MS 2005-07 Red Thunder Cloud collection
odd: label: Local Numbers
content: NAA MS 2005-07
name: label: Collector
content: Unti, Oreste Vincent
label: Creator
content: Red Thunder Cloud, 1919-1996
topic: label: Topic
content: Indians of North America -- Ethnic identity
label: Topic
content: Indians of North America -- Southern states
creator: label: Collector
content: Unti, Oreste Vincent
label: Creator
content: Red Thunder Cloud, 1919-1996
culture: label: Culture
content: Catawba Indians
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Red Thunder Cloud was an alias of Cromwell Ashbie Hawkins West (1922-1996), who posed as a Catawba and native speaker of the language. In 1938, he wrote a letter to Frank G. Speck, introducing himself as a "16 year old Catawba Indian." He continued his masquerade for the rest of his life and served as an assistant and informant to linguists and anthropologists. While his veracity was questioned by some, it was not until his death that it was confirmed that he was not Catawba, much less a Native American. For more information, please see Ives Goddard's article "The Identity of Red Thunder Cloud" at http://anthropology.si.edu/goddard1.html.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 5 Pages (1 photographic print; and 1 periodical)
unitdate: label: Date
content: undated
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Anthropological Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NAA.MS2005-07
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Photographs
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Materials relating to Red Thunder Cloud collected by his friend Oreste Vincent Unti: (1) Photographic print (8x10) inscribed "Best wishes Bernie from Red Thunder Cloud." (2) Two-page letter in Spanish to Oreste Unti from Armando Diaz, East Hampton, NY, May 22, 1945. (3) Two-page letter to Oreste Unti from "Your Brother Tez" [i.e. Red Thunder Cloud], Catawba Lodge, East Hampton, NY, n.d. (4) Photocopy of obituary for Oreste Vincent Unti published in the Chestnut Hill Local (Oct 25, 2001). (5) Periodical published by Red Thunder Cloud at Catawba Lodge: "The Indian War Drum: The Voice of the Eastern Indians" Vol. 1 No 2. (Feb 1946).