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Robbie Robertson was born on July 5, 1943, in Toronto, Canada, with roots in both the Mohawk community at the Six Nations Reserve and the city's Jewish enclave. At the age of 10, Robertson began playing guitar. Just six years later, he joined the Hawks, the backing band for Ronnie Hawkins. The band where he developed his unique classic bluesy rock guitar style.

By 1967, Robertson, alongside his bandmates, was on tour with Bob Dylan and working on groundbreaking music. In 1968, The Band released music for the album titled "Big Pink". This led the band to become the first North American rock group to be on the cover of Time magazine in 1970. A few years later, in 1973, they performed the largest rock concert audience in history at Watkins Glen.

After completing their seventh final studio album together, Robertson transitioned into film. He began his career in film by co-writing, producing, and sourcing music for many films. Most notably for projects like Shutter Island (2010) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).

Over Robertson's lifetime, he released six solo albums, authored a memoir, and was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada and received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award.

Robertson's incredible journey left a long-lasting impact on the music and film industry that inspires generations today.

Today's innovator is Joy Harjo.

Joy Harjo was born on May 9, 1951, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a larger city that is a part of the Muscogee Nation. Harjo grew up as Joy Foster, the oldest of four siblings. She later changed her last name to match her Mvskoke grandmother's family name.

Harjo is from the Muscogee Nation and belongs to Oce Vpofv. Growing up, she was surrounded by a world of artists and musicians. Her mother, grandmother, and aunt all wrote songs. This inspired Harjo to write her very first poem in the eighth grade.

At an early age, Harjo experienced some violent behavior within her family regarding her parents. While at school, she often expressed herself through painting. When she turned 16, she left home to continue her education at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This is where she further explored her interest in Native art, participated in Native drama, and wrote songs for an all-Native rock band.

For her secondary education, Harjo attended the University of New Mexico as a pre-med student. She later switched her major to creative writing, inspired by her work with Native American poets Simon J. Ortiz and Leslie Marmon Silko.

In 1975, Harjo published her first book of nine poems called "The Last Song." A year later, she graduated from college and began the Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing at the University of Iowa. After graduating from this program, she began teaching at universities such as the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, and others.

By 1980, Harjo published her first full-length volume of poetry called "What Moon Drove Me to This?" Since then, she has also published nine books of poetry, two memoirs, plays, and several books for young audiences.

Among her many awards, in 2009 she won a Native American Music Award for Best Female Artist of the Year. Harjo is a founding board member and chair of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation and was elected Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2019. "She has since been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, the National Native American Hall of Fame, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters".

Today, Harjo inspires other creative artists with her works and achievements.

InnoNative is highlighting innovators across Indian Country, starting with Mary Golda Ross.

Mary Golda Ross was born on August 9, 1908, in Park Hill, Oklahoma, a small town within the Cherokee Nation. Ross grew up as a talented child and was sent to live with her grandparents closer to the capital of the Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

At an early age, Ross had interests in math and science. In 1928, she received her bachelor's degree in mathematics from Northeastern State Teachers College. Continuing her education, Ross took every astronomy class available to her and in 1938, she received her master's degree from the Colorado State Teachers College.

Navigating life through the Great Depression, Ross taught subjects such as math and science for nine years in rural Oklahoma schools. In 1941, Ross moved to California to seek out work opportunities after the national service call. During WWII, Ross was hired as a mathematician and research assistant at Lockheed Aircraft Corporation.

Ross was a part of a group known informally as Skunk Works, where she worked on improving a US Army Air Forces fighter plane known as P–38 Lightning using her knowledge of aerodynamic forces.

Ross continued her education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Extension, where she qualified as a registered professional engineer in 1949. Her remarkable path allowed her to take on more complex projects during the Cold War.

Today, Ross is known as the first Native American woman engineer, a role model for many young engineers.

Margolis, E. A., & Montiel, A. (2022, February 11). Mary Golda Ross: Aerospace Engineer, Educator, and Advocate. Airandspace.si.edu. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/mary-g-ross-aerospace-engineer

Mary Golda Ross: The First Native American Aerospace Engineer and Space Race Pioneer. (2025, August 8). Www.amightygirl.com. https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=26040