Have you ever known the history of those Indian or Native American People on US Coins, some of which honor people? Join me while I tell you their history.
The Indian penny depicts Liberty, who is wearing a traditional Indian headress. The first form featured a laurel wreath and the words ONE CENT on the reverse. This design was changed the next year to an oak wreath, a small shield and the words ONE CENT. Before the issuance of five cent pieces these coins were called 'nickels ' or 'nicks'. When the nickels finally got issued, the new nickname was 'white cents'. In the Civil War, almost all gold, silver coins and eventually copper nickel cents vanished. In large cities, coins about the size of the cent started trickling out of the merchants as a replacement for the cent. The Act of April 22, 1864 made those merchant coins illegal and then the Mint issued a bronze cent. In 1864, a sharper portrait of Longacre's design was edited to include Longacre's initial, L,  which is located on Liberty's neck. This design lasted from 1864 to 1909 when it was replaced by the Lincoln cent.
The Buffalo, Bison or Indian nickel debuted in 1913, and lasted until 1938. In it's first year, there were two designs,  one with the bison on a mound, and one with the base with a straighter, thinner line. James E. Fraser, the designer of this coin, employed three different Native Americans for the Indian in this coin's obsverse design. He based the bison off of 'Black Diamond' from the Central Park Zoo. Always watch for rare Buffalo nickels because a Buffalo nickel from 1918 from Denver sold for $287,500 because the eight in the date was over a seven. In 2001, the Mint issued a commemorative  silver dollar for the Indian nickel. This commemorative contains the original portrait in finer detail, plus it still contains James E. Fraser's initial, F, under the date. These were only minted in Denver and in Philadelphia. 
Starting in 2022, the US Mint is honoring five women a year for four years, totaling twenty women honored. Their unique designs are placed on the quarter dollar, which bears the design from a George Washington commemorative dollar in 1999.This series is set to end in 2025. Even though we are only one year into the series ,we already have an American woman who was a Native American from the Cherokee tribe. Wilma Mankiller was the first female principal chief in the history of her people, the Cherokee nation . Her title only lasted ten short years, but during her administration she revitalized the Cherokee nation with her ideas of extensive community development, education and health care programs.
 Native Americans are one of the strongest backbones in American history. Some of the designs on coins, some of which I have told you about depict Native Americans. Whether it is on a penny, nickel, quarter, or even a silver commemorative dollar, it is always a great time when you collect coins with Native Americans on them, but the time is even better when you know the history behind them.