White Parker (1887–1956) was a son of Mah-Cheeta-Wookey and

Quanah Parker Quanah Parker (Comanche ''kwana'', "smell, odor") ( – February 23, 1911) was a war leader of the Kwahadi ("Antelope") band of the Comanche Nation. He was likely born into the Nokoni ("Wanderers") band of Tabby-nocca and grew up among the Kwah ...

, chief of the

Comanches 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 ...

. He married Laura E. Clark (1890-1962), a daughter of Reverend and Mrs. M. A. Clark, a former

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

missionary to the Comanches. They had at least three children: Patty Bertha, Cynthia Ann Joy, and Milton Quanah (1914-1930).

Missionary work

White Parker did Christian missionary work among the Comanche people. He studied for the ministry at Cook Bible School in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

. After graduation, Parker joined the Methodist Conference. The Parkers were active in the 1920s and '30s Saturday afternoon street meetings in Lawton, Oklahoma, which was led by Rev. J. Leighton Read, a European-American missionary from

Colony, Oklahoma Colony is a town in northeastern Washita County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 136 at the 2010 U.S. census, a decrease of 7.5 percent from 147 in 2000. It was named for the Seger Colony, founded in 1886, which taught modern agricultu ...

. Parker had a varied religious background. His father was a member of and leader 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 ...

. The Parker family brought the first non-Catholic church to the Comanche in the state of Texas. He received his education at a Presbyterian/Reformed institution, but affiliated with the Methodists when no Reformed missionary appointment was available.

Acting career

In 1920, Parker played a lead role in the silent film '' The Daughter of Dawn'', a silent film directed by Norbert A. Myles shot in the Wichita Mountains of Southwest Oklahoma. The story, played by an all-Indian cast of 300 Kiowas and Comanches, includes themes of love story, battle, dance, deceit, combat, and concludes with a happy ending. This is a historically important film in American cinema as it is the first full-length movie of an American Indian story, and that uses all American Indian actors. The film was restored by the Oklahoma Historical Society and has been digitized.

Death and legacy

White Parker and his wife are buried in the Highland Cemetery, Lawton,

Comanche County, Oklahoma Comanche County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 124,098, making it the fourth-most populous county in Oklahoma. Its county seat is Lawton. The county was created in 1901 as part of ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, White 1887 births 1956 deaths Religious figures of the indigenous peoples of North America Comanche people American Methodist missionaries Methodist missionaries in the United States