at age 86.
She passed away at her home in Walnut Creek, CA on January 20, 2018, in the arms of her daughter Jessica as well as her granddaughter Jordan and niece Karen.
Skye was born on Dec. 6, 1931, in Rosebud, S.D., the eldest of seven kids of Douglas and Margaret Skye, including Douglas Jr., Joseph, Thomas (deceased), Clarence and sisters Donna and Corrine (deceased).
She grew up on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in Fort Yates. After graduating high school, her career began as the editor of the tribal newspaper, The Standing Rock Star.
She later moved to Bismarck, where she took a job leading public relations at United Tribes Technical College. She was an editor of United Tribes News, the college"s monthly newspaper, and hosted a television program called "Indian Country Today", which aired from 1973 to 1984 on the local NBC affiliate, KFYR-TV.
In the first 10 years of the bi-weekly program, Skye conducted 246 interviews with Native American leaders and newsmakers. The program reached viewers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Her interviews likely inspired other Native Americans, particularly Native American women, to enter the field of journalism.
North Dakota Indian Affairs Commissioner Scott Davis, who knew Skye since he was a child and worked with her at United Tribes, said she "always had positive energy."
Davis said he worked with Skye when she was the college's vice president of intertribal programs. He said she instilled upon him the importance of meeting people and making connections and said she was "very well-connected."
In 2016, Skye was inducted into the North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor, which recognizes Native Americans who have been influential leaders and crusaders of their tribe and culture.
"I’m so glad she was inducted," Davis said. "Growing up, seeing her on "Indian Country Today," as a young kid I thought that was the coolest thing … I didn’t understand the issues back then as a kid, but (I thought), how cool was it to see a real Indian on TV versus a Hollywood Indian?"
"Her show was a game changer for Indian Country," he said.
Skye also served on the North Dakota Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. In 1979, the federal commission issued a report which called for an investigation into the hiring practices at law enforcement agencies in North Dakota, noting concerns that they were not complying with federal affirmative action hiring practices. This action was spurred by a similar study Skye and the advisory committee conducted, which looked at problems and disadvantages by Native Americans in the local criminal justice system.
She also advocated for better education for Native American children. In 1985, she participated in a demonstration near the White House against a plan to defund a program that provided education to Indian children in 27 states.
Skye went to college when she was 55 years old and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education at New York University. In 1997, she was accepted into a graduate program in ethnic studies at the University of California-Berkeley. Her 2003 dissertation focused on the loss of land at Standing Rock to the Oahe Reservoir and how government agencies and bureaucracies have stripped Native people of their land and natural resources.
Harriett was very public about her sobriety, for 45 years she lived a sober life and encouraged anyone struggling with drugs and alcohol to do the same if they wanted that for themselves. She worked tirelessly taking calls late at night, attending meetings, counseling and coaching anyone who asked, it was part of her life’s work and her commitment to sobriety and living One Day at A Time.
Harriett attended the Standing Rock Community High School where she graduated in May of 1949. After graduation she moved to Fontana, CA where she worked for a year and later returned to Standing Rock and married Reuben Paul. Together they had 4 children, William (Bill), Jason (Jay), Vincent (Vince) and Jessica (Corky). Rueben worked for the Bureau of Indian affairs so they traveled and lived on various reservations during the 1950s and 60s.
Sadly in 1971, they lost their son Jay while living in Sells, Arizona and divorced the following year. Her son Bill passed away in 1998 from colon cancer.
Harriett is survived by her son Vincent Paul and wife Regina, daughter Jessica Skye Paul and granddaughter Jordan Skye Paul, her brothers Douglas, Joseph, Clarence and sister Donna Maday, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren and extended family members, including her loyal companion and four-legged puppy son, Poppi Skye.
A service was held in California at Hulls Walnut Creek Chapel Columbarium, Walnut Creek.
She passed away at her home in Walnut Creek, CA on January 20, 2018, in the arms of her daughter Jessica as well as her granddaughter Jordan and niece Karen.
Skye was born on Dec. 6, 1931, in Rosebud, S.D., the eldest of seven kids of Douglas and Margaret Skye, including Douglas Jr., Joseph, Thomas (deceased), Clarence and sisters Donna and Corrine (deceased).
She grew up on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in Fort Yates. After graduating high school, her career began as the editor of the tribal newspaper, The Standing Rock Star.
She later moved to Bismarck, where she took a job leading public relations at United Tribes Technical College. She was an editor of United Tribes News, the college"s monthly newspaper, and hosted a television program called "Indian Country Today", which aired from 1973 to 1984 on the local NBC affiliate, KFYR-TV.
In the first 10 years of the bi-weekly program, Skye conducted 246 interviews with Native American leaders and newsmakers. The program reached viewers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Her interviews likely inspired other Native Americans, particularly Native American women, to enter the field of journalism.
North Dakota Indian Affairs Commissioner Scott Davis, who knew Skye since he was a child and worked with her at United Tribes, said she "always had positive energy."
Davis said he worked with Skye when she was the college's vice president of intertribal programs. He said she instilled upon him the importance of meeting people and making connections and said she was "very well-connected."
