This month we are excited to highlight and introduce Maria Hawkins. We came across her through a video on Instagram (@not_your_average_savage_1995) of her snowboarding in a ribbon skirt. It stood out because it reflected confidence, culture, and presence in a space where Native visibility is often missing. A Chippewa/Cree certified snowboard instructor, writer, and photographer living in Bozeman, Maria is on a journey of reconnection—finding her way back to her family, her people, and herself after being adopted as a newborn. Along the way, she has found meaning in sharing what she knows, quietly giving back to her tribe by teaching snowboarding, helping gather equipment, and creating opportunities for Native youth and families to experience something that once gave her confidence and purpose. Maria’s story is one of reclaiming identity, listening to where you come from, and showing up for community in ways that feel honest and lasting.
Here is her story in her own words.
PERSONAL JOURNEY AND BACKGROUND
Can you share a little about your background ?
My name is Maria Hawkins. I am Chippewa/Cree, a certified snowboard instructor, writer, and photographer. I live in the mountains of Bozeman, Montana on 23 acres where I am lucky to have Bridger Bowl Ski hill just 15 minutes away.
Photography was always a hobby I loved as a kid, I never saw it as a career or something that could take me further in life. I put the camera down and picked it back up a couple of years ago and had a passion for creating powerful imagery. Finding my voice again and the beauty in my words helped me grow every time I pressed the shutter on my camera. I have so much more to share and to create in this world and I hope to keep capturing the hope and courage of our people and lands.
How did snowboarding become such an important part of your journey?
During the first winter of Covid, I wanted to learn how to snowboard, but the cost barrier was too great to afford all the gear and proper lessons. I decided to buy all the things I needed on Facebook Marketplace and teach myself on the snow. That first year was full of large wrecks and many bruises. I was determined to get better so I could ride with my friends and family. At the end of that first season, I was able to connect my turns and felt like I had good footing going into my second year of snowboarding.
I have only been snowboarding for six seasons and have been able to accomplish so much. I am certified by the American Association of Snowboard Instructors and am able to provide snowboarding lessons for Indigenous youth on the Rocky Boy Reservation. Living in Bozeman, there are so many great people here who wanted to help me provide the Box Elder Elementary Ski group with ski jackets, pants, gloves, and other gear to ensure those kids had what they needed to make the experience fun. With communities where there is a need, there is a way, and I am glad I can make a difference and show the kids that someone who looks like them is out here doing good things in the world.
Being on the mountain for me is a great time to think about life and an escape to take in the views without the obstruction of everyday stresses.
Can you share your journey reconnecting with your Native American heritage?
I grew up in Three Forks, Montana, and was placed in the foster care system as a newborn. I always knew I was adopted because my case was very public in the 1990s, with social workers involved from birth, but I didn’t know who my family was or where I came from.
As I got older, I felt like I didn’t fit in. I was raised with the idea that I should be grateful—that a white family had “saved” me. During the adoption case, my adoptive father even claimed he was Native and related to Pocahontas, which wasn’t true. There was a narrative that they were rescuing a Native child from a terrible life. There was a Chippewa Cree family located in Las Vegas that was ready to take me in and adopt me. The tribe could not keep up with the expenses to prolong the case any longer and had to make the hard decision to let me go to the Hawkins family.
When I decided to search for my family, I was discouraged. I was told stories about drugs and dysfunction and warned not to look. But I needed to find my family not just for myself, but for my kids. I didn’t want them growing up with guilt or shame tied to their identity.
I didn’t just need to find my family for myself—I needed to find them for my kids.”
That journey required me to disconnect from my adoptive family, and it took nearly 20 years. I posted photos of my birth certificate in a Rocky Boy Facebook group, and within minutes people were responding—my aunties, cousins, relatives. Both of my parents had already passed away by then, but I was able to meet my aunties and uncles and discovered I have ten siblings.
Finding each other healed something in all of us.
My adoptive family felt betrayed and believed I wasn’t grateful enough for what they had given me, but reclaiming my identity was something I needed to do for myself and my children.
Newspaper clippings from Maria’s adoption case. Left: Maria is shown with her foster dad. R: Maria as a a baby and a clipping of a news article.
FINDING HER WAY BACK
What has the enrollment process like?
I’m still working to obtain my tribal ID. Enrollment is very strict, and proving who I was took time. But I felt a responsibility to reclaim what was missing. There is so much generational trauma tied to displacement, adoption, and identity, and reconnecting has helped begin that healing.
How did ICWA shape your story?
People still don’t understand the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). When I share parts of my story publicly—especially on social media—I sometimes get pushback from people who don’t know the history or purpose of the law. I’m not ready to share everything about what happened yet, but I know many people carry stories just like mine.
Did you always understand your story? Where you came from?
I knew I was adopted, but I didn’t understand what it meant. I didn’t fully realize I was “brown” until I left my adoptive family and entered the wider world. That’s when I began noticing how differently I was treated—and how different it felt to move through the world.
