Chesley Goseyun Wilson (July 31, 1932 – October 4, 2021) was a maker and performer of the
Apache fiddle
The Apache fiddle (Apache: tsii' edo'a'tl, "wood that sings") is a bowed string instrument used by the indigenous Apache people of the southwestern United States. The instrument consists of a plant stalk, such as that of the agave or mescal plant ...
, singer, dancer, medicine man, silversmith, former model, and actor.
Wilson received a
National Heritage Fellowship
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...
from the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
in 1989.
Early life
Chesley Goseyun Wilson was born on July 31, 1932, in the town of Bylas on the
San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation
The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation (Western Apache: Tsékʼáádn), in southeastern Arizona, United States, was established in 1872 as a reservation for the Chiricahua Apache tribe as well as surrounding Yavapai and Apache bands removed fro ...
in Arizona. His father, Nichol Wilson, was a medicine man and a rancher. His mother, Sarah Goseyun Wilson, died when Chesley was only two years old. Wilson is a descendant of
Cochise
Cochise (; Apache: ''Shi-ka-She'' or ''A-da-tli-chi'', lit.: ''having the quality or strength of an oak''; later ''K'uu-ch'ish'' or ''Cheis'', lit. ''oak''; June 8, 1874) was leader of the Chihuicahui local group of the Chokonen and principa ...
,
Eskiminzin
Eskiminzin ( ''Ndee biyati' / Nnee biyati: "Men Stand in Line for Him"; or ''Hashkebansiziin'', ''Hàckíbáínzín'' - "Angry, Men Stand in Line for Him", 1828–1894) was a local group chief of the Aravaipa band of the San Carlos group of the ...
, Santo and other noted Apache leaders.
Because his father's work often required him to be on remote parts of the reservation, the pre-teen Wilson was raised by his grandfather and uncles, who were prominent musicians, singers, religious and medicine leaders of the Apache people. He learned about the making of the Apache violin and Apache flute from his uncle, Albert Goseyun.
Wilson is the last active Apache violin maker descended from noted Apache musician Amos Gustina.
As a teenager, he returned to the home of his father where he learned the skills of a horseman, first as a
wrangler and later as a
cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...
in
roundups.
Career
In 1953, he was drafted by the US Army and served a two-year tour of duty in Korea, which exposed the young man to many experiences never possible when growing up on the reservation. After his discharge in 1955, he participated in a US government program for Native Americans where he trained as a
silversmith
A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary great ...
and then worked for over twenty years in the
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, 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 List of Ca ...
region and in
Carson City, Nevada
Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...
. He returned to Arizona in 1982.
While working as a silversmith and occasionally as a security guard, Wilson continued to make Apache violins in his free time, as well as striving "to keep other Apache crafts, customs, and ceremonies alive"
which garnered his 1989 National Heritage Fellowship, the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. One of his art pieces is in the musical instruments collection in 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 ...
in Washington, D.C. He also made a traditional Apache violin for the Governor's Art Awards in March 1991.
In 1992, Wilson was named an Arizona Indian Living Treasure.
Wilson was a model for several years, working with Western artists
Howard Terpning
Howard Terpning (born November 5, 1927) is an American Painting, painter and illustrator best known for his paintings of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans.
Life and career
Terpning was born in Oak Park, Illinois. His mother ...
, Logan Maxwell Hagege and photographer
Ray Manley
Ray Manley (September 4, 1921 in Cottonwood, Arizona – July 15, 2006 in Tucson, Arizona) was an American photographer whose photographs of Arizona helped increase tourism and migration to Arizona.
Early life
During his early years, as writer ...
. His photograph was on the cover of the July 1995 issue of
Southwest Art magazine. He was also a model for the Wrangler Western Wear clothing line.
He worked as an actor over the years, appearing in both credited and uncredited roles portraying Native Americans.
Wilson was an active member of the Apache Medicine Men Society, and often spoke to Apache youth about avoiding alcohol and drugs, encouraging them to incorporate traditional Apache ways into their lives.
Films
Actor
* ''
Geronimo
Geronimo ( apm, Goyaałé, , ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache ba ...
'' (1993 TV movie)
* ''
Buffalo Soldiers
Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in t ...
'' (1997 TV movie)
* ''
South of Heaven, West of Hell
''South of Heaven, West of Hell'' is a 2000 American western film starring Dwight Yoakam, who also co-wrote, directed, and scored the film. The film follows Valentine Casey (Yoakam), a Marshal in the Arizona territory, when he receives a surpri ...
'' (2000 film)
* ''
Skinwalkers'' (2002 TV movie)
* ''Rio de Oro'' (2010 film)
* ''
12 Years a Slave'' (2013 film)
* ''
The Revenant'' (2015 film)
* ''Apache Leap'' (2022 film)
Soundtrack
* ''
12 Years a Slave'' (performer)
* ''
The Revenant'' (songwriter and performer)
Publications
*''When the Earth Was Like New: Western Apache Songs & Stories'' (book with CD, 1994)
Discography
* ''Apache Eagle Dream'' (Eagle Clan Music)
* ''The Singing Winds'' (Eagle Clan Music)
* ''Wood That Sings: Indian Fiddle Music Of The Americas'' (
Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fou ...
CD SF 40472, 1997), contributing performer
* ''The Soundtrack Of A People: A Companion To The Encyclopedia Of Native Music'' (
EMI Music Canada
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
, 2005), contributing performer
References
External links
*
*
*
Short biographical film about Wilson, including his military service in Korea Jon Rose website, 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Chesley Goseyun
1932 births
2021 deaths
Apache people
People from Graham County, Arizona
21st-century American composers
American silversmiths
Indigenous American traditional healers
Native American male artists
Native American composers
Native American male actors
Native American male models
Native American singers
American luthiers
National Heritage Fellowship winners
United States Army soldiers
Musicians from Arizona
20th-century American composers