In 2016, Skye was inducted into the North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor, which recognizes Native Americans who have been influential leaders and crusaders of their tribe and culture.
"I’m so glad she was inducted," Davis said. "Growing up, seeing her on "Indian Country Today," as a young kid I thought that was the coolest thing … I didn’t understand the issues back then as a kid, but (I thought), how cool was it to see a real Indian on TV versus a Hollywood Indian?"
"Her show was a game changer for Indian Country," he said.
Skye also served on the North Dakota Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. In 1979, the federal commission issued a report which called for an investigation into the hiring practices at law enforcement agencies in North Dakota, noting concerns that they were not complying with federal affirmative action hiring practices. This action was spurred by a similar study Skye and the advisory committee conducted, which looked at problems and disadvantages by Native Americans in the local criminal justice system.
She also advocated for better education for Native American children. In 1985, she participated in a demonstration near the White House against a plan to defund a program that provided education to Indian children in 27 states.
Skye went to college when she was 55 years old and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education at New York University. In 1997, she was accepted into a graduate program in ethnic studies at the University of California-Berkeley. Her 2003 dissertation focused on the loss of land at Standing Rock to the Oahe Reservoir and how government agencies and bureaucracies have stripped Native people of their land and natural resources.
Harriett was very public about her sobriety, for 45 years she lived a sober life and encouraged anyone struggling with drugs and alcohol to do the same if they wanted that for themselves. She worked tirelessly taking calls late at night, attending meetings, counseling and coaching anyone who asked, it was part of her life’s work and her commitment to sobriety and living One Day at A Time.
Harriett attended the Standing Rock Community High School where she graduated in May of 1949. After graduation she moved to Fontana, CA where she worked for a year and later returned to Standing Rock and married Reuben Paul. Together they had 4 children, William (Bill), Jason (Jay), Vincent (Vince) and Jessica (Corky). Rueben worked for the Bureau of Indian affairs so they traveled and lived on various reservations during the 1950s and 60s.
Sadly in 1971, they lost their son Jay while living in Sells, Arizona and divorced the following year. Her son Bill passed away in 1998 from colon cancer.
Harriett is survived by her son Vincent Paul and wife Regina, daughter Jessica Skye Paul and granddaughter Jordan Skye Paul, her brothers Douglas, Joseph, Clarence and sister Donna Maday, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren and extended family members, including her loyal companion and four-legged puppy son, Poppi Skye.
A service was held in California at Hulls Walnut Creek Chapel Columbarium, Walnut Creek.
Harriett Skye, a pioneering Sioux woman who paved the way for Native Americans and hosted an unprecedented TV program in Bismarck, has died at age 86.
She passed away at her home in Walnut Creek, CA on January 20, 2018, in the arms of her daughter Jessica as well as her granddaughter Jordan and niece Karen.
Skye was born on Dec. 6, 1931, in Rosebud, S.D., the eldest of seven kids of Douglas and Margaret Skye, including Douglas Jr., Joseph, Thomas (deceased), Clarence and sisters Donna and Corrine (deceased).
She grew up on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in Fort Yates. After graduating high school, her career began as the editor of the tribal newspaper, The Standing Rock Star.
She later moved to Bismarck, where she took a job leading public relations at United Tribes Technical College. She was an editor of United Tribes News, the college"s monthly newspaper, and hosted a television program called "Indian Country Today", which aired from 1973 to 1984 on the local NBC affiliate, KFYR-TV.
In the first 10 years of the bi-weekly program, Skye conducted 246 interviews with Native American leaders and newsmakers. The program reached viewers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Her interviews likely inspired other Native Americans, particularly Native American women, to enter the field of journalism.
North Dakota Indian Affairs Commissioner Scott Davis, who knew Skye since he was a child and worked with her at United Tribes, said she "always had positive energy."
Davis said he worked with Skye when she was the college's vice president of intertribal programs. He said she instilled upon him the importance of meeting people and making connections and said she was "very well-connected."
In 2016, Skye was inducted into the North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor, which recognizes Native Americans who have been influential leaders and crusaders of their tribe and culture.
"I’m so glad she was inducted," Davis said. "Growing up, seeing her on "Indian Country Today," as a young kid I thought that was the coolest thing … I didn’t understand the issues back then as a kid, but (I thought), how cool was it to see a real Indian on TV versus a Hollywood Indian?"
"Her show was a game changer for Indian Country," he said.
Skye also served on the North Dakota Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. In 1979, the federal commission issued a report which called for an investigation into the hiring practices at law enforcement agencies in North Dakota, noting concerns that they were not complying with federal affirmative action hiring practices. This action was spurred by a similar study Skye and the advisory committee conducted, which looked at problems and disadvantages by Native Americans in the local criminal justice system.
She also advocated for better education for Native American children. In 1985, she participated in a demonstration near the White House against a plan to defund a program that provided education to Indian children in 27 states.
Skye went to college when she was 55 years old and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education at New York University. In 1997, she was accepted into a graduate program in ethnic studies at the University of California-Berkeley. Her 2003 dissertation focused on the loss of land at Standing Rock to the Oahe Reservoir and how government agencies and bureaucracies have stripped Native people of their land and natural resources.