Leaving home forced me to re-evaluate everything I thought I knew. Becoming outspoken made my family feel like I had abandoned them, but I was really just beginning to understand who I was.
“I wasn’t abandoning anyone—I was finally understanding who I was.”
Photo 1 was taken in Bozeman, Montana at the historic Northern Pacific Station (built in 1908) as part of a project Maria joined called Indigenizing Colonized Spaces. Photo 2 was captured during the Crow Fair parade while Maria was working with “Cowboys & Indians” magazine to create photos and an article about the experience. Photo 3 was taken of Maria at Crow Fair and connects to a “Know Before You Go” sidebar article she wrote.
How did that realization change you?
I grew up thinking the world was safe and fair. Once I stepped out on my own, I had to re-figure out life. It opened my eyes to Native issues and realities I hadn’t seen before, and I became unapologetic about standing up for them.
Tell us about your writing and advocacy work.
I wrote an article for American Prairie Journal about my experiences and my historical connections to Rocky Boy, including my fourth great-grandfather, Chief Little Bear. Writing it helped me realize I do have a voice—and that this work is bigger than just me.
American Prairie Journal Article: “Quietly, Then Boldly” by Maria Hawkins
I’m lucky to have connections with MSU’s American Indian Council, which focuses on community outreach and discussion of Native issues and amplifying voices in Montana. I feel like this work is only just beginning. I want to keep collaborating with the council to make impactful images that reflect the powerful moments of our culture.
What do you hope readers will take away from your writing?
That we need to tell our own stories, in our own words. We carry a perspective that only we can share—what it means to walk through the world as Native people. We all have a story and something worth sharing to the world. We can make a difference in the world by standing up and making waves!
We need to tell our own stories in our own words.
Snowboarding, Access and Community
How does snowboarding connect to your community work?
Snowboarding gave me confidence, purpose, and opportunity—and I want the kids in Rocky Boy to have access to that same feeling. Access changes everything, especially for kids who don’t often get to try new things.
“Snowboarding isn’t just a sport—it’s a doorway to confidence and possibility.
Bear Paw Ski Bowl is tribally owned, on tribal land, and volunteer-run. I work with sponsors to donate gear and plan to apply for grants to provide season passes and equipment so kids can keep skiing after I leave. I also make sure parents receive winter clothing, because adults are often overlooked when the focus is only on kids.
Located just 29 miles south of Havre, Montana, in the Bear Paw Mountains on the Rocky Boy Reservation, Bearpaw Ski Bowl is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. after the New Year, weather and snow conditions permitting.
Looking Ahead
What’s next for you?
More writing, photography, and community outreach. I’ll continue gathering winter gear in Bozeman, securing new equipment from sponsors, teaching snowboarding and skiing to tribal youth, and building systems that allow access to continue long after I’m gone.
What advice would you give young people who want to share their voice? Tell their story?
Write down your stories before sharing them publicly. Don’t be afraid either—I was afraid for the longest time about telling my story until I did it and got it all off my chest. It felt really good.
We’re storytellers too, like our people are storytellers, and these are things that aren’t necessarily taught anymore. With colonialism, we’ve suppressed a lot of our emotions and a lot of our abilities.
Fun & Personal
What do you love doing around Bozeman?
Being with my kids—hiking, hunting, snowboarding, teaching them about the land. Huckleberry and juneberry picking, learning from nature. I find myself always being in a mom role, not just with family but with my friend group. I’m always “momming”.
What inspired you to snowboard in a ribbon skirt and share that moment publically?
My friend Divya, who is India and now lives in Minnesota, skied down her local mountain wearing her traditional dress, a sari. She inspired me to ride down my mountain in my ribbon skirt and shawl. From there, we had the idea to meet up and create a collaboration video that blended our cultures with a sport we both love. The videos went viral on TikTok and Instagram and even caught the attention of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which published an article about our video. While no U.S. outlets picked up the story, we were still grateful for the opportunity to connect and make waves in our communities while representing our people.
Maria, wearing her ribbon dress and shawl, and her new friend Divya, dressed in her sari, made waves as they rode down the mountain just outside Bozeman, Montana. Follow Maria on Instagram @notyouraveragesavage.
Any Last Words
As an Indigenous adoptee who never quite fit into any one group, I’ve learned that my journey is not just my own, but one shared by many who are searching for belonging and the true feeling of being wanted. Over the years, I’ve done deep work around my self worth and happiness, and I’ve come to understand that I reach new heights when I believe in myself.
Check out Marie’s writing and photography here:
Cowboys and Indians Article featuring her photography of Crow Fair.
Cowboys and Indians Article about Crow Fair titled “Know Before You Go”.
American Prairie Journal Article – Quietly Then Boldly.
You can follow Maria Hawkins on Instagram @not_your_average_savage_1995.