Nipo Strongheart | |
|---|---|
Nee-Ha-Pouw Chtu-Tum-Nah | |
,_May_20,_1917,_Page_55,crop.jpeg) Nipo T. Strongheart as he appeared in The New York Times in 1917 | |
| Born | George Mitchell Jr. May 15, 1891 White Swan, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | December 31, 1966 (aged 75) Motion Picture Country Hospital, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Smohalla Cemetery, Toppenish, Washington, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Native American activism, Lyceum and Chautauqua performance-lectures, and technical advisor for films with Native American themes |
| Notable work | |
Nipo T. Strongheart (May 15, 1891 – December 31, 1966) was an American performer in Wild West shows, technical advisor to Hollywood film producers, and lecturer on the Chautauqua circuit. Throughout his life, which spanned several careers, he was an advocate for Native American issues. He spoke on religious issues several times, and late in life he became a member of the Baháʼí Faith.
Strongheart's mother, Chi-Nach-Lut Schu-Wah-Elks, was reportedly of Native American descent; his father was European American. According to some sources, Strongheart lived with his white father for most of his childhood away from the reservation and Indian culture.[1] Another source says he was adopted after his mother's death by a Yakama woman and brought up and educated in her family on the reservation.[2] Although there was no written proof of his tribal membership, the tribe granted him "honorary" membership and he proudly carried around his card displaying his status.[3] Strongheart performed with his father in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. His public performances began in 1917, when he was in his twenties and worked for the YMCA War Work Council. He toured military camps across New England, where he gave presentations on Native American culture and praised military service. His recruiting talks encouraged hundreds of men to volunteer for war service. After World War I and his job ended, Strongheart moved briefly to the Yakama Indian Reservation.
He soon left and had a successful career in the Lyceum and Chautauqua circuits of fairs. He gave presentations on Native American culture and often spoke against the problems of life of reservations as enforced by government policy. He played an important role in the development of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which granted citizenship to all Native Americans who did not already have it; the bill was signed by President Calvin Coolidge. Strongheart believed the bill would help end reservations and empower Indian culture.
In his early youth, Strongheart had some experience with the fledgling film industry. As the audiences for the lecture circuit declined, he became involved in filmmaking. He was involved in a number of projects in silent film (especially Braveheart) and the developing talkies (Pony Soldier).
He also helped develop or found a number of organizations to support or represent Native Americans, including the Los Angeles Indian Center for urban Indians and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Through Strongheart's involvement in film production, he countered stereotypes about Native Americans; he helped translate movie scripts into the languages of the Native American peoples portrayed. He also dealt with wardrobe and props.
When Strongheart died, his will included provisions for seed money and materials to enable the Yakama Nation to build a library and museum; they developed the Yakama Cultural Center. In 2014 the Yakama established a permanent exhibition about Strongheart. Scholarly interest in him arose in 1997 when researchers were studying military service by Native Americans and in 2006 when other scholars analyzed issues related to portrayal of and participation by Native Americans in the Hollywood film industry.
- ^ Kate Prengaman (August 10, 2014). "Nipo Strongheart exhibit shows pride for his people". Yakima Herald. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
- ^ Alexander Ewen and Jeffrey Wollock (2014). "Nipo Strongheart". Encyclopedia of the American Indian in the Twentieth Century. Facts On File, Inc. Archived from the original on August 24, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ Yakima Nation Media Services, "Nipo Strongheart Chronology", published by the Yakima Nation Cultural Center, 1980s.