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Monroe Tsatoke

Kiowa, 1904-1937

Birth PlaceSaddle Mountain, Oklahoma, United States, North America

Death PlaceOklahoma, United States, North America

BiographyMonroe Tsatoke (1904–1937) was a Kiowa painter and a member of the Kiowa Five from Oklahoma.

Monroe Tsatoke was born on 29 September 1904 in Oklahoma Territory, near present day Saddle Mountain, Oklahoma. Tsatokee, which means "Hunting Horse", was his Kiowa name. His father was also named Tsatokee, and was a Kiowa scout. His grandmother was a European-American captive.

Tsatoke never received art instruction until Susan Peters, the Kiowa agency field matron, arranged for Mrs. Willie Baze Lane, an artist from Chickasha, Oklahoma, to teach painting classes for young Kiowas in Anadarko. Recognizing the talent of some of the young artists, Peters convinced Swedish-American artist, Oscar Jacobson, director of the University of Oklahoma's School of Art, to accept the Kiowa students into a special program at the school. The Kiowa Five's first major breakthrough into the international fine arts world occurred at the 1928 First International Art Exposition in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Dr. Jacobson arranged for their work to be shown in several other countries and for Kiowa Art, a portfolio of pochoir print artists' paintings, to be published in France.

Tsatoke took additional art classes at Bacone College and worked at Indian City USA in Anadarko as a guide. Besides painting, Tsatoke also farmed, sang at Kiowa ceremonials and participated in fancy war dance.

He was diagnosed with tuberculosis and joined the Native American Church. He painted about his religious experiences and is credited with creating stylized representations of symbols associated with the Church, such as the water, birds, and feathers.

Person TypeIndividual