Francis "Bud" Johnston

Francis (Bud) Johnston is an enrolled member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. His career has included many years with United Airlines in various capacities and work as an auto mechanic, welder, carpenter, pilot, and heavy equipment operator. He is a past vice president of the Oyata Ho Indian Club in Fremont, California, where he taught classes and was a volunteer counselor. A pipestone carver and pipe maker for more than twenty years, Bud is active in sharing and promoting his American Indian culture through pipe-making classes and tribal storytelling and has produced two award-winning videos, "The Pipemaker" and "The Medicine People." He has traveled to France, Germany, and Switzerland with Native American dance groups and conducted pipe-making classes and shared traditional stories in each country. He is a founder and elected president of the Keepers of the Sacred Tradition of Pipemakers, has served on the board of the Pipestone Indian Shrine Association for many years, and is active in community service.