219:. Due to a lack of funds, she was only able to attend the prestigious college for two years, and then returned to touring, and dancing her tribe’s native dances. Although she had returned to her life as a performer, she did not let this crush her spirits and she began to write and create her own music and costumes. Her family is said to have described her as “A happy and completely free spirit.”
222:
Spotted Elk's career is marked by a tension between her desire for fame and success as an actress and performer, and the racist expectations of White
American and European society that forced her to don skimpy buckskin costumes and act out stereotypes in order to do so. Returning to rural Maine after
204:. There, he studied for a year and became a governor of the tribe. Molly was the oldest of eight children. All of them helped their parents sell the famous baskets Philomene made in tourist towns. In addition to that, Molly learned traditional dances and performed for tourists who stayed at hotels.
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After a lot of practice, she won a role in the chorus line of the Foster Girls. They traveled to San
Antonio for eight months to perform at the Aztec. There, she decide to pursue a writing career, so when she was not dancing, she was writing poetry, adventure stories, literary fiction, and more.
278:
In 1933, the
Depression affected Paris. As a result she had less opportunities to dance, and Archambaud was fired from his job. In 1934, she moved to New York where she had a few jobs; she was pregnant and gave birth there. In 1938, Elk and her daughter moved back to Paris to be reunited with
36:
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living in New York and Paris, wrote her biographer, "was like an old pair of moccasins that one dreamed of during years of high-heeled city life—only to find, upon slipping into them, that they felt less comfortable than remembered because the shape of one's feet had changed."
275:, where she found an audience for traditional Native American dance. While there, she met and married French journalist Jean Archambaud. At this time she began researching the folktales and traditions of the Native American northeast.
242:
She performed with Miller
Brothers' 101 Ranch both on tour and in Oklahoma. It was as a result of winning a dance competition of Natives Americans in Oklahoma that she was adopted by the Cheyenne and given the name of Spotted Elk.
188:, Spotted Elk was christened Mary Alice Nelson by a Catholic priest, but the Penobscot pronounced her first and middle names Molly Dellis, which was often shortened to Molly Dell or Molly. Her parents were
279:
Archambaud. However, their happiness lasted only a short while; the Nazis invaded and she and her daughter were separated from
Archambaud. They never saw him again. Together mother and child crossed the
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In 1926, Elk moved to New York looking for opportunities, fame, and fortune. She had different jobs to save money for school such as a nude model, dance teacher, and more.
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593:“Molly Spotted Elk.” Penobscot Cultural & Historic Preservation, www.penobscotculture.com/index.php/molly-spotted-elk. Accessed November 25, 2018.
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523:(2nd printing ed.), The Abbe Museum, Bar Harbor, Maine and Northeast Region Ethnography Program, National Park Service, archived from
259:, a 1930 silent-film drama of American Indian life. Sometimes she worked as an artists' model; among the artists for whom she modeled was
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Katahdin: Wigwam's Tales of the Abnaki Tribe and a
Dictionary of Penobscot and Passamaquoddy Words with French and English Translation
283:
on foot to Spain. From there they returned to the United States, where Elk spent the rest of her life on the
Penobscot Reservation.
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554:"Molly Spotted Elk, From Poverty in Old Town, Maine, to Fame in Paris - and Back - New England Historical Society"
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The collection of Molly
Spotted Elk material formerly held at the Maine Folklife Center was transferred to
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basket maker who sold her crafts to tourists. Her father was the first
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Notable
American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century
322:"Molly Spotted Elk, From Poverty in Old Town, Maine, to Fame in Paris — and Back"
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After the tour was done, she went back to New York where she continued working.
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shows at various times interspersed with her early education. She attended the
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514:"Asticou's Island Domain: Wanbanaki Peoples at Mount Desert Island 1500–2000"
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Born November 17, 1903, on Indian Island, a Penobscot Reservation near
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Acadia National Park Ethnographic Overview & Assessment, Volume 2
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380:. Penobscot Nation Cultural & Historic Preservation Department
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464:. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 14–19, 26–32, 285, 355.
