From Warrior to Saint: David Pendleton Oakerhater - Edmon Low Library

About the Collection

From Warrior to Saint: The Journey of David Pendleton Oakerhater explores the life of the Cheyenne warrior, artist, and Episcopal deacon born as Making Medicine. He was among seventy-two Southern Plains men imprisoned at Fort Marion in St. Augustine, Florida, from 1875 to 1878 following the Red River War. During his imprisonment, he formed connections with visitors and advocates whose support helped secure his release and opened opportunities for education and religious training.

After his conversion to Christianity, Making Medicine took the name David Pendleton Oakerhater, selecting "David" from the Bible, "Pendleton" from his sponsor Senator George Pendleton, and an anglicized form of his Cheyenne name as his surname. He later attended the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. He continued religious studies in New York before returning to Indian Territory to establish the Whirlwind Mission of the Holy Family near Watonga. He ministered to Cheyenne and Arapaho communities for many years and, in 1985, became the first Oklahoman and the first Native American recognized as a saint in the Episcopal Church.

This collection centers on the Burnham Collection, which contains 117 letters (including 37 written by Oakerhater) and 24 photographs, donated to St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Oklahoma City in 2004 by Nellie Burnham, the great-granddaughter of his sponsor, Deaconess Mary Burnham. These materials offer a rare perspective on Oakerhater's life, his relationships, and the broader historical context of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

This project was funded in part by the Oklahoma Humanities Council and the We the People initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Oklahoma Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.