Few Oklahomans have garnered as much attention around the world as Native American
storyteller Te Ata, recognized for a lifetime of achievement by governors, presidents,
kings and her alma mater. She was born Mary Thompson and raised in Tishomingo, the
daughter of a treasurer of the Chickasaw tribe, niece of a tribal governor. "Te Ata"
is a Chickasaw name that means "bearer of the morning." After her graduation from
OCW in 1919, she went to New York and appeared on Broadway in "Trojan Women," among
many other productions elsewhere. She continued her education at the Carnegie Institute
in Pittsburgh, Pa; and studied ethnology at Columbia University in New York. But her
unique persona was born when she crafted a one-woman show to illustrate and teach
Indian culture. Dressed in buckskin costumes with authentic props, the striking and
elegant actress presented well-researched and sensitively interpreted legends, songs
and history of Indian tribes. She performed across the United States, Canada and Europe.
She was a frequent guest of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in the White House and
performed before King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England. It was in her honor
that the Roosevelts named "Lake Te Ata" in upstate New York. In 1933, she married
Clyde Fisher, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York. Te Ata was named to
the Oklahoma Hall of Fame on Statehood Day 1957. She was named the first "Oklahoma
Treasure" in 1987. A selfless supporter of education, she donated all proceeds from
her documentary, "God’s Drum," to provide scholarships at USAO. Te Ata was born on
Dec. 3, 1895, and died Oct. 26, 1995, just days before her 100th birthday. Her life
is the subject of one film and three books. "Art binds all people together," she wrote.