Emma Kickapoo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Emma Kickapoo
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Kickapoo in 1913
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| Born |
Pem-i-tha-ah-kwa, Pem-me-tha-ah-quah, or Pen-e-thah-ah-quah
1880 Kickapoo Reservation, Indian Territory
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| Died | 1942 (aged 61–62) |
| Other names | Emma Ellis, Emma Kickapoo Williams, Emma Kickapoo Williams Ellis |
| Occupation | baker, artists' model, quiltmaker |
| Years active | 1912-1932 |
Emma Kickapoo Williams Ellis (born June 1880, died 1942) was a Native American woman. She was part of the Mexican Kickapoo tribe. Emma was well-known for being a model for several artists.
She grew up in Indian Territory. Emma went to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. After school, she became a baker. In 1912, she modeled for artist Edward Warren Sawyer. He made a bronze sculpture of her for the Smithsonian.
The next year, Emma was the only person from her tribe to accept a United States Flag. This flag was given during the Wanamaker Expedition. A photo of her with the flag was used on a book cover in 1971. This book was called American Indian Portraits from the Wanamaker Expedition of 1913. Later, in 1931, Emma sent a photo of herself and a quilt she made to Franklin D. Roosevelt. This quilt was later shown in a Smithsonian book in 1978.
Emma Kickapoo's Early Life and School
Emma's birth name was Pem-i-tha-ah-kwa. It meant "flying past." She was born around 1879 or 1880. Her family was from Mexico. They lived on the Mexican Kickapoo Reservation in Indian Territory.
The Kickapoo originally spoke an Algonquian language. They came from Wisconsin. Over time, conflicts with other tribes and settlers pushed them south. By the 1830s, some Kickapoo settled in Kansas. Many others moved often, living in places like Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
After the Republic of Texas was formed in 1836, conflicts grew. The American Civil War also caused problems. Most Kickapoo moved south into Mexico. They settled in a state called Coahuila. In the 1870s, the U.S. and Mexican governments talked about moving the Kickapoo. They planned to move them to a reservation in Indian Territory.
A special agency was created in 1874. Land was set aside for the Kickapoo near the Canadian River. An official reservation was made in 1882. It was on the Deep Fork Tributary of the Canadian River.
In 1895, the U.S. government gave land to 283 tribal members. Emma was one of them. Her land was in Oklahoma. She arrived at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania in November 1898. She was 18 years old. At school, she was given the name Emma Kickapoo.
Emma finished school in 1905. She went back to Indian Territory. Her first job was working in the home of Thomas Wildcat Alford. In 1908, Emma married Owen Loyd Williams in Hiawatha, Kansas. Loyd worked for the Shawnee Agency. Emma worked there as a baker. Within two years, they had a son named Lloyd.
Emma's Career and Public Life
Edward Warren Sawyer was an American artist. He visited the Kickapoo people in 1912. He was working for the Smithsonian Institution. Sawyer was famous for making medallions of Native people. He started making these bronze artworks in 1904.
For his work with the Kickapoo, he chose three models. Emma Kickapoo was one of them. He made their faces in clay. Then, these were cast in bronze. Newspapers said the artworks looked very much like the people. These pieces were later placed in the Smithsonian's collections.
Rodman Wanamaker owned a large department store. In 1913, he sent his employee Joseph K. Dixon on an expedition. This was the third North American Indian expedition. Its goal was to give American flags to Native people. Wanamaker wanted to encourage Native people to become U.S. citizens. He also wanted to honor Native people.
When Dixon arrived at the Kickapoo agency, the tribe refused to take part. They had signed many agreements with the government before. These agreements had caused them problems. So, they did not want to sign a Declaration of Allegiance. They also refused to accept a flag from Dixon.
Emma Kickapoo was the only person willing to accept the flag. She was photographed wearing it. The photo shows her looking at the camera. She is wearing a dark blouse and a long skirt. An American flag is draped over her shoulder.
In 1917, Emma's husband, Loyd, died. Two years later, she married Frank Ellis. He was a member of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians. Frank worked as a house painter.
In the 1930s, Emma was photographed in more traditional clothing. One picture shows her with a quilt. The quilt had donkeys on it. Donkeys are the symbol of the Democratic Party. Emma made this quilt during the first election campaign of Franklin D. Roosevelt. She wrote him a letter. She sent him the photo and offered to send him the quilt if he won.
Later Life and Legacy
Emma Ellis passed away in 1942. She died in McLoud, Oklahoma.
In 1971, photos from the Wanamaker expedition were found again. These photos were kept at the American Museum of Natural History. An editor named Charles R. Reynolds, Jr. worked to publish these images. He chose Emma's photo for the cover of the book. The book was called American Indian Portraits from the Wanamaker Expedition of 1913.
In 1978, a photo of Emma and her "Democratic Quilt" was in a Smithsonian book. This book was called Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 15. Some of her photos are also at the Oklahoma Historical Society.
The 1913 photo of Emma with the flag inspired an artist. Annu Palakunnathu Matthew used it for her art series. Her series was called An Indian from India. It looked at how imperialism affected Native Americans and South Asians. Matthew made a self-portrait called "Indian American Wearing Flag as Sari" (2003). This artwork showed her own struggle to have her heritage accepted in her new country. It also showed how cultures can mix.
