Deer, Ada ElizabethNative American Ada Deer became the first woman to head the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in 1993, serving until 1997. During her confirmation hearings, she told the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs: “Personally, you should know that forty years ago, my tribe, the Menominee, was terminated; twenty years ago we were restored; and today I come before you as a true survivor of Indian policy.”