Mary Louise Defender Wilson

Mary Louise Defender Wilson, whose Dakotah name, Wagmuhawin (wha’ gmoo ha wi’), means Gourd Woman, was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship as a Master Storyteller in 1999.  In 2015 she was awarded a United States Artists fellowship, one of the most prestigious arts fellowships in the nation. 

You can see and hear her telling The Story Of The Fawn, and her own story at her induction to the 2016-19 North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor.