Te Ata Bearer of New Dawn of Understanding

Some 25 years after Chickasaw performer Te Ata was named the first Oklahoma Cultural Treasure, it seems fitting to reflect on the lifetime of work which earned her that recognition.

Te Ata, whose name means bearer of the dawn, gained international fame presenting a unique one woman show which shed light on American Indian heritage, traditions and culture.

Te Ata once wrote that “art binds all people together.”

Her career of more than 50 years bears testimony to that noble idea.

An actress of immense talent Te Ata studied theater at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh and Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha. She appeared on Broadway in “Trojan Women” and in the 1922 Broadway production of “The Red Poppy” starring Bela Lugosi.

After agreeing to perform for children at a summer camp in upstate New York, Te Ata abandoned her pursuit of Broadway to follow a career educating young people about Native American culture, history and lifeways.

Born Mary Thompson in 1895 in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, and given the name “Te Ata” by an elderly aunt, she first learned the beauty and wisdom of Indian culture from her parents. Her father, Thomas taught her many traditional Chickasaw stories, and her mother, Bertie, taught her about useful and medicinal plants.

As a child, Te Ata displayed a natural athletic ability and thoughtful nature which she later carried into her career with great success.

She took great joy in climbing an Elm tree near her family’s yard and leaping from limb to limb more than 20 feet in the air.

At other times she would escape to the cornfields to be alone. Once, when her mother asked Te Ata what she was doing in the field, she said she was “listening to the corn grow.”

As she matured, Te Ata continued to listen as she traveled the United States learning the stories, culture, traditions and wisdom of tribal elders across America.

During her career, she shared the knowledge and wisdom gained through her travels with audiences around the world.

She became close friends with Eleanor Roosevelt and performed at the first state dinner given by President Franklin Roosevelt. She also performed at the Roosevelt’s Hyde Park home for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England.

For many decades, her creative performances across the United States, Canada and Europe helped inspire greater respect and understanding of American Indian culture and heritage.

While some held preconceived notions of Indian culture as something foreign or mystical, Te Ata brought the beauty and wisdom of Native American culture to the world in a way that helped develop greater appreciation for core values such as basic human kindness and respect for the natural world.

Her marriage to Hyde Planetarium curator Clyde Fisher serves as a symbol of how people from distinctly different backgrounds can be united by the power of love and understanding.

Her life’s work helped bridge the divide between diverse cultures. Today, she stands as a shining example of how artistic expression can change hearts and minds in a way that binds all people together.