Indiana Historical Bureau
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.”