Atalie Unkalunt (June 12, 1895 – November 6, 1954) was a Cherokee singer, interior designer, activist, and writer. Her English name Iva J. Rider appears on the final rolls of the
Cherokee Nation. Born in
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...
, she attended
government-run Indian schools and then graduated from high school in
Muskogee, Oklahoma. She furthered her education at the
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on H ...
in
Boston, Massachusetts. After a thirteen-month engagement with the
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...
as a stenographer and entertainer for
World War I troops in France, she returned to the United States in 1919 and continued her music studies. By 1921, she was living in New York City and performing a mixture of operatic arias, contemporary songs, and
Native music. Her attempts to become an opera performer were not successful. She was more accepted as a so-called "
Indian princess
The Indian princess is usually a stereotypical and inaccurate representation of a Native American or other Indigenous woman of the Americas. The term "princess" was often mistakenly applied to the daughters of tribal chiefs or other community l ...
", primarily singing the works of white composers involved in the
Indianist movement
The Indianist movement was a movement in American classical music that flourished from the 1880s through the 1920s. It was based on attempts by classical composers to incorporate American Indian musical ideas with some of the basic principles o ...
.
Concerned with the preservation of Native American culture, Unkalunt founded the Society of the First Sons and Daughters of America in 1922. The organization allowed only tribally-affiliated Native Americans to join as full members and worked to promote Native culture and legislation which would be beneficial to Native communities. In conjunction with the society, she established a theater which featured productions written by and acted by Native people and an artists' workshop which assisted Native artists to develop and market their crafts. Among her many activities, she worked as an interior designer, wrote articles for newspapers and magazines, published a book, and researched traditional Native songs. In 1942, Unkalunt moved to Washington, D.C. and worked for the
Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, later known as the Office for Inter-American Affairs, was a United States agency promoting inter-American cooperation (Pan-Americanism) during the 1940s, especially in commercial and econ ...
. In the 1950s, she spent time researching Cherokee claims against the
Indian Claims Commission The Indian Claims Commission was a judicial relations arbiter between the United States federal government and Native American tribes. It was established under the Indian Claims Act of 1946 by the United States Congress to hear any longstanding clai ...
.
Early life and education
Atalie Unkalunt, which translates from Cherokee to Sunshine Rider in English, was known as Josie Rider to her white friends. She was born on June 12, 1895, on a farm near
Stilwell, in the Going Snake District of the
Cherokee Nation Indian Territory
The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...
to Josephine (née Pace) and Thomas Lafayette Rider (Dom-Ges-Ke Un Ka Lunt). Thomas was a politician and served in the first, second, and fourth Oklahoma State House of Representatives for Adair County and in the seventh and eighth state legislatures as a Senator. Thomas and his children, Ola, Mary Angeline, Ruth Belle, Phoeba Montana, Mittie Earl, Roscoe Conklin, Milton Clark, Iva Josephine, Cherokee Augusta, and Anna Monetta Rider, are shown on the final
Dawes Rolls
The Dawes Rolls (or Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes, or Dawes Commission of Final Rolls) were created by the United States Dawes Commission. The commission was authorized by United States Congress in 1893 to exe ...
for the Cherokee Nation, except the oldest and youngest, using their English names. He was the son of Mary Ann (née Bigby) and Charles Austin Augustus Rider, who walked the
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was an ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of approximately 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850 by the United States government. As part of the Indian removal, members of the Cherokee, ...
, and maternal grandson of Margaret Catherine (née Adair) and Thomas Wilson Bigby. Josephine was a white woman, originally from
Cherokee County, Georgia
Cherokee County is located in the US state of Georgia. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 266,620. The county seat is Canton. The county Board of Commissioners is the governing body, with members elected to office. Cherokee County is inc ...
, whose family had fled Georgia during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
. She was known for her singing voice, which impacted Unkalunt's choice of career.
![Atalie Unkalunt YMCA postcard (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Atalie_Unkalunt_YMCA_postcard_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Unkalunt attended
government-run Indian schools, and graduated from Central High School, in
Muskogee, Oklahoma. She then studied at the Thomas School for Girls in
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
, graduating in 1914. In 1915, she studied piano and voice in Muskogee with Mrs. Claude L. Steele before going to Chicago to take a course in music expression. After completing the course, she went to
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
and starred as the Indian female lead in a film, ''The Dying Race'' (1916), for the
American Film Company. In late 1916, she enrolled at the
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on H ...
in
Boston, Massachusetts, studying under Millie Ryan, Clarence B. Shirley, and Charles White. She trained in literature under Dalla Lore Sharp, at
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
, also studying ethics, logic, and psychology; at the same time she attended the
Emerson School of Oratory. She completed her studies in 1918, and then went to New York to train with the
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...
for services during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Stationed in France, Unkalunt worked as a secretary and entertainer for the troops for thirteen months and sent dispatches back for the local press.
