Veteran researcher Nancy M. Peterson tells the stories of twelve mixed-blood women who, steeped in the tradition of their Indian mothers but forced into the world of their white fathers, fought to find their identities in a rapidly changing world. In an era when most white women had limited opportunities outside the home, these mix-blood women often became nationally recognized leaders in the fight for Native American rights. They took the tools and training the whites provided and used them to help their people. They found differing paths - medicine, music, crafts, the classroom, the lecture hall, the stage, the written word - an walked strong and tall. These women did far more than survive; they extended a hand to help their people find a place in a hard new future.