Chauncey Yellow Robe

Chief
Chauncey Yellow Robe
Yellow Robe c. 1900
Born
Canowicakte Yellow Robe

(1867-01-15)January 15, 1867
Sičháŋǧu Oyáte territory (known today as the Rosebud Indian Reservation), South Dakota, U.S.
DiedApril 8, 1930(1930-04-08) (aged 63)
NationalitySioux, American
Other names
  • Timber
  • Chief Yellow Robe
Spouse
Lillian Belle Sprenger
(m. 1905)
Children3, including Rosebud

Chief Chauncey Yellow Robe (born Canowicakte lit.'kill in woods' Yellow Robe, 1867–1930) was a Sičhą́ǧú (Rosebud Sioux) educator, lecturer, actor, and Native American activist. His given name, Canowicakte, means "kill in woods,"[1] and he was nicknamed "Timber" in his youth.[2]

He was taken to Carlisle Indian School, a Native American boarding school, from which he graduated in 1895. He was an educator for 32 years under the Bureau of Indian Affairs.[3] In 1915, he became a devoted member of the Masonic Lodge of Rapid City, South Dakota, where he spent the majority of his life as a teacher and counselor.

He appeared in films, media, and political events in his later life, including adopting President Calvin Coolidge into the Sioux tribe and starring as Chief Chetoga in the 1930 historical drama The Silent Enemy.

He is the father of folklorist, educator, and writer Rosebud Yellow Robe.[4]

  1. ^ Yellow Robe, Chauncey (1916). "My Boyhood Days". The American Indian Magazine. 4: 50–53 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Sprague, Donovin Arleigh (2005). Rosebud Sioux. Arcadia Publishing. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-7385-3447-3.
  3. ^ "CHIEF YELLOW ROBE, SIOUX EDUCATOR, DIES; DEVOTED MOST OF HIS 63 YEARS TO HIS PEOPLE". The New York Times. April 8, 1930. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  4. ^ Western Christian Advocate. February 11, 1914. p. 11.