Career
Classical music pursuits (1921–1924)
![Princess Atalie Unkalunt Pamphlet Cover (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Princess_Atalie_Unkalunt_Pamphlet_Cover_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Returning stateside, Unkalunt moved to New York City in 1921, and began training with Millie Ryan. She performed at private functions, sang on the radio, and toured throughout the country as a
soprano, performing three seasons as a soloist with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra at
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,303.
The village of Lake Placid is near the center of the town of North Elba, southwest of Plattsburg ...
and with
Victor Herbert
Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, cellist and conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is bes ...
's orchestra. Her repertoire included arias from operas, such as ''
Carmen'', ''
Madama Butterfly'', and ''
Natoma'', popular music like "Dear Eyes" by
Frank H. Grey and "Thy Voice Is Like a Silver Flute" by
J. H. Larway, as well as Native songs performed in costume and accompanied by a hand drum. She was billed as a
prima donna
In opera or commedia dell'arte, a prima donna (; Italian for "first lady"; plural: ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given.
''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage per ...
, an "
Indian princess
The Indian princess is usually a stereotypical and inaccurate representation of a Native American or other Indigenous woman of the Americas. The term "princess" was often mistakenly applied to the daughters of tribal chiefs or other community l ...
", and one of the foremost Native American sopranos in the country. A promotional pamphlet from 1924 stated that her voice "carried the perfume of roses on the wings of song". A reviewer for the ''
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
:''This article covers both the historical newspaper (1841–1955, 1960–1963), as well as an unrelated new Brooklyn Daily Eagle starting 1996 published currently''
The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''King ...
'' said she "sang in a clear, rich voice, sympathetic and well sustained".
![Farm & Fireside September 1923](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Farm_%26_Fireside_September_1923.jpg)
Beginning in March 1922, and continuing until late 1923, newspaper articles reported that Unkalunt was to create the role of Nitana, in the opera of the same name, composed by Umberto Vesci, an Italian immigrant to the United States. The libretto was written by
Augustus Post
Augustus Thomas Post Jr. (8 December 1873 – 4 October 1952) was an American adventurer who distinguished himself as an automotive pioneer, balloonist, early aviator, writer, actor, musician and lecturer. Post pursued an interest in transp ...
and copyrighted in 1916. According to Katie A. Callam, the first academic to write about Unkalunt's life, the stereotypical story depicted a nondescript but exotic Native village, which was the home of "a noble Native warrior and an innocent Indian maiden", who became caught between the warrior and the "swaggering and paternalistic white colonizing hero". After spending time in the white settlement, Nitana returned to her people in time to stop the warrior Waguntah from killing the colonist Barton and accepted the fate that the white settlers would cause the eventual demise of Native people. The wide press coverage provided her career with substantial publicity and resulted in her portrait being painted by
Remington Schuyler
Remington Schuyler (1884–1955) was an American painter, illustrator and writer during the early to mid twentieth century. He was born in Buffalo, New York and was named after Frederic Remington, a distant cousin of his mother and an accompli ...
, and featured on the September 1923 cover of the national magazine ''
Farm & Fireside
''Farm & Fireside'' was a semi-monthly national farming magazine that was established in 1877 and was published until 1939. It was based in Springfield, Ohio.
It was the original magazine for what eventually became the Crowell-Collier Publishin ...
''.
For unknown reasons, the opera was not realized. When ''Nitana'' fell through, Unkalunt began to write her own libretto for a Native American opera for which Herbert agreed to compose music, but the work was unfinished at his 1924 death. After that project also failed, Unkalunt recognized that there was little chance of her singing opera in the United States. Her performances were subsequently composed of Native and
Indianist music, rather than opera.
With Unkalunt's desire for Native American music to be preserved and brought to a wider audience, she had to work within the confines of public expectation and stereotypes, limiting her freedom of expression and sometimes "playing Indian" to draw in white audiences. Native cultures were seen to be dying in the period (as in the title of Unkalunt's 1916 film) and the tendency was for white composers to apply Western harmonic systems to Native melodies in an attempt to preserve the music. To be able to make a living as a performer, Unkalunt's best path as an indigenous woman was to perform these types of Indianist compositions.
Ainslie scandal (1924–1928)
At the end of 1924, Unkalunt became embroiled in a lawsuit with Lucie Benedict, the daughter of the well-to-do art dealer,
George H. Ainslie. Benedict alleged that Unkalunt had stolen from her father some silk material, furnishings, and clothing, originally valued at $355 but reported in court to be worn and threadbare items worth about $10. Newspapers reported that Ainslie and his wife had met the singer during a meeting of the Greenwich Village Historical Society, held in his gallery to promote Native American art. After his wife died, Ainslie befriended Unkalunt and arranged for artist friends to paint her portrait and complete a sculpture of her. When his attention became romantic, although Unkalunt refused his advances, Benedict sought to terminate her father's infatuation by accusing the singer of theft. Unkalunt testified that Ainslie was upset by her rejection and in order to hurt her backed his daughter's claims.
