Columbia Eneutseak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Columbia Eneutseak
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Eneutseak posing with a whip, 1909
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Nancy Helena Columbia Palmer
January 16, 1893 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | August 16, 1959 (aged 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Nancy Columbia, Nancy Eneutseak, Nancy Melling |
| Occupation | Performer, writer |
| Spouse(s) | Raymond S. Melling |
| Relatives | Ross Elliott (son-in-law) |
Columbia Eneutseak (born January 16, 1893 – died August 16, 1959) was an amazing American performer. She was also known as Nancy Columbia and Nancy Eneutseak. She became famous for writing and starring in the silent film The Way of the Eskimo in 1911.
Early Life and Traveling Shows
Columbia Eneutseak was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1893. Her full name was Nancy Helena Columbia Palmer. She was born during a huge event called the World's Columbian Exposition. Her family was Inuit from Labrador, a region in Canada. They were part of an "Eskimo Village" exhibit at the exposition. A kind socialite named Bertha Honore Palmer gave her the name "Columbia."
As a child, Columbia often appeared in similar exhibits at other big events. These included the Cotton States and International Exposition in 1895 and the Pan-American Exposition in 1901. She also traveled with famous circuses like Barnum & Bailey and Ringling. She even performed at Coney Island, a famous amusement park.
Between 1896 and 1899, she lived in Labrador with her grandparents. From 1899 to 1901, she traveled with her family on a tour across Europe and North Africa. In 1904, she was part of another "Eskimo Village" at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Her story and picture even appeared in school textbooks!
Becoming a Film Star
In 1909, Columbia Eneutseak was chosen as "Queen of the Carnival" at the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition in Seattle. This was a big honor! Soon after, she started her film career.
She starred in a silent film called The Way of the Eskimo in 1911. What's even cooler is that she wrote the story for this movie when she was just a teenager! This film is now lost, meaning copies of it no longer exist.
Columbia also appeared in several other silent films:
- Lost in the Arctic (1911)
- The Seminole's Sacrifice (1911)
- The Witch of the Everglades (1911)
- Life on the Border (1911)
- God's Country and the Woman (1916)
- The Flame of the Yukon (1917)
- The Last of the Mohicans (1920)
In 1915, after performing at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition, Columbia and her family moved to Santa Monica, California. They wanted to open their own "Eskimo Village" attraction on the Ocean Park pier. Sadly, their attraction and others were destroyed by a fire later that year.
Later Life
Columbia Eneutseak married Raymond S. Melling, who worked with movie projectors, in the 1920s. They had a daughter named Esther Sue Melling in 1927. Esther later married actor Ross Elliott in 1954.
Columbia had a stroke in 1948. She passed away in Los Angeles in 1959, when she was 66 years old. From 2014 to 2018, there was a special exhibit about Columbia Eneutseak at the Velaslavasay Panorama in Los Angeles, celebrating her life and work.
Images for kids
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Eneutseak posing with a whip, 1909
See also
In Spanish: Columbia Eneutseak para niños
