Penny Fouts

Name: Penny Fouts (Nipiaquah)

Tribe: Miami Indians of Indiana

Tribal Position: Finance Officer for tribe and cultural education coordinator.

Profession: Bookkeeper.

Education: Porter College graduate.

Favorite Sports: Basketball, baseball, & soccer.

Hobbies/Special Interests: Knit, crochet, and do Indian crafts. Board member of the Girl Scouts of Trials Council. Read about other cultures.

Religion: Native American.

Ways you celebrate being an American Indian: Language classes, Miami reunion, attend pow wow, longhouse, meetings, and other ceremonies. Also member of Miami Elder Women’s Council.

Ways you preserve your culture and heritage: I do presentations to the public about our history, culture, and language. Host tours of the Miami Schoolhouse that the tribe owns in Grant County. I encourage my grandchildren to be proud of their culture and participate in tribal events. I live my culture.

Do you speak your tribal language? I do speak some Miami, not fluent— yet.

Misconceptions: We are all drunks. That all Indians have dark skin, brown eyes, and black hair. That all tribes are the same.

Offensive words/actions: I don’t like squaw, redskins, and the greeting “how ” or “You don’t look Indian.”