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A Chickasaw storyteller who earned an international reputation for interpreting American Indian folklore, Te Ata has performed across the United States and before European royalty; she was the first performer
in the white house after Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President. Born in 1895 in Tishomingo, Indian Territory, Te Ata was educated at tribal schools and earned a B.A. in 1919 from the Oklahoma College for Women, now the University of
Science and Arts of Oklahoma. She studied drama in college, starred as a major performer on the Chautauqua circuit and as a Broadway actress.
Although a recognized New York theater professional, Te Ata realized that ”my first love was the folklore of my people”. Thus her avocation became her beloved vocation, and she was acclaimed the most polished
and passionate native American storyteller of the 20th century. Te Ata was named to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1958. She was proclaimed the first Oklahoma Treasure in 1987. God’s Drum is the only documentary on Te Ata ever done and it was produced and directed by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Shawnee Brittan.
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