JANUARY 10, 1985

CHEROKEE-CREEK OPERA SINGER TSIANINA REDFEATHER BLACKSTONE DIED

Born December 13, 1882, in Eufaula, in the Muskogee Creek Nation, of Creek and Cherokee heritage, Tsianina won scholarships to study music in Denver and New York. In Denver, she met composer and pianist Charles Wakefield Cadman. Beginning in 1908, she toured the world as a mezzo-soprano, often with Cadman under the stage name Princess Redfeather. In 1918, she performed the opera Shanewis at the New York Metropolitan Opera. The opera was based upon Tsianina’s life. Her theme song was Cadman’s Land of Sky Blue Water, but Indian Love Call was another of her famous songs. Touring the world, even in Europe during World War I, she wore traditional clothing of soft leather; she braided her hair and wore headbands she beaded herself. Retiring from singing in 1935, Tsianina founded the American Foundation for the Education of the American Indians and the First Daughters of America.  She wrote a book titled “Where Trails Have Led Me.” Tsianina died in San Diego, California, January 10, 1985.

Source: “Princess Red Feather History,” Red Feather Historical Society.  Retrieved 7/25/2022, Princess Red Feather History | Red Feather Historical Society

Photo:  Bain News Service, 1915. Public Domain. Source: United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs Division: Digital ID ggbain 20485, Princess Tsianina Redfeather - digital file from original neg. | Library of Congress (loc.gov), LOC Control Number: 2014700419xx