“From Iroquoia to Broadway: The Careers of Carrie A. Mohawk and Esther Deer,” Iroquoia (Fall 2017)
From Iroquoia to Broadway: The Careers of Carrie A. Mohawk and Esther Deer
Many indigenous peoples chose to perform in a variety of entertainment venues during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This industry provided good paying and interesting work, even if it did portray them in stereotypical ways. Two Iroquoian women, Carrie A. Mohawk and Esther Deer, professionally known as “Gowongo Mohawk” and “Princess White Deer” respectively, had especially remarkable careers in and around New York City from 1885 to 1930. They took control of their careers and went so far as to write and star in their own productions. Though their professional careers followed similar trajectories, there is no indication the two ever met. This article narrates these women’s histories, briefly discusses how these two women’s lives represent Gerald Vizenor’s concept of “survivance,” and ends by comparing their careers within an urban space. It accepts the notion that performance “produces a … visceral impact on both audience and performer” 3 and that both women understood this. Their presence on the stage and the control they had over their shows defied the trope of the vanishing Indian so prevalent during this era.