Floyd Westerman, also known as Kanghi Duta ("Red Crow" in Dakota)
(August 17, 1936 â€" December 13, 2007), was a Dakota Sioux musician,
political activist, and actor. After establishing a career as a
country music singer, later in his life he became an actor, usually
depicting Native American elders in American films and television. He
is also credited as Floyd Red Crow Westerman. As a political activist,
he spoke and marched for Native American causes.He was born Floyd
Westerman on the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation, home of the
Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, a federally recognized tribe that is one of
the sub-tribes of the Eastern Dakota section of the Great Sioux
Nation, located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. His Indigenous name
Kanghi Duta means "Red Crow" in the Dakota language (which is one of
the three inter-related Siouan languages of the Great Plains).He was
born Floyd Westerman on the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation, home of
the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, a federally recognized tribe that is one
of the sub-tribes of the Eastern Dakota section of the Great Sioux
Nation, located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. His Indigenous name
Kanghi Duta means "Red Crow" in the Dakota language (which is one of
the three inter-related Siouan languages of the Great Plains).At the
age of 10, Westerman was sent to the Wahpeton Boarding School, where
he first met Dennis Banks (who as an adult became a leader of the
American Indian Movement). There Westerman and the other children were
forced to cut their traditionally long hair and forbidden to speak
their native languages. This experience would profoundly impact
Westerman's development and entire life. As an adult, he reclaimed his
heritage and became an outspoken advocate for Indigenous cultural
preservation.Westerman graduated from Northern State University with a
B.A. degree in secondary education. He served two years in the US
Marines, before beginning his career as a country singer. Floyd Westerman Top Movies & Young Movies