| Mona Polacca | |
| Tribe: | Hopi/Havasupai/Tewa |
| Role: | elder |
| Birth Date: | 22 January 1955 |
| Education: | Arizona State University Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Relations: | Manakaja, chief of Havasupai from 1900 to 1942[1] |
Mona Polacca is a Native American spiritual elder from Arizona.[2] She has worked to further social justice for indigenous people from an early age. She is an author in the field of social sciences, has held posts of responsibility as Treasurer for her tribe,[3] served on several committees for Indigenous Peoples within the United Nations.[4] and is widely known for her "leadership in the Native American revitalisation movement."[5]
In recent years, Mona has gained international recognition for her work as one of the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers – a group of spiritual elders, medicine women and wisdom keepers founded in 2004.[6]
In 2021, she joined the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary (New York City) as a senior fellow for the Original Caretakers Program.[7]
Mona became interested in indigenous social justice at the age of 14 when she first heard about the occupation of Alcatraz Island by a Native American group called Indians of All Tribes in 1969. Although Mona was only 14 years old she wanted to visit the island and was allowed to do so by her parents.[3] "Blessed with the gift of nearperfect oral memory, her elders spent hours teaching her the old ways and prophecies word for word, trusting their information would be safe in her hands."[8]
She has been part of the Native American Church since 1978.[5]
Mona has held many positions relating to social justice including:
She has done "research in the social sciences on alcoholism, domestic violence, and culturally appropriate treatments for Native Americans,"[5] and work on health issues with the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.[10]
As of 2013, she was working on a Ph.D. in the Interdisciplinary Justice Studies department at Arizona State University.[11]
See main article: International Council of 13 Grandmothers. In 2004, Mona was approached by The Center for Sacred Studies to serve on the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers.[12] Grandmother Mona is the youngest of the 13 Grandmothers[3]
She was a member of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers 2008 delegation to Rome, Italy to address the Vatican papal bull authorizing "conversion" of the indigenous peoples of the Americas.[13]
On April 8, 2021 she delivered a lecture via zoom about the Indigenous Grandmother’s Council for the University of Redlands NSP.[14]