Floyd Westerman

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Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman (born August 17, 1936 in South Dakota , † December 13, 2007 in Los Angeles ) was an American singer , actor and Native American activist of the American Indian Movement (AIM).

life and career

Westerman was from the Dakota tribe and grew up on the Sisseton-Wahpeton reservation in the US state of South Dakota. As a teenager he was separated from his parents and placed in a so-called “boarding school”, where attempts were made to “drive out” the language and values ​​of his people. During this time he met Dennis Banks , who became one of the founders of AIM in 1968. Floyd Westerman took part in the World Uranium Hearing , which took place from September 13th to 18th, 1992 in Salzburg .

In German-speaking countries, Westerman became known among other things as "Ten Bears" through the film Dances with Wolf by Kevin Costner and as the decryption specialist "Albert Hosteen" in six episodes of the X-Files television series . In total, he played in more than 50 film and television productions. He published three country albums in which he sang, among other things, about the Bureau of Indian Affairs or Wounded Knee , which was very controversial among the Indians .

On the occasion of his concert in 1992 at the International Workshop Days in Walsrode, Floyd Westerman said: "The cities will perish!", "Hug a tree, the trees are our telegraphs. We talk about them with everything that is important to us. Give your worries to them Tree. He is savior, keeper. " Angela Hoffmann reports about this concert by Floyd Westerman in her story "Under the Magnolienbaum": "The Indian took the stage. So it was he who met her in the forest." The cities will fall, "he said." I have witnessed the civil war in Los Angeles. Western civilization is at an end. It is only a matter of time when and how the other cities of America and the rest of the world fall. " He sang songs that touched the heart in a way that cannot be described. Like birds sailing in a storm. There was no need to hold back tears. Trees are telegraphs to entrust your worries to, he said. The Indians would make contact with their ancestors through the trees. "The trees protect and accompany us," he said. "Please don't take any more photos now!" asked the Indian and slowly turned in all four directions. Although his language was foreign to them, the content of the prayer was communicated to everyone: He asked Mother Earth for forgiveness and apologized to the elements and forces of nature. "

Floyd Westerman died in a hospital in Los Angeles after a long illness.

Filmography (selection)

Discography

  • 1969: Custer Died for Your Sins
  • 1982: The Land is Your Mother
  • 2006: A Tribute to Johnny Cash

literature

  • Angela Hoffmann: Under the Magnolia Tree A story in "Sisters of the Earth" ed. von Dolt / Weltzien, Goldmann Taschenbücher 1994, p. 180f. ISBN 3-442-42236-1
  • Angela Hoffmann: Many paths lead up the mountain - an encounter with Floyd Westerman . Essay in: Forum Magazin , October - December 1992 issue, Forum Verlag.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Claus Biegert : Red Crow's great fight . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , December 17, 2007
  2. ^ Floyd Westerman at rat haus reality press. Accessed October 11, 2009
  3. ↑ Angela Hoffmann: Many roads lead up the mountain . Essay and photos in Forum Magazin, October - December 1992 edition, Forum Verlag GbR
  4. ↑ Angela Hoffmann Under the Magnolia Tree in "Sisters of the Earth" ed. Dolt, Weltzien, Goldmann Verlag TB, p. 180 f, ISBN 3-442-42236-1
personal data
SURNAME Westerman, Floyd
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Red Crow
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American singer, actor, and Native American activist
DATE OF BIRTH 17th August 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH South Dakota
DATE OF DEATH December 13, 2007
Place of death Los Angeles , California, USA