Elizabeth Marie Tallchief was born in 1925 on an Osage Indian Reservation in Oklahoma. Her father was Osage and her mother was Scots-Irish. The Tallchiefs were wealthy from the Oklahoma crude oil that came from their land.
Elizabeth grew to become America’s greatest ballerina, Maria Tallchief. She wrote TallChief - America’s Prima Ballerina with Rosemary Wells. It is beautifully illustrated by Gary Kelley and first published by Viking in 1999. Rosemary Wells is the author of many beloved books for children, including one of our family’s all-time Christmas favorites Morris’s Disappearing Bag.
Tallchief is an inspiring story of how one girl can set her heart on her dreams and work hard to make them come true. How our parents, when they believe in us, can foster our creativity and passions and talents and help us make our dreams come true.
Maria’s parents move their family to California so that their daughters can get the education they need. One day, Maria’s father asks her to choose whether she will focus on piano or dance. Maria writes, “I chose dance because I felt the music I loved grew inside of me in a different way than could be expressed by my hands on an instrument.”
Maria Tallchief married the great choreographer George Balanchine in 1946 and he developed many roles for her. She also received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1996.
Here is a site where you can watch her dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F0caHz7A6Y
We enjoyed reading this positive portrayal of an amazing Native American woman.
