HM 27 — WES STUDI, IN RECOGNITION

HOUSEA MEMORIAL 27HONORING 54THWES LEGISLATURESTUDI -AND STATEHIS OFMANY NEWACHIEVEMENTS. MEXICO - SECOND SESSION , 2020 INTRODUCED BY Anthony Allison and D.

Wonda4 JohnsonWHEREAS, andWes DerrickStudi J.embodies the definition of a Renaissance man;

Lente and MelanieWHEREAS, Annamong Stansburyhis andmany Brianroles, EgolfWes 7is 9an Aactor, MEMORIALmusician, HONORINGactivist, WESauthor, STUDIadvocate ANDof HISNative MANYAmerican ACHIEVEMENTS.languages, mentor and stone carver;

13and WHEREAS, WesWes, Studiwho embodiesis of Cherokee descent, made Oscar history in October 2019, when he became the definitionfirst ofNative aAmerican Renaissanceactor man;to receive an Oscar;

and WHEREAS, amongthe hisacademy manyof roles,motion Wespicture isarts anand actor,sciences musician,presented activist,the author,honorary advocateaward ofto NativeWes Americanfor languages,"portraying mentorstrong eNative tAmerican 17characters andwith stonepoignancy carver;and authenticity";

and w l n d 18 WHEREAS, Wes,Wes's whoremarkable islife ofhas Cherokeebeen descent, made Oscar = = 19 a lfascinating historyjourney infrom Octoberhis 2019,Cherokee whenboyhood heto became the firstrarified Nativeranks iof aHollywood's emost rrespected 20actors; American actor to receive an Oscar;

and a t m m 21 WHEREAS, the academyeldest son of motiona pictureranch artshand, and sciences d r e 22 presented the honorary award to Wes forwas "portrayingborn strongin cin eNofire sHollow, kOklahoma; 23 Native American characters with poignancy and authenticity";

e a n b 24 and u [ WHEREAS, Wes's remarkable life has been a fascinating .216754.4 journey from his Cherokee boyhood to the rarified ranks of Hollywood's most respected actors;

and WHEREAS, the eldest son of a ranch hand, Wes was born in 1947 in Nofire Hollow, Oklahoma;

and HM 27 Page 1 WHEREAS, after school, Wes joined the United States army and was stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia;

and e e 17 WHEREAS, after an honorable military discharge, Wes e e n d 18 returned home and became seriously involved in challenging = = l ] 19 injustices against Native Americans;

and a l r i 20 WHEREAS, Wes joined the American Indian movement and t e a t participated in the trail of broken treaties protest march in m m 21 e d r e 22 1972 and joined hundreds of Native American activists on the c e r c 23 march to Washington, D.C.;

and e a n b 24 WHEREAS, Wes also was one of the protesters who briefly u [ occupied the bureau of Indian affairs building in Washington, .216754.4 - 2 - D.C., and participated and was arrested with others while occupying Wounded Knee, South Dakota;

and WHEREAS, Wes also began teaching the Cherokee language in the community and later attended Northeastern state HM 27 Page 2 university in Tahlequah, where he made further attempts to positively influence other Native Americans;

and e e 17 WHEREAS, Wes credits his passion and multifaceted e e n d 18 background for his powerful character portrayals that = = l ] 19 confronted and changed a Hollywood stereotype;

and a l r i 20 WHEREAS, Wes broke new ground and brought fully developed t e a t Native American characters to the screen, highlighting the m m 21 e d r e 22 success of Native Americans in non-traditionalnon- traditional roles;

and c e r c 23 WHEREAS, Wes's professional stage debut was in 1984 with e a n b 24 Black Elk Speaks;

not long after, Wes moved to Los Angeles, u [ landing his first film role in Powwow Highway and his first .216754.4 - 3 - television debut in Longarm;

An American Legend, for which he won a HM 27 Page 3 western heritage award;

and WHEREAS, his television credits include Penny Dreadful, e e 17 The Red Road, The Mentalist, Hell on Wheels and Kings;

and e e n d 18 WHEREAS, recognition of Wes's artistic contributions and = = l ] 19 talents has followed him throughout his career;

and a l r i 20 WHEREAS, in 2013, Wes was inducted into the national t e a t cowboy and western heritage museum's hall of great western m m 21 e d r e 22 performers;

and c e r c 23 WHEREAS, in 2006, Wes received the golden boot award;

in e a n b 24 2009, he received the Santa Fe film festival lifetime u [ achievement award;

and, in 2019, Wes was inducted into the New .216754.4 - 4 - Mexico film and television hall of fame;

and WHEREAS, Wes is also an accomplished musician who plays HM 27 Page 4 bass and guitar in the band firecat of discord with his wife, singer Maura Dhu, primarily performing original music;

and WHEREAS, Wes remains a passionate activist and academic, taking a national leadership role in the promotion and preservation of indigenous languages, working as a language e e 17 consultant on films and acting as a spokesperson for the e e n d 18 indigenous language institute;

and = = l ] 19 WHEREAS, Wes and his wife, Maura Dhu, live in Santa Fe and a l r i 20 have one son, Kholan, and Wes also has a son, Daniel, and a t e a t daughter, Leah, from a previous marriage;

and m m 21 e d r e 22 WHEREAS, by his artistic example and mentorship, Wes c e r c 23 encourages the next generation of filmmakers and performers;

e a n b 24 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF u [ REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that Wes Studi be .216754.4 - 5 - honored as the embodiment of a changemaker whose life work celebrates Native Americans as well as being an inspiration to all who advocate for equality and social justice;

-HM 627 -Page 85 10 12 14 16 e e 17 e e n d 18 = = l ] 19 a l r i 20 t e a t m m 21 e d r e 22 c e r c 23 e a n b 24 u [ .216754.4