Joyce Lee "Doc" Tate Nevaquaya (July 3, 1932 – March 5, 1996) was a
Comanche
The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...
flute player and painter from
Apache, Oklahoma.
He is known for his contribution to the
Native American flute
The Native American flute is a flute that is held in front of the player, has open finger holes,
and has two chambers: one for collecting the breath of the player and a second chamber which creates sound.
The player breathes into one end of the ...
music.
His efforts in learning how to make Comanche flutes and play as well as compose contemporary Comanche flute music is considered to have saved the declining art from being lost completely. However, he said he considered himself a painter first, and painting was his primary art throughout his life.
Early life
Joyce Lee Nevaquaya was born in 1932 in
Apache, Oklahoma, to two Comanche parents, Victoria and Lean Nevaquaya.
[Julie Pearson-Little Thunder. ''Oral history interview with Timothy Tate Nevaquaya''. Other, November 17, 2013. https://dc.library.okstate.edu/digital/collection/ona/id/163.][State Senate, and Haney, Cole, Maddox, Mickle, Dickerson, Helton, Kerr and Williams (Penny) of the Senate and Glover, Langmacher, Benson, Adair, Beutler, Bonny, Cotner, Deutschendorf, Hutchison, Kirby and Steidley of the House, Oklahoma State Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 48 § (n.d.). http://www.oklegislature.gov/cf_pdf/1995-96%20INT/sres/SCR48%20INT.pdf] His parents died when Nevaquaya was only 13, so he lived with his grandparents, who taught him Comanche ways.
and he was raised in the
Native American Church
The Native American Church (NAC), also known as Peyotism and Peyote Religion, is a Native American religion that teaches a combination of traditional Native American beliefs and Christianity, with sacramental use of the entheogen peyote. The re ...
and attended meetings frequently.
He was named after Dr. Joyce, the doctor who delivered him, and “Doc” became a nickname because of their relationship.
''Nevaquaya'' means “well-dressed” in the
Comanche language
Comanche (, endonym ) is a Uto-Aztecan language spoken by the Comanche people, who split from the Shoshone people soon after the Comanche had acquired horses around 1705. The Comanche language and the Shoshoni language are therefore quite similar ...
.
Nevaquaya graduated from
Fort Sill Indian School
Fort Sill Indian School was an American Indian boarding schools, American Indian boarding school near Lawton, Oklahoma, Lawton, Comanche County, Oklahoma, Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States. The school opened in 1871, with 24 students in the ...
in 1951 and took the name Christian name Tate from his grandfather’s business partner as a requirement for enrolling in the school.
Later, he attended
Haskell Institute in
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...
from 1951 to 1952.
[Paula Conlon]
“Nevaquaya, Joyce Lee "Doc" Tate,”
The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. There he met his future wife, Charlotte, who was a devout Christian. In 1953, they moved back to Apache where they had five sons and four daughters (
Sonny, Jereaux, Sue, Edmond, Joycetta, Timothy, Sonia, Joseph and Calvert) who were all raised under Christian values.
[Pate, Leslie. Doc Tate Nevaquaya ... World Renowned Artist, Flutist, and International Ambassador. Oklahoma Men, 06, 2005. 4, ] He worked many jobs throughout his life and pursued his art on the side. Throughout his life, Nevaquaya worked as a teacher, Methodist lay minister, dancer, composer, singer, historian, painter, and Native American flautist.
His devotion to his art greatly influenced the artistic pursuits of his children as well, and his sons have all become accomplished flutist, painters, or dancers.
Art career
Although he is well known for his flute playing, Doc considered himself a painter first.
He started painting in the 1950s with encouragement from his wife, Charlotte Nevaquaya, who recognized his talent early on.
He had no formal training and is considered a self-taught artist.
He painted with watercolor, acrylic, tempera, and prints
[“Doc Tate Nevaquaya.” Clarkson University Art Gallery. https://sites.clarkson.edu/gallery/browse-the-artists/doc-tate-nevaquaya/#n.] in the Oklahoma Traditional Style with mostly earth tones. He would begin with a sketch that would then be transferred to the board that would be painted on. He was very knowledgeable of Comanche history and culture, and his primary concern was in conveying the beauty of Comanche culture and identity, as well as that of the other tribes he depicted in his art. It is known that he was familiar with other Comanche artists as well, specifically Leonard Riddles (Black Moon Riddles), Bill Poafpybitty, Rance Hood, and Weckeah Bradley, and would invite them over frequently to discuss their art. He sometimes made cartoons as well and knew how to integrate comedy into his work as well.
Commissions
* Composed and performed ''Flight of the Spirit'' at
Oklahoma State Capitol
The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature and executive branch offices. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City and contains 452,50 ...
by the Oklahoma Arts Council (1991)
* Designed two coins by the Oklahoma Diamond Jubilee (1982)
* Comanche shield to honor the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-prof ...
in
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
(1973)
* Buffalo hide painting for the Fort Sill Centennial by the Comanche tribe
* Created and decorated a full-sized Comanche tipi for the
Southern Plains Indian Museum
Southern Plains Indian Museum is a Native American museum located in Anadarko, Oklahoma. It was opened in 1948 under a cooperative governing effort by the United States Department of the Interior and the Oklahoma state government. The museum feat ...