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Raymond H. Fogler Library at the University of Maine
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Dudding, Will (September 18, 2023). "Molly Nelson".
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374:"Mary Alice Nelson Archambaud (Molly Spotted Elk)"
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400:"Molly Spotted Elk found success on world stage"
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172:dancer, actress, and writer who was born on the
719:People from Penobscot Indian Island Reservation
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192:, a Penobscot political leader, and her mother
434:. Harvard University Press. pp. 606–607.
378:Penobscot: Culture & History of the Nation
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512:Prins, Harald E.L.; McBride, Bunny (2007),
406:, p. A5, March 1, 2008, archived from
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352:. Infobase Publishing. pp. 232–233.
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734:American expatriate actresses in France
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461:Molly Spotted Elk: A Penobscot in Paris
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162:November 17, 1903 – February 21, 1977
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558:www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com
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174:Penobscot Indian Island Reservation
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764:20th-century Native American women
230:artist, activist and basketweaver
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704:University of Pennsylvania alumni
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493:. Harpswell, ME: Publius Research
485:Henderson, James S., ed. (2012).
324:. New England Historical Society
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164:), best known by her stage name
739:Native American Roman Catholics
729:20th-century American actresses
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349:A to Z of American Indian Women
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694:American silent film actresses
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759:20th-century American dancers
744:20th-century Native Americans
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207:Spotted Elk was involved in
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7:
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213:University of Pennsylvania
108:University of Pennsylvania
709:Native American actresses
296:, Maine Folklife Center,
292:Molly Spotted Elk (2003)
226:Her granddaughter is the
215:under the sponsorship of
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714:Native American dancers
699:American female dancers
689:American film actresses
458:McBride, Bunny (1997).
194:Philomene Saulis Nelson
491:Maine: An Encyclopedia
346:Liz Sonneborn (2014).
271:In 1931, she moved to
146:Mary Nelson Archambaud
99:Mary Nelson Archambaud
754:Catholics from Maine
487:"Spotted Elk, Molly"
428:Ware, Susan (2004).
410:on September 1, 2013
78:Indian Island, Maine
61:Indian Island, Maine
749:Dancers from Maine
560:. 22 November 2014
281:Pyrenees Mountains
660:Molly Spotted Elk
617:Molly Spotted Elk
604:Molly Spotted Elk
579:Molly Spotted Elk
471:978-0-8061-2989-1
441:978-0-674-01488-6
404:Bangor Daily News
359:978-1-4381-0788-2
202:Dartmouth College
176:, in Maine, U.S.
166:Molly Spotted Elk
150:Mary Alice Nelson
143:
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136:Years active
71:February 21, 1977
57:November 17, 1903
47:Mary Alice Nelson
23:Molly Spotted Elk
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196:(1888–1977), an
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96:Other names
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302:0-943197-29-5
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273:Paris, France
267:Life in Paris
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414:21 September
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287:Bibliography
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158:Molly Dellis
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73:(1977-02-21)
29:Molly Dellis
684:1977 deaths
679:1903 births
217:Frank Speck
116:Occupations
84:Nationality
673:Categories
619:p. 305-306
564:2018-11-25
309:References
209:Vaudeville
111:Non-degree
53:1903-11-17
615:McBride.
602:McBride.
577:McBride.
238:Work life
228:Penobscot
180:Biography
154:Penobscot
139:1920s–30s
90:Penobscot
656:in 2017.
606:p. 69-70
581:p. 57-59
168:, was a
87:American
198:artisan
128:actress
639:online
468:
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356:
300:
148:(born
125:dancer
122:Writer
528:(PDF)
517:(PDF)
664:IMDb
536:2016
499:2016
466:ISBN
436:ISBN
416:2016
386:2016
354:ISBN
330:2016
298:ISBN
68:Died
43:Born
662:at
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
