Lucy Nicolar Poolaw facts for kids
Lucy Nicolar Poolaw (born June 22, 1882 – died March 27, 1969) was a talented Penobscot woman. She was also known as Wa-Tah-Wa-So and performed as Princess Watahwaso. She was famous for her performances on the Chautauqua and lyceum circuits, which were popular traveling shows.
Growing Up and Early Life
Lucy Nicolar was born on the Penobscot Indian Island Reservation in Maine. Her parents, Joseph Nicolar and Elizabeth Joseph, were both Penobscot. Her father was a speaker, a representative in the Maine Legislature, and a writer. He wrote a book called The Life and Traditions of the Red Man in 1893.
As a child, Lucy learned how to make baskets. She and her family sold these handmade goods to tourists in Kennebunkport, Maine. Lucy and her sisters also sang for the visitors. When she was a teenager, she helped start the Wabanaki Club on the island. This was a women's club that joined the Maine Federation of Women's Clubs in 1897.
In her late teens, Lucy started traveling to perform at public events, like sportsman's shows. During one trip, a Harvard administrator noticed her talent. He helped her get chances to study music in Boston and New York City.
Her Career as a Performer
Lucy Nicolar often mixed her performances with efforts to help her community. In January 1900, when she was 17, Lucy went to a discussion about immigration in New York City. She surprised everyone by saying, "I believe I am the only true American here." Then, she sat at a piano, sang a sad song, and played music by Chopin. Her performance touched everyone in the room.
Starting in 1916, Lucy Nicolar toured the United States using the stage name "Princess Watahwaso". She performed on the Chautauqua and lyceum circuits. During her shows, she sang, played piano, told stories, and danced. She often wore a special fringed costume. She even sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a big event for a Chautauqua organization.
In 1920, she performed at New York's Aeolian Hall. She was also part of Music Day at the Woman's Press Club in New York. The New York Times wrote about her show in 1920, saying her talents created a special charm. Even though her music was presented as "primitive music," most of her songs were written by non-Native composers. These included Thurlow Lieurance and Charles Wakefield Cadman.
Lucy Nicolar also made more than a dozen recordings. She recorded for the Victor Talking Machine Company between 1917 and 1930.
After 1929, she stopped performing on stage. Lucy Nicolar Poolaw and her husband then ran a basket shop in Maine called Chief Poolaw's Teepee. She also worked with her sisters, Emma and Florence, to support Native American rights in Maine. In 1955, Penobscot people living on reservation land in Maine gained the right to vote. Lucy Nicolar Poolaw was the first person to cast her ballot.
Her Family and Later Life
Lucy Nicolar married three times. Her third husband was Bruce Poolaw (1906-1984), who was also an entertainer. They moved back to Maine together. Lucy Nicolar Poolaw passed away in 1969, at 87 years old, on Indian Island.
The Poolaw's gift shop is now called Princess Watahwaso's Teepee. It is a museum run by Lucy's nephew, Charles Norman Shay.
One of Lucy Poolaw's handmade baskets is kept in the collection of the Oklahoma Historical Society. In 2010 and 2011, there was a special exhibit about her. It was called "Aunt Lu: The Story of Princess Watahwaso" and was shown at the Abbe Museum.
The photographer Horace Poolaw was her brother-in-law.
See also
In Spanish: Lucy Nicolar Poolaw para niños
