Lesson 18:Maria Tallchief American Ballerina

Fifth and sixthgraders study inan Indianreservation schoolin Oklahoma.An Osage ChildhoodMaria Tallchief was born Elizabeth Marie TallChief on January 24, 1925, in Fairfax, Oklahoma.Her parents, Alexander and Ruth Tall Chief, calledher “Betty Marie.” A younger sister, Marjorie, wasborn two years later.The little town of Fairfax was part of a NativeAmerican reservation. The reservation was hometo the Osage Nation. Betty Marie’s father,Alexander Tall Chief, was an important member ofthe Osage tribe. Her mother, Ruth Tall Chief, wasof Irish and Scottish background.The Tall Chief home also included Marjorieand Betty Marie’s grandmother, Eliza Tall Chief.Grandma Tall Chief was a traditional Osagewoman. She kept her hair in a braid. She wore anOsage blanket around her shoulders.4