Joyce "Snowfeather" Mahaney
Lucas County (1947 – 2006 )
2007 Women's Hall of Fame Inductee -- Community Activist

Founder of the American Indian Intertribal Association of Toledo, Joyce "Snowfeather" Mahaney was devoted to keeping Native American heritage alive.

Nominated by Martha Pituch, Bonnie McKenna, & Kim Kennedy
American Indian Intertribal Association

Joyce “Snowfeather” Mahaney has left a legacy in Ohio and the Midwest for the preservation of Native American culture. She dedicated her life to teaching Native Americans and non-Native Americans the importance of Native American heritage.

Joyce “Snowfeather” Mahaney was born in 1947 on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota of Chippewa parents. She graduated from Minot State College where she completed a Baccalaureate Degree in Education with minors in Library Science and Sociology.

Throughout her life, Ms. Mahaney continued to support her Native American heritage, becoming a spokesperson for all tribes of Native Americans in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. She was designated as a Pipe Carrier from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota, which gave her permission to conduct special religious and cultural ceremonies. It is one of the highest honors provided to a member of a tribe.

Ms. Mahaney moved to Toledo with her husband, Russell, and daughter, Kim, in the late 1970s. Her son, Patrick, was born in Toledo in 1972. In 1988, She established the American Indian Intertribal Association of Toledo to preserve all tribal cultures by promoting cultural education among American Indians and the general public. She served as director until her death in 2006. Ms. Mahaney also worked with social service agencies in applying for the Indian Child Welfare Act to ensure Indian children were placed in homes where they would be exposed to their culture.

Ms. Mahaney was active in the preservation of Indian burial grounds in Maumee in the 1990’s, was instrumental in the development of the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Fallen Timbers and the purchase of that battle sight in 2002, and was of service to the native American Advisory Council. She is an author of two books, Prairie Winds (1995) and Spirit of Dakota (1999), a collection of prose and poetry of Native American culture, spirituality, and life on an Indian reservation.

Joyce “Snowfeather” Mahaney was devoted to keeping the Native American Indian heritage alive. Today, the AIIA is still active with her daughter Kim as the Director.