“Doc” Tate Nevaquaya (1932-1996)

“’Doc’ Tate Nevaquaya (1932-1996) expressed his Comanche heritage musically through the Native American flute. His compositions and arrangements of a variety of Native American vocal genres have inspired a new generation of Native American and nonnative flute players. Although the older flute tradition declined during the first half of the 20th century, when many of the old melodies are no longer played, Nevaquaya inspired the creation of new and innovative flute compositions, creating an extensive repertoire for the instrument. With the flute’s revival during the 1970s, the flute’s context, function, and music changed. Nevaquaya played an important role in this movement, retaining tradition on one level, but manifesting ideas for change.” - Source:  Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

A noted Comanche artist and American Indian flute player, "Doc" Tate Nevaquaya was born to two Comanche parents, Lean and Victoria Tate Nevaquaya, July 3, 1932, in Apache, Oklahoma. Nevaquaya means "well-dressed" in the Comanche language. Orphaned at fourteen, he lived with his grandparents, who taught him Comanche ways. and he was raised in the Native American Church.

He later resided at the Fort Sill Indian School in Lawton, receiving a high school diploma in 1951. In 1951 and 1952 he attended Haskell Indian Institute in Lawrence, Kansas. A self-taught artist, flutist, composer, dancer, lecturer, and Methodist lay minister, Nevaquaya gave numerous flute and art workshops throughout the United States, including classes at Georgetown University (1974) and elsewhere. He made more than twenty-five television appearances, on shows televised nationally and by the British Broadcasting Corporation.

“Nevaquaya's skills in the traditional arts were often featured in national and state observances. The Smithsonian Institution commissioned him to participate in the Comanche Tu-Wee Dance in Washington, D.C. (1970), play the flute on a Goodwill Tour of England (1970), design and paint a Comanche shield to honor the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery (1973), play the flute at the National Folk Festival (1973), and record Comanche Flute Music for Folkways Records (1979). He was commissioned by the Oklahoma Diamond Jubilee to design two coins (1982), and by the Oklahoma Arts Council to compose and perform Flight of the Spirit at Oklahoma State Capitol (1991). He played flute at the Night of the First Americans, held at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (1982), at the United Nations Mission, New York (1985), at the Codetalkers Decoration Ceremony, Oklahoma State Capitol (1989), and at Carnegie Hall in New York (1990).” – Source: The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

Traditional Native flute

Artist, flutist, composer, dancer, lecturer

Flute - Native American (cedar), Vocals