Unkalunt was acquitted in November 1924, after Benedict admitted to planting some of the stolen items in her rooms. Unkalunt then counter-sued Ainslie for defamation, the expenses incurred in her defense, and the loss of wages, as forty of her scheduled concerts had canceled because of the accusations. She had testified at her trial that she was earning a living working as a secretary for the Tidewater Oil Company, as an assistant to a real estate agent, from writing, and from a benefactor. In 1925, Ainsley won a change of venue in the case from
Westchester County
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...
to
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, which prompted Unkalunt to appeal the change. The case had still not been heard in 1928, when Unkalunt filed bankruptcy declaring an unliquidated claim of $250,000 from the pending lawsuit as the majority of her available assets.
Cultural preservation and activism (1921–1942)
Simultaneously with her arrival in New York City, Unkalunt began working for the
New York City Board of Education. She presented songs and Native legends to over three hundred and fifty public schools between 1921 and 1923. She also lectured for the
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the ma ...
, giving presentations on Native culture. In 1922, she founded an organization known as the Society of the First Sons and Daughters of America. The society allowed only persons who were authentically Native Americans to be full members. It accepted associate members who were allies and its purpose was to foster an appreciation for cultural expression and to influence lawmaking which would be of benefit to "Amerinds", a phrase Unkalunt coined to call American Indians. She believed that her mixed-race status allowed her to be a bridge between two cultures, saying, "I have the strength and stoicism of the Indian, but the drive of the whites…and therefore
mable to fight for what I want".
![Charles Curtis and Atalie Unkalunt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Charles_Curtis_and_Atalie_Unkalunt.jpg)
Callam describes Unkalunt as a "one-woman force promoting Native rights, particularly related to the arts". She published articles in newspapers across the country promoting Native women, and fighting against government restrictions of practicing Native religions and dance rituals. For eight years in the 1930s she operated the Indian Council Lodge in a theater on West 58th Street. The council was a private theater troupe, which included actors such as
Chief Yowlachie and presented programs both written and performed by Native people. The theater group was operated in conjunction with the First Sons and Daughters of America, which had a membership of nearly three thousand in 1933.
Unkalunt gave lectures and sang performances to women's clubs and community organizations throughout the United States. She participated in the Wisconsin Dells Indian Pageant from 1924 to 1936 and various inter-racial music festivals. She also organized Indian Day celebrations and Native dances. She broadcast musical recitals and educational programs about Native cultures via shortwave radio to Australia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, South Africa, and several locations in South America, as well as on WJZ in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.[White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...]
for the inauguration of President
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...
and his vice president
Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis (January 25, 1860 – February 8, 1936) was an American attorney and Republican politician from Kansas who served as the 31st vice president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 under Herbert Hoover. He had served as the Sena ...
, a member of the
Kaw Nation
The Kaw Nation (or Kanza or Kansa) is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Oklahoma and parts of Kansas. It comes from the central Midwestern United States. It has also been called the "People of the South wind", . She performed again at the White House in 1934. In her performances, Unkalunt strove to present both Indianist materials and more authentic native melodies. Among songs she sang were popular works by
Charles Wakefield Cadman
Charles Wakefield Cadman (December 24, 1881 – December 30, 1946) was an American composer. For 40 years he worked closely with Nelle Richmond Eberhart, who wrote most of the texts to his songs, including ''Four American Indian Songs''. She also ...
, like "From the Land of the Sky-Blue Water" and "Her Shadow"; by
Thurlow Lieurance
Thurlow Weed Lieurance (March 21, 1878 – October 9, 1963) was an American composer, known primarily for his song "By the Waters of Minnetonka". He is frequently categorized with a number of his contemporaries, including Charles Wakefield Cadman, ...
, such as "By the Weeping Waters", "Love Song", "Lullaby", "O'er an Indian Cradle", and "Rainbow Land", among others; and by
Carlos Troyer
Carlos Troyer, (January 12, 1837 – July 26, 1920) born Charles Troyer, was an American composer known for his musical arrangements of traditional Native American melodies.
Biography
Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Troyer settled in San Francisc ...
, including "A Lover's Wooing" and "Invocation to the Sun God", as well as tunes by other composers. Because these works were often significantly altered to suit modern tastes, Unkalunt researched more traditional works at repositories like the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
and added them to her repertoire. She rarely performed Cherokee songs, which Callam speculated might have been a tactic to protect her culture.
