OklahomaHorses Magazine January 2024

January / February 2024 • OklahomaHorses 17 also contributed to the integrity of the Cherokee language and made his way into acting through community theater. A linguist, artist, musician, and author, Studi has hundreds of acting projects under his belt, including more than 40 films. But he initially transitioned into movies with a 1989 film role. Then he gained over-the-top attention as a Pawnee warrior in the 1990 movie Dances with Wolves. The movie snagged many awards, including an Oscar for best picture. In 1992, The Last of the Mohicans hit the silver screen as an adaptation of nineteenth-century author James Fenimore Cooper’s novel about the French and Indian War. Winning numerous awards, the film starred Daniel Day-Lewis as Hawkeye, Madelaine Stowe as Cora, Oglala Lakota actor Russell Means as Chingachgook, Canadian actor Eric Schweig as Uncas, and Studi. Playing the part of a fierce Huron warrior, Studi was a key figure in the story. His spine-chilling portrayal of Magua and his authentic Mohawk were hauntingly unforgettable. To a great extent, Studi’s acting roles have been Native-specific parts in westerns, and they have included Red Cloud, Geronimo, and Cochise, along with numerous others. He holds a massive number of awards and accolades. In 2019, he received the Native American Music Award. His induction into the National Native American Hall of Fame, in the arts category, also was in 2019. But he made breakthrough history in 2019 as the first Native American to win an Oscar, chosen for “portraying strong Native American characters with poignancy and authenticity.” He took the historic moment further onstage and spoke in Cherokee during the program. In 2003, Studi became the second Native American actor to be inducted into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Hall of Great Western Performers. Numbered among the outstanding and noteworthy Oklahomans of Native American ancestry, Studi and John Herrington, also from Oklahoma, were masters of ceremony at the dedication of the National Native American Veterans Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. An enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation, Herrington was the first Native American astronaut in space. Oklahoma artist, Southern Cheyenne peace chief, and Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee Harvey Pratt designed the memorial, which was dedicated in November 2022. “I think Wes Studi is the real deal,” Pratt says. “He plays his acting characters so full. He has a direct image of who they are.” The spotlights have followed Studi’s impressive acting career. But throughout his life, his impassioned love of horses has remained part of his core. Tiger horses are similar in appearance to Appaloosas. These people- friendly equines descend from an ancient Chinese breed. Photo courtesy of Smith Northam horsebreedspictures.com . Wes Studi specializes in Native American film roles. Photo by Maura Dhu Studi. Harvey Pratt (left), John Herrington, andWes Studi participate in the dedication of the National Native American Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., November 2022. Photo by Gina Posey Pratt.