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Cherokee actor helping tell the story of the West in films
By BRANDY MC- DONNELL The Okla- homan
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Wes Studi has played a cop in the crime thriller “Heat,” a superhero trainer in the comedy “Mystery Men” and as the patriarch of an alien tribe, the Na’vi, in the sci-fi epic “Avatar.”
Still, the Cherokee actor is best known for his work in Westerns, including the title role
in “Geronimo: An American Legend,” as a tough Pawnee warrior in “Dances With Wolves” and, more recently, as a dying Cheyenne chief in “Hostiles.”
“You take a film like ‘Avatar,’ which is set off into the future, that’s essentially a Western, in terms of the way it’s built, the way it’s told and the subject matter. It’s a Western in outer space,” Studi told The Oklahoman with a chuckle.
“The American mythology is of win- ning the West, and Westerns are made up of that. Americans love Westerns, and I think that’s because they’re a mythologized development of the world that we live in today. That’s mainly what was available
in my youth. I came to enjoy the parts of Westerns that made sense to me. As time went on, I began to think of Westerns in a different way due to my Native American part of my being. But Westerns, as far as my career goes, have been a very import- ant part simply because that’s the easiest way for a Native American to be cast in any kind of film.”
The Oklahoma native, then, is a natural to host HDNET Movies “Summer of West- erns” Sunday film series, which will con- tinue through Aug. 11. The series kicks off with Studi, 71, in his celebrated portrayal
of the legendary Apache warrior in 1993’s “Geronimo: An American Legend.”
A 2003 inductee into the National Cow- boy & Western Heritage Museum’s Hall
of Great Western Performers, Studi was born in Nofire Hollow, near Tahlequah. He spoke only Cherokee until he was
5, when he was sent to Chilocco Indian School in northern Oklahoma, where he remained until high school graduation. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and served 18 months in South Vietnam with the 9th Infantry Division.
Studi arrested attention at the 90th Academy Awards last year when he spoke Cherokee while introducing a tribute to movies featuring military service mem- bers. His comments launched a #What- DidWesSay hashtag on Twitter, with the Cherokee Nation’s Twitter account sup- plying the answer: “Hello. Appreciation to all veterans and Cherokees who’ve served. Thank you!”
“It was historical because it had never happened before. You’ve heard other lan- guages from other places around the world
on that stage, and this was the first time Chero- kee itself was spoken on the Oscars stage,” said Studi, who now lives in New Mexico.
“A lot of people reacted strongly and rejoiced the fact that
a Native language was spoken on that stage. It’s kind of a recognition
of the fact that we’re
still here, and it’s kind
of a reminder. I think Native Americans and veterans are overlooked, and unfortunately in the kind of world we live in, perhaps used for what- ever is the purpose at the time. To mention the veterans and speak my
other language just was a shout-out to the fact that, ‘Hey, you’re not totally forgotten. You’re not totally just a part of the past.’ “
A 2014 deadCenter Film Festival ICON Award winner, Studi continues to work steadily, with his name attached to no less than a half-dozen movie projects, includ- ing, yes, some Westerns.
“As time has gone on, Westerns have developed to include other parts of the sto- ries, which include Native Americans. And Native Americans have been able to sort of revitalize the Western in that you see a dif- ferent aspect of what the great mythology was all about. It’s become a more true story as time has gone on, and I think it can still continue to develop,” he said. “I think the Western can prove to be an important part of our story, the American story, as told through film.”
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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com
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