“Above all, I wanted to be appreciated as a prima ballerina who happened to be a Native American, never as someone who was an American Indian ballerina.”
In honor of Native American Heritage Month, Oklahoma’s Firebird Maria Tallchief was the first Native American to achieve the rank of America’s first prima ballerina.
Tallchief was born in Fairfax, Oklahoma, on January 24, 1925, to an Osage lineage.
At an early age, she and her sister took an interest in dance after moving to California. Their mother, Mrs. Tall Chief, allowed Maria to take dance lessons, which she took until the age of twelve.
Once she graduated from high school, she began working as an apprentice with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Maria was asked to change her name to a less Native American-sounding last name when she became a member of the corps de ballet, which she refused.
In 1947, she danced with the Paris Opera Ballet, making her the first American to do so.
She soon became a prima ballerina of the New City Ballet and held this title for 18 years.
After all those years, she eventually retired and became a teacher of the Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet to teach younger dancers her art in 1975. Tallchief eventually became the founder and artistic director of the Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet for 6 years, starting in 1981. She was also the director of the Chicago City Ballet for 7 years, beginning in 1980. In 1999, Tallchief was presented with the Kennedy Center Honor for her outstanding achievements.
In the same year, she was also awarded the National Arts Award by the president at the time, Bill Clinton, for her contribution to and growth of the arts.
She peacefully died in Chicago on April 11, 2013, leaving a long-lasting impact on the Native American and ballerina community.