Harriett was very public about her sobriety, for 45 years she lived a sober life and encouraged anyone struggling with drugs and alcohol to do the same if they wanted that for themselves. She worked tirelessly taking calls late at night, attending meetings, counseling and coaching anyone who asked, it was part of her life’s work and her commitment to sobriety and living One Day at A Time.
Harriett attended the Standing Rock Community High School where she graduated in May of 1949. After graduation she moved to Fontana, CA where she worked for a year and later returned to Standing Rock and married Reuben Paul. Together they had 4 children, William (Bill), Jason (Jay), Vincent (Vince) and Jessica (Corky). Rueben worked for the Bureau of Indian affairs so they traveled and lived on various reservations during the 1950s and 60s.
Sadly in 1971, they lost their son Jay while living in Sells, Arizona and divorced the following year. Her son Bill passed away in 1998 from colon cancer.
Harriett is survived by her son Vincent Paul and wife Regina, daughter Jessica Skye Paul and granddaughter Jordan Skye Paul, her brothers Douglas, Joseph, Clarence and sister Donna Maday, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren and extended family members, including her loyal companion and four-legged puppy son, Poppi Skye.
A service was held in California at Hulls Walnut Creek Chapel Columbarium, Walnut Creek.
She passed away at her home in Walnut Creek, CA on January 20, 2018, in the arms of her daughter Jessica as well as her granddaughter Jordan and niece Karen.
Skye was born on Dec. 6, 1931, in Rosebud, S.D., the eldest of seven kids of Douglas and Margaret Skye, including Douglas Jr., Joseph, Thomas (deceased), Clarence and sisters Donna and Corrine (deceased).
She grew up on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in Fort Yates. After graduating high school, her career began as the editor of the tribal newspaper, The Standing Rock Star.
She later moved to Bismarck, where she took a job leading public relations at United Tribes Technical College. She was an editor of United Tribes News, the college"s monthly newspaper, and hosted a television program called "Indian Country Today", which aired from 1973 to 1984 on the local NBC affiliate, KFYR-TV.
In the first 10 years of the bi-weekly program, Skye conducted 246 interviews with Native American leaders and newsmakers. The program reached viewers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Her interviews likely inspired other Native Americans, particularly Native American women, to enter the field of journalism.
North Dakota Indian Affairs Commissioner Scott Davis, who knew Skye since he was a child and worked with her at United Tribes, said she "always had positive energy."
Davis said he worked with Skye when she was the college's vice president of intertribal programs. He said she instilled upon him the importance of meeting people and making connections and said she was "very well-connected."
In 2016, Skye was inducted into the North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor, which recognizes Native Americans who have been influential leaders and crusaders of their tribe and culture.
"I’m so glad she was inducted," Davis said. "Growing up, seeing her on "Indian Country Today," as a young kid I thought that was the coolest thing … I didn’t understand the issues back then as a kid, but (I thought), how cool was it to see a real Indian on TV versus a Hollywood Indian?"
"Her show was a game changer for Indian Country," he said.
Skye also served on the North Dakota Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. In 1979, the federal commission issued a report which called for an investigation into the hiring practices at law enforcement agencies in North Dakota, noting concerns that they were not complying with federal affirmative action hiring practices. This action was spurred by a similar study Skye and the advisory committee conducted, which looked at problems and disadvantages by Native Americans in the local criminal justice system.
She also advocated for better education for Native American children. In 1985, she participated in a demonstration near the White House against a plan to defund a program that provided education to Indian children in 27 states.
Skye went to college when she was 55 years old and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education at New York University. In 1997, she was accepted into a graduate program in ethnic studies at the University of California-Berkeley. Her 2003 dissertation focused on the loss of land at Standing Rock to the Oahe Reservoir and how government agencies and bureaucracies have stripped Native people of their land and natural resources.
Harriett was very public about her sobriety, for 45 years she lived a sober life and encouraged anyone struggling with drugs and alcohol to do the same if they wanted that for themselves. She worked tirelessly taking calls late at night, attending meetings, counseling and coaching anyone who asked, it was part of her life’s work and her commitment to sobriety and living One Day at A Time.
Harriett attended the Standing Rock Community High School where she graduated in May of 1949. After graduation she moved to Fontana, CA where she worked for a year and later returned to Standing Rock and married Reuben Paul. Together they had 4 children, William (Bill), Jason (Jay), Vincent (Vince) and Jessica (Corky). Rueben worked for the Bureau of Indian affairs so they traveled and lived on various reservations during the 1950s and 60s.
Sadly in 1971, they lost their son Jay while living in Sells, Arizona and divorced the following year. Her son Bill passed away in 1998 from colon cancer.
Harriett is survived by her son Vincent Paul and wife Regina, daughter Jessica Skye Paul and granddaughter Jordan Skye Paul, her brothers Douglas, Joseph, Clarence and sister Donna Maday, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren and extended family members, including her loyal companion and four-legged puppy son, Poppi Skye.
A service was held in California at Hulls Walnut Creek Chapel Columbarium, Walnut Creek.
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