americanindian

Bertha Parker Pallan (1907-1978) has been referred to as the first woman to pursue archaeology professionally. And, the first female Native American archaeologist. The photograph above was used to illustrate an article in the June 7, 1930, issue of The Science News-Letter. The article entitled "Ashes Found with Sloth Remains" was written by Mark R. Harrington, the Curator of The Southwest Museum (now The Autry National Center), and details the epoch-making discovery of a campfire and relics that placed man in the Gypsum Caves (Nevada) during the Pleistocene era. As mentioned in the photo caption, Bertha Parker Pallan served as expedition secretary for the Gypsum Caves expedition.[1 jstor] Bertha grew up in Southern California. Her father was Arthur C. Parker (Gawasowaneh) (1881-1955), a distinguished Seneca, anthropologist and Director of the Rochester, New York, Museum of Arts and Sciences. [2] Her mother, Beulah (Beatrice) Tahamont (Darkcloud) (1887-1945), was an Abnaki Indian, and Bertha was born in a tent on one of her father's expeditions. [3] [4] Bertha married Joseph [?] Pallan, a Yuma Indian. c.1923, [5] Together they had a daughter, Wilma Mae (Billie) Pallan (1925-1942). [6] They divorced prior to 1930. [7] [8] [9] In 1931, Bertha married James E. Thurston (1905-1932), a paleontologist who had worked on the Gypsum Caves expedition. The following year, James fell ill and died at the age of 27. [10] [11] In 1936, Bertha married Oscar Cody (c.1907-1999). Born Espera Oscar DeCorti, he was better known as "Iron Eyes Cody", an American actor who played Indian parts in more than 100 films. He was best known for standing beside a littered highway and shedding a tear in the "Keep America Beautiful" television advertisements in the 1970s. [12] [13] During a sometimes tempestuous marriage, Bertha and Cody adopted two children, Robert "Tree" and his brother Arthur, who were Dakota-Maricopa. Robert "Tree" Cody married a Nez Perce woman, and had two children He is an acclaimed performer of the Native American flute, and has recorded several albums. [14] [15] [16] He now lives on the Navajo Nation reservation in Arizona with his wife, Cynthia. [17] Arthur William Cody (1952-1996), likely named for his grandfather, Arthur, went into the Marines, married a Filipino woman, and had one child. Arthur died at the age of 44 in San Diego. [18] Bertha's daughter Billie (Wilma Mae) died in 1942, at the age of seventeen – the result of a reported "hunting accident", more likely a suicide. [6] [9] In later life, Bertha and her husband Cody, served as technical advisers on Native American matters for films and had strong opinions about how Indians should be portrayed. Together they hosted a TV program in the 1950s explaining Indian history and folklore. They even opened an Indian museum in the basement of their Silverlake bungalow near Griffith Park, California. [19] Also known as: Cody, Bertha A. Parker Cody, Bertha Parker Cody, Bertha "Birdie" Parker Cody, Bertha P. Cody, Bertha Parker Pallan Cody, Bertha Tahamont Parker Thurston Cody, Bertha Thurman Cody, Bertha Thurston Cody, Mrs. Oscar "Iron Eyes Cody", Mrs. Pallan, Bertha Pallan, Bertha P. Pallan, Bertha Parker Pallan, Bertie Pallan, Birdie Parker, Bertha Parker, Bertha Alden Parker, Bertha Tahamont Thurston, Bertha Parker Thurston, James Mrs. Ye-was (Seneca name) Yeawas Reference: In addition to the numbered references, material excerpted from "Inheriting the past: the making of Arthur C. Parker and indigenous archaeology" By Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh, John Stephen Colwell-Chanthaphonh, University of Arizona Press.

Pixel Wrangler Thank you for providing such wonderful details! Tammy, our supervisory archivist, was particularly curious about this image. (A collective "Ah-HA!" heard 'round the office.) Susannah Smithsonian Institution Archives

Pixel Wrangler Thank you again for your extensive research, which was appreciated by all at the Archives. Marcel Chotowski LaFollette, the Smithsonian Institution Archives' Research Associate, also wanted to point out the following resources about Pallan's husband, Iron Eyes Cody: -Iron Eyes Cody, is also in the Institution's collections at the Smithsonian American Art Museum: americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=14531 She also added the following two reliable and useful sources of information about Iron h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=h-amin... plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.fil.013 Thanks! Catherine Smithsonian Institution Archives

I deleted my reply to Ann Stoddard (antwaneek), and apologize for my misunderstanding.

It was apparent that you had this picture identified and that my comment distracted from your fabulous summary. Since I have a contact at the Autry I figured they might have additional information. I was just trying to help, but you got this one covered, so I will move on. Take Care.

go Terry!

I love all the NATIVE AMERICAN Dancer Photos, it reminds me of my past, present & future. I am NATIVE LADY in Portland Oregon. It's SO GOOD TO SEE My HERITAGE OFTEN.

Glad you are enjoying them @debfarmer17!