[Lester, Patrick D., and Jeanne Snodgrass King. ''The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters''. Tulsa, OK: University of Oklahoma Press distribuidor, 1995. 390-91.]
Public collections
*
Clarkson University
Clarkson University is a private research university with its main campus in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region and Beacon, New York. It was founded in 1896 and has an enr ...
Art Gallery,
Potsdam, New York
*
Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center
The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe (Native American), tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people t ...
, Lawton, Oklahoma
*
Gilcrease Museum
Gilcrease Museum, also known as the Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art, is a museum northwest of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma housing the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of art of the American West, as well as a gro ...
, Tulsa, Oklahoma
*
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 ...
, Smithsonian Institution, Suitland, Maryland
*
Woolaroc Museum, Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Music career
Nevaquaya was instrumental in reviving and popularizing the
Southern Plains courting flute. He first heard flute music when he was seven years old and found his first flute inside a trunk which he purchased from a pawn shop in his early teens. Growing up, Doc was taught traditional Comanche crafts and developed an interest for the courting flute. As an adult, he learned to make his own flutes and play Comanche flute music. He became a renowned performing artist who could sing, dance, and compose music.
According to the
NEA, “The courting flute is an end-blown instrument generally made of wood and constructed with a movable block through which the musical intonation can be changed.” It is a traditional instrument common to many
Native American tribes, and for the Comanche it was historically used in solo performances for courting by men. As these traditional courting rituals became less practiced however, the role of the courting flute began to wane and Indigenous musicians like Doc were essential to revitalizing it and popularizing the instrument again in a modern way for the Comanche people. He called this “a modern courting song style” which allowed a musician to improvise while not breaking from the “aesthetic parameters of
Plains Indian
Plains Indians or Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies are the Native American tribes and First Nation band governments who have historically lived on the Interior Plains (the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies) of N ...
musical forms.” Through this technique, he became a renowned performing artist who could sing, dance, and compose music and passed on the art to his sons who are committed to continuing the tradition as well.
Nevaquaya released two musical albums during his lifetime: ''Indian Flute Songs from Comanche Land'' (1976) and ''Comanche Flute Music'' (1979).
He lectured and taught workshops about his flute playing all over the country. He performed on television 25 times including “On the Road with Charles Kuralt” and “Good Morning America.”
He received the 1986
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 ...
awarded by 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 ...
, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.
In 2006, he was inducted into the
Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame.
Performances
* The first Native American to perform at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
(1990)
* Codetalkers Decoration Ceremony, Oklahoma State Capitol (1989)
* United Nations Mission, New York (1985)
* "A Night of the First Americans" at the
Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
, in Washington, D.C. (1985)
* Recorded Comanche Flute Music for
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987 and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.
History
The Folkways Records & Service ...
(1979)
*
National Folk Festival (1973)
* The Comanche Tu-Wee Dance at 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. (1970)
* Goodwill Tour of England (1970)
[Conlon, Paula, “Nevaquaya, Joyce Lee "Doc" Tate,” The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=NE004.]
Memberships
* American Indian Arts Association
* American Indian Cultural Society
* Oklahoma Indian Mission Arts and Crafts Organization
* Southwestern Indian Arts and Crafts, Inc.
* Oklahoma Indian Art League
* University of Oklahoma Board of Visitors (1994)
Awards and acknowledgments
* The Governor's Arts Award named him an Oklahoma Treasure in (1995)
* Selected the Red Earth Honored One (1993)
* Artist of the West Award at the American Indian and Cowboy Artists National Western Art Exhibition in San Dimas, California (1994)
* First Oklahoman to win the
National Heritage Fellowship Award
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 ...
at 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 ...
(1986)
* The second Friday in October was proclaimed Joyce “Doc” Tate Nevaquaya Day by the Comanche tribe (1986)
* LaDonna Harris Award from Oklahomans for Indian Opportunity (1986)
* Outstanding Citizen of Diamond Jubilee Heritage Week from the Apache Chamber of Commerce (1982)
* Indian of the Year award from Oscar Rose Junior College, Midwest City (1975)
* The "Doc Tate Scholarship Fund" under the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
's Fine Arts Department (1970)
* Outstanding Indian Artists Award from Southwestern State College in Weatherford (1969)
Death
Doc Tate died from a heart attack at the age of 64 on March 5, 1996, at Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Lawton, Oklahoma.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nevaquaya, Doc Tate
1932 births
1996 deaths
Alumni of Native American boarding schools
Comanche people
Haskell Indian Nations University alumni
Musicians from Oklahoma
Native American painters
National Heritage Fellowship winners
Painters from Oklahoma