2004 Indigenous Heritage Awards

Engraved crystal award presented for the Indigenous Heritage Award for Leadership
courtesy of Lemurian Crystal.

The organizers of the Indigenous Heritage Festival were proud to present the annual Indigenous Heritage Awards to recognize and publicly acknowledge organizations and individuals who have made a major positive impact on indigenous people and issues of the world. The winners of this year's awards were:

• David DeHass - Indigenous Heritage Award for Leadership - Hollywood, FL Representative of the Board of Directors and an established leader of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
• Marvin Couch - Indigenous Heritage Award for Philanthropy - Retired Florida legislator who contributed generously to make possible the creation of ATAYAL and the Indigenous Heritage Festival.
• Disney - Indigenous Heritage Award for Visual Media - Recognized for their portrayal of indigenous cultures in popular animated films, Brother Bear and Pocahantas. Accepted by Ray Bagwell, Director for Minority Business Development for Disney.
• Cultural Survival Quarterly - Indigenous Heritage Award for Print Media - Publication dedicated to indigenous people and issues of the world.
• Kuei-Shih Tien - Indigenous Heritage Award for Visual Arts - Photographer who beautifully chronicled the disappearing facial tattoo culture of the Atayal tribe of Taiwan.
• Thirza Defoe - Indigenous Heritage Award for Performing Arts - Accomplished performer and visual storyteller from the Ojibwe and Oneida tribes.
• nila northSun - Indigenous Heritage Award for Literature - Accomplished poet and storyteller from the Shoshone culture.
• The Council of Indigenous Peoples, Executive Yuan, Taiwan ROC - Indigenous Heritage Award for Public Policy - The branch of the government of Taiwan committed to indigenous issues. Advances in public policy has helped to improve the landscape for Taiwan's indigenous people over the past several years. Accepted by Samuel Wu, Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.

For more information, please contact Tony Coolidge at (321) 231-5857 or by e-mail.