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floyd westerman died dec 14th. sad
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Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman passes
by Patti Jo King
December 14, 2007
Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman LOS ANGELES - Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota musician, actor, and activist, passed away at 5 a.m. PST at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after an extended illness. He was 72.
Westerman began his career in music in the 1960s. He went on to appear in dozens of movies, television productions, and documentaries, and participated in grass-roots education and organizing across the nation, becoming one of the most recognizable American Indians of the 20th century.
He was born on the Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota, but was orphaned and sent to boarding school at the age of 7. He attended both the Wahpeton and Flandreau boarding schools. While most of the students went home during summer and winter breaks, Floyd and a handful of other students stayed year-round, performing custodial and maintenance duties. It was there he learned to play guitar, and made the acquaintance of another youngster, Dennis Banks. The two boys became lifelong friends.
After a stint in the Marine Corps, Westerman headed for college in Aberdeen, S.D., with his old guitar over his shoulder and a song in his heart. There he attended Northern State College (now Northern State University) majoring in secondary education, art and theater. After graduation he settled in Denver, where he supported himself by playing country music. While in Denver, he made another lifelong friend, Vine Deloria Jr.
In 1969, Westerman produced his first album based on discussions he was having about Indian affairs with Deloria. That album, titled ''Custer Died for Your Sins,'' became the background music of the emerging Red Power Movement.
Read more...
by Patti Jo King
December 14, 2007
Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman LOS ANGELES - Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota musician, actor, and activist, passed away at 5 a.m. PST at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after an extended illness. He was 72.
Westerman began his career in music in the 1960s. He went on to appear in dozens of movies, television productions, and documentaries, and participated in grass-roots education and organizing across the nation, becoming one of the most recognizable American Indians of the 20th century.
He was born on the Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota, but was orphaned and sent to boarding school at the age of 7. He attended both the Wahpeton and Flandreau boarding schools. While most of the students went home during summer and winter breaks, Floyd and a handful of other students stayed year-round, performing custodial and maintenance duties. It was there he learned to play guitar, and made the acquaintance of another youngster, Dennis Banks. The two boys became lifelong friends.
After a stint in the Marine Corps, Westerman headed for college in Aberdeen, S.D., with his old guitar over his shoulder and a song in his heart. There he attended Northern State College (now Northern State University) majoring in secondary education, art and theater. After graduation he settled in Denver, where he supported himself by playing country music. While in Denver, he made another lifelong friend, Vine Deloria Jr.
In 1969, Westerman produced his first album based on discussions he was having about Indian affairs with Deloria. That album, titled ''Custer Died for Your Sins,'' became the background music of the emerging Red Power Movement.
Read more...
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