Dani Pikolakitisaata Tippmann

Dani Tippmann is a Miami Native American, descended from Takumwah, and Chief Richardville and is a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma.

Her knowledge of plants has been collected over the years from tribal members and elders, including her mother, aunts and elder tradition bearers. She speaks about traditional Native plants used in storytelling, food, medicine and technology and about traditional Myaamia lifeways, culture and history. Dani completed a Bachelor of General Studies at Indiana University in 2002 as an adult returning student.

Dani has been recognized by Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne and Traditional Arts Indiana as an Allen County Folklife Scholar for cultural leadership in 2022. She was honored as an Eiteljorg Museum of Native and Western Art – Artist in Residence in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2023. She was honored with the Indiana Heritage Fellowship Award from Traditional Arts Indiana.

She serves the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma as the Kiihkayonki Community Food Program Director in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area.

Modern Americans think of time as a river passing by. Myaamia people tend to think of time as a pond with rocks dropping in as events. Small pebbles create small ripples and effects, while large events create large ripples which affect us greatly throughout time. Forced removal from our homelands was a huge boulder, creating horrible ripples in our lives that are felt even today. Receiving a Taproot Fellowship will create big positive ripples for me and the Myaamia people into the future.

Being a Taproot Fellow is a prestigious honor for me because it honors the people who came before me, who honored our shared heritage of plant knowledge. It gives an opportunity to future Myaamiaki/Miami people to learn our shared culture for a bright future.