FLOYD WESTERMANFloyd Red Crow Westerman, who died on 13 December, 2007, aged 71, was the most recognisable Native American in the entertainment industry.The actor had several iconic roles, including the Shaman in The Doors (1991) and a recurring part in The X-Files (1995-1999). He was also a successful country singer and a campaigner for Native American rights.Mr Westerman was born in 1936 at the Lake Traverse reservation in South Dakota, home of a branch of the Sioux people. The name Red Crow had been handed down for several generations of his family. From the age of 10 he was educated at a government boarding school and then attended state college, majoring in drama and art.He began his musical career in Colorado, playing guitar and singing songs about modern life as an American Indian and signed his first record deal in 1969 in New York. His first album, Custer Died For Your Sins (1970), was based on his friend Vine Deloria’s provocative ‘Indian Manifesto’ and led to performances across America.He recorded his second album, The Land is Your Mother, in 1982, and toured Europe, South America and the States promoting human rights. He was a leading figure in the provocative protest group, the American Indian Movement, and his activism led to collaborations with the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson and Sting.The entertainer was also strongly opposed to nuclear power. “It’s the worst thing man ever invented,” he said. “It’s stupid. It’s like jumping in front of a moving train. It’s Pandora’s box.” He toured with Harry Belafonte to protest the issue.He made his acting debut in 1988 in an episode of MacGyver. In 1990, he played tribe chief Ten Bears opposite Kevin Costner in the epic western Dances with Wolves and the following year he was the Shaman who visited Jim Morrison during acid trips in Oliver Stone’s The Doors.He became well known to sci-fi fans later in the decade for his role as Albert Hosteen, a Navajo code breaker who appeared in several key episodes of The X-Files, helping agent Scully decode an encrypted file and saving Mulder’s life with incantations.Other television appearances included Walker, Texas Ranger, Murder, She Wrote and Baywatch. He also played Sitting Bull in Emmy-winning TV film Son of the Morning Star (1991). He founded his own, non-profit production company, the Eyapaha Institute, to help other Native Americans enter the media and gave regular talks and seminars.In 2004, he successfully underwent a lung transplant operation. “Right now, I feel so grateful that I’m able to approach life with a deeper appreciation than ever,” he said in an interview after the surgery. “We take so much for granted, including our breath. It’s a gift.”After recuperating, he released a third album, A Tribute to Johnny Cash (2006). He continued to perform and his later work mourned the diminishment of his people’s culture in the 21st century.Mr Westerman died after an extended illness in hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 71.
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