The Daughter of Dawn | 1920 | Silent Western

Title: The Daughter of Dawn | 1920 | Silent Western Director: Norbert A. Myles Studio: Texas Film Company Starring: Esther LaBarre, White Parker, Wanada Parker, Hunting Horse, Oscar Yellow Wolf, Jack Sankeydoty Release Date: October 17, 1920 Runtime: 83 Format: Silent, black-and-white; 35mm; English intertitles Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Western, Drama, Romance --- Summary: Set among the Kiowa and Comanche, the story follows Dawn, daughter of a Kiowa chief, who loves the brave White Eagle. Her father urges her to consider the powerful Black Wolf, while Red Wing pines for Black Wolf, creating an intertwined romance that tests loyalty, courage, and tradition. Against a backdrop of village life, buffalo hunts, and intertribal conflict, the film dramatizes courtship, rivalry, and reconciliation, highlighting ceremonial dances, warfare, and community customs as they were remembered and performed by the Indigenous cast. --- Background: Filmed in the Wichita Mountains of southwest Oklahoma with an all–Native American cast of Kiowa and Comanche performers, The Daughter of Dawn was produced by the Texas Film Company in 1920. Cast members supplied their own horses, clothing, tipis, and regalia, giving the production distinctive ethnographic detail uncommon in Hollywood of the era. Long thought lost, the film was rediscovered in the 2000s and restored; in 2013 it was added to the United States National Film Registry for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance. --- Trivia: The film’s leads White Parker and Wanada Parker were children of Comanche chief Quanah Parker, linking the production directly to prominent Plains history. A “sneak preview” screening took place at the College Theater in Los Angeles on October 17, 1920. More than 300 Kiowa and Comanche community members participated on screen, bringing authentic material culture and performance to the production. The Oklahoma Historical Society acquired surviving nitrate reels and oversaw restoration, with a new orchestral score later recorded by students in Oklahoma City. UCLA and other archives have exhibited the restored print, which has circulated widely in the 21st century after decades of presumed loss. --- Hashtags: TheDaughterOfDawn 1920sCinema SilentFilm Western NativeAmericanCinema Kiowa Comanche FilmHistory PublicDomain