The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-03-13
Remarkable Story of Okla
homa Born Genius
on Road to Fame
WAS AIDED BY CODY
Civilization and Savagery in
Struggle for Mastery of
Colbert's Nature

has exhibited his paintings on Fifth
sysnuc. L. Overton Colbert. the ar
fst. is Chickasaw, very young
man. dapper. dark, alert. He has
an uuwavcring glance, surgical
glance. sleek black hair, sharp nose
and he is uncommonly graceful in
walk and gesture.
1 his paintings are In tcmpera. He
! kas tried to express the religious
4 Ivhs cf tho Hopi. Navajo. Chloe
law. Chickasaw, Sioux. Some OF the
myths are peculiar TO a single tribe
others are universal to ALI tribes
but AN OF the paintings (there are
about 90 in number) are exquisite
ly drawn and subtle and beautiful
In color. They have "A rare SAVIOR
NJ the earth and the emotional sim
pncty Of the original Americans
who have been cabincd and confined
20 minute part of the land they
once travcrscd without hindranCc.
when Colbert was a small boy he
had hts herd Of horses on his
fathers great ranch in Oklahoma.
His mother and father believed in
letting him run wild. Sometimes,
when he was tired of the life around
The ranch he would take 20 horses
fror tho herd and go into the hills.
riding one horse after the other for
A 'hr trails were steep aud the little
ponies got tired. He wore the
l'chaps,' tho sombrcro, and the
\ handkerchief around the throat. He
went aIonc always and took sketch
book with him and a box of water
coors, and he would study the col
ors Of the bills, the colois of the
animals the shades of sunset and
sunrise, always color. for 1t was
passion with him. lilo would meet
Indians Camped on tho trails and
1 j0ln them, speak their language,
immorse himself in the atmosphere
Of his kin and forget his mother and
father whom European culture had
already touched.
Roscnts White Mans Ways.
Coming back to the ranch after
trips Ike these was painful for the
boy At first he rebelled against the
4 arificiality Of the life on the ranch,
4 but after when he had become ac-
4 customed to occasional excursions,
\ he became divided into sort Of
4 double personality, the native and
the civilized. and it was "A point Of
pride with him 10 distinguish sharp
ly between the two, and raise both
| 10 high degree of intensity.
But 1t was not pleasant on the
ranch. His father had schooled
himself in the ways Of the whiio
men for the sake of his political am-'
bition, and he wished the boy to fol-
low after him. His mother, on the
other hand, syrhpathized WITH the
boy and encouraged his love of tho
| Indians, so that there was a cleav-
age, one one side was the father.
anxious for his son TO do great
things In the state and on the other
the mother, who had considerable
n talent for painting also. and the boy,
D. already dreaming dreams of n splcn-
did future. But there was never any
question OF young Colberts tanning.
He continued his studies.
Even when he was old enough to
90 to the agricultural and mechani-
cal college Of Oklahoma he did not
allow himself to be torn away from
me race to which he belonged. Dur
ing holidays in summer II was most
precious for him to shed the or
dnary clothes and go away from
me ranch. lie sought out the great
men OF the tribe and absorbed the
wisdom Of their speech and gesture,
n tneir profoundly natural relation to
81 the Inverse. There. with them, he
q found that which satisfied his
spiritual hunger, there was meat and
drink for him, But at college the
government directed authorities did
A everything they could 10 destroy his
a .o'e OF his people. They advanced
a NOSE Indians who gave most evil
uehce OF having acquired the Cau-
.aslon color of mind and hindered
those who persisted in keeping the
isith, II amounted to a persecution,
ms forccful injection of culture
commonly known in these patriotic
hdES 90 n a MI I'D Tnl
oeFt resisted SO strenuously that sew
uSl umes he escaped being dis
missed py narrow margin.
Travelled i'm Arctic
But all did not go happily al
nome. His mother died and he was
IVY without strong ally in his
u Iuuss'e against his fathers am
u1"ons Tor him. His father objected
me Young mans artistic ten
peHcleS, he objected very seriously
~ Tor young Colbert there was nc
Sh''haiive to painting. and there
Nv matter rested for time. It'was
,D. brought up again until Colbert
ss,s,auudlsd from the college. Then
aSI a determined but peaceful talk
'u llld father he decided to break
yuSc from his environment and earn
10 "Nhg as well as he could, bul
ne would paint.
4 no planned to travel on a grand
4 sac and chose Alaska as the first
a S!'CHNe lie had no money. onfy
~ elolhes, his paints. his boots and
i ,ontaaps' which he priced, and q
po,h Aearl, lie set out for the
4 ,a,'.Ie coast, and moved from towr
"a 4I0Wn' As he went along he did
A cEG Jops on farms, patched ma,
rn.ueiy Tor he had become an ex,
r,,;oo mechanic at college. In the
o. ne worked for advertisin5
sva making posters and decorating
roo rds' In three months he haC
n, ,l'd Los Angeles. Then he wen
ft, ,g' coast, city by city, stoppinl
Id Iluiee Or four weeks at a time I,
rol'' some cash. After eigh
".H'Ns sna OF rowing he reached seattl,
Az, Ai1 ne took the boat north L
sho,v'. landed in Mono and wandered
he me town for a few DAYS. Ther
nort tH,e'aed to tako>a hike 10 IN,
ON, asI hired a dog team and Sc
sbo.,, t9r two months he Travelled
e5n.t mo country with his team
no s north little by little, unit
ko, Isthed the Arctic circle at Yu
ana 1'ly, where he rested, loafet
FlV, maze some crayon sketches
eGlleo. an exhibition OF shooting L