Hanay Geiogamah facts for kids

Hanay Geiogamah, born in 1945, is a talented Native American writer, producer, and director. He has worked in theater, television, and movies. He used to be a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), teaching about theater, film, and TV. He also led the UCLA American Indian Studies Center from 2002 to 2009. Hanay was born in Oklahoma and is from the Kiowa and Delaware Nation tribes. He is well-known as a Native American playwright. He is also one of the few Native American producers in Hollywood.

Early Life and Education

Hanay Geiogamah was born in Lawton, Oklahoma to a Kiowa father and a Delaware mother. He is officially a member of the Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma. He finished high school at Anadarko High School. Later, he studied journalism at the University of Oklahoma.

In 1979, he went to Indiana University Bloomington. He earned a bachelor's degree in theater with a minor in journalism in 1980. Before his career in arts, Geiogamah also worked for the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Louis R. Bruce. This was part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs under President Richard Nixon.

Starting a Theater Company

In late 1971, Hanay Geiogamah started a theater group in New York City. This group was at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in the East Village. It was the first theater company in the United States made up only of Native American actors.

In 1973, the group changed its name to the Native American Theatre Ensemble. They did this because people on their tours sometimes didn't realize they were real Native Americans. Geiogamah's first play with the company was Body Indian in 1972. Other plays followed, like ... Cons Coyote and Foghorn in 1973.

Touring and Performances

During the 1970s, the Native American Theatre Ensemble traveled a lot. They performed across the United States and even in Germany. In 1973, students from the Institute of American Indian Arts joined them on a tour. They performed at places like the University of New Mexico and the Smithsonian Institution. Their shows featured both traditional and modern American Indian music. Songs came from different parts of Indian Country, like the Plains and the Southwest.

In 1980, the University of Oklahoma Press published Geiogamah's book, New Native American Drama: Three Plays. The Native American Theatre Ensemble performed Geiogamah's last play, 49, in 1982 at La MaMa.

American Indian Dance Theatre

Later, Geiogamah created the famous American Indian Dance Theatre. This dance group had its first public show in 1987. Hanay Geiogamah was the director, and Barbara Schwei was the producer. The group had 24 dancers from about 18 different Native American nations. They toured both in the U.S. and around the world.

The dancers wore traditional costumes. The music was played on traditional instruments made by the performers themselves. The group first performed in New York City in 1989 at the Joyce Theater. In 1990, they were featured on PBS' show Great Performances. The New York Times praised their show, saying it was very "authentic." They said the artists shared important facts about their lives and cultures. In 1993, the company was part of another PBS show, Dance in America. This program was even nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Work in Television and Film

Hanay Geiogamah also worked a lot in television and movies. He was a producer for a big TBS project called The Native Americans: Behind the Legends, Beyond the Myths. This series aired on TNT from 1993 to 1996. It featured historical dramas based on facts and related publications.

Geiogamah helped produce "The Broken Chain," which told the story of the Iroquois Confederacy during colonial times. He also worked on "Geronimo." In 1994, he helped produce "Lakota Woman: Return to Wounded Knee." A year later, he worked on "Tecumseh," about the Shawnee leader who fought against the United States. In 1996, Geiogamah produced TNT's "Crazy Horse," about the Oglala Lakota war leader.

Geiogamah was also a producer for The Only Good Indian. This independent Western movie starred Cherokee actor Wes Studi. The film first showed in 2009 at the Sundance Film Festival.

In 2010, Geiogamah joined Robert Osborne on Turner Classic Movies. They hosted a series called "Race in Hollywood: Native American Images on Film." This series looked at how Native Americans have been shown in movies, both good and bad.

Hanay Geiogamah is also on the National Film Preservation Board. This group advises the Librarian of Congress about the National Film Registry. He also helped start "Project HOOP" (Honoring Our Origins and Peoples). This project works to create Native American theater programs in tribal colleges, Native communities, schools, and other places.