Interior designer, painter, and author (1928–1942)
In the late 1920s, Unkalunt began to make her living from interior design and by 1931, it was her primary means of making a living. She began to explore fabric art in 1927 and a series of her designs was exhibited at the New York City Art Alliance gallery. A manufacturing company produced several silk designs and a carpet manufacturer used some of her designs to weave floor coverings, expanding her interests into interior design. Unkalunt turned the second-story above her garage into a workshop to allow Native artists to produce textiles, carpets, furniture and other handicrafts. She exhibited some of her artwork at Douthitt Gallery operated by
John F. Douthitt and the Rehn Gallery owned by Frank Knox Morton Rehn Jr., both in New York City.
![The Earth Speaks cover](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/The_Earth_Speaks_cover.jpg)
In 1928, Unkalunt designed the offices of
WMCA radio station, which occupied the entire tenth floor of the
Hammerstein Theatre Building. The walls featured murals such as "Spirit of the Wind" and "The Storm Clouds", works representing flight to symbolize radio's broadcasting over air. Mirrors and furnishings also used symbols drawn from Native culture. She was hired by Vice President Curtis in 1929 to decorate his private study in his suite at the
Mayflower Hotel
The Mayflower Hotel is a historic hotel in downtown Washington, D.C., located on Connecticut Avenue NW. It is two blocks north of Farragut Square (one block north of the Farragut North Metro station). The hotel is managed by the Autograph Col ...
, which served as his official residence in Washington. In 1931, she redecorated the home of , following
Aztecan tribal motifs.
Unkalunt published a collection of poetry and legends in ''The Earth Speaks'', which was released in 1939. A review in ''
The Tennessean
''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...
'' described that the book conveyed legends regarding the origin of the world, and various aspects of nature. She related the voices of the earth, including the wild roar of water in a
river gorge, the songs of birds and buzz of insects, and music in summer breezes and falling rain. William S. Gailmor, reviewing the work for the ''Brooklyn Daily Eagle'', said the book combined reality and myth to portray the magic of nature and the ability of plants, flowers, and herbs to provide both beauty and medicine. He stated that her "feeling for the earth was lyrical". Historian
Grant Foreman
Grant or Grants may refer to:
Places
*Grant County (disambiguation)
Australia
* Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia
United Kingdom
*Castle Grant
United States
* Grant, Alabama
*Grant, Inyo County, C ...
noted in his review that she had presented legends in poetic form and illustrated them with her own drawings.
Later life (1942–1954)
In 1942, Unkalunt moved to Washington, D.C. at the request of
Nelson Rockefeller to take up a post in the science and education department of the
Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, later known as the Office for Inter-American Affairs, was a United States agency promoting inter-American cooperation (Pan-Americanism) during the 1940s, especially in commercial and econ ...
. She continued to produce content for newspapers and magazines, sang at women's and community group gatherings, and participated in programs sponsored by the State Department for ''
Voice of America
Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...
''. In the early 1950s, she became interested in the work of the
Indian Claims Commission The Indian Claims Commission was a judicial relations arbiter between the United States federal government and Native American tribes. It was established under the Indian Claims Act of 1946 by the United States Congress to hear any longstanding clai ...
and began researching in government archives to advance the work of attorneys working on Cherokee claims for
breaches in treaty provisions. Her organization, the First Sons and Daughters of America, continued to work on Native issues, and in 1951 had a membership of 2,400.
Death and legacy
Unkalunt died on November 6, 1954, at her home at 1410 M Street NW, Washington, D.C., after a heart attack. She was buried three days later at
Cedar Hill Cemetery, in nearby
Suitland, Maryland. At the time of her death, she was remembered as an authority on Native American folklore. In 1957, Umkalunt's nephew, Major T. L. Rider, donated a collection of her stage costumes and artifacts to the Indian Museum in
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City ( iow, Chína Uhánⁿdhe) is a city in Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 25,387 at the time of the 2010 census- and a population of 24,424 in the 2020 ...
. Among those items were her sand-painted piano, buckskin costumes, and beaded accessories. Seventy-five images of Unkalunt, which had been donated to the
C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa by Mrs. Dale Hall, were given by Chucalissa to the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation in 1978. The Heye collections were merged into the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution in 1990 and became part of the
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers.
The museum has three ...
, which had been founded in 1989. Despite her prominence in life and her connection with other noted Native performers and leaders, Unkalunt's history was not studied by academics until the 21st century.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Unkalunt, Atalie
1895 births
1954 deaths
People from Adair County, Oklahoma
Cherokee Nation artists
Cherokee Nation writers
Cherokee Nation people (1794–1907)
New England Conservatory alumni
Boston University alumni
American singers
American interior designers
Native American activists
American women writers
20th-century Native American women
20th-century Native Americans