Bertha “Birdie” Yewas Parker

 
Bertha Parker Pallan, “Expedition Secretary” demonstrates size difference of early (small dart) and large atlatl darts that she found at the Gypsum Cave Site (Provided by the Smithsonian Institute) [18]

Bertha Parker Pallan, “Expedition Secretary” demonstrates size difference of early (small dart) and large atlatl darts that she found at the Gypsum Cave Site (Provided by the Smithsonian Institute) [18]

Bertha Yewas Parker was born in 1907 in a tent at the Silverheels archaeological site near the town of Sinclairvilee, Cattaraugus County, New York, where her father, Arthur Caswell Parker, a Seneca folklorist, archaeologist, musicologist, and historian, was conducting an archaeological excavation.[1] Her mother was an Abenaki actress Beulah Tahamont, who started her acting career at a young age in which she directed and produced pageants and was active in the Los Angeles Indian Clubs.[2] Bertha was also the great-niece of Ely S. Parker, known for being the first Native American Commissioner of Indian Affairs alongside being a successful engineer and attorney.[3] Bertha would become known for her significant findings, achievements, and contributions to the field of archeology and hailed as the first Native American archaeologist. 

After Birdie’s parents divorced when she was a teenager, she and her mother along with her maternal grandparents, also actors, moved to Los Angeles. Along with her mother and grandparents, teenage Bertha worked in show business, traveling and performing with Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey’s circuses in a rendition of “Pocahontas”.[4]For a time before her Uncle, archaeologist Mark Raymond Harrington hired her to work as an excavation secretary and cook on his digs. While working for her uncle, she learned the science of the job and in the field. Even without any formal training or a degree, Bertha was a part of some of the most significant discoveries of the 20th century.[5] One of these magnificent discoveries was at the Gypsum Cave site in Nevada in 1930, where Cody discovered the skull of an extinct giant ground sloth alongside a cache of ancient human tools. Bertha also assisted in the excavation of numerous ancestral Pueblo sites such as Scorpion Hill.[6] [7]According to many, while working at sites such as these, she carefully recorded, documented, and photographed her findings and published her findings. By the time she published her work, she was also the director of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian in Los Angeles and had many of her pieces and discoveries on display there.[8] Cody also had several papers published while she was working at the Southwest Museum as an archaeological assistant from 1931 to 1941 and later as an archaeologist and ethnographer. Bertha Parker Pallan Cody’s studies consisted of Yurok Lore to the study of California baby baskets and the artwork of southwestern cultures. 

            Upon her departure from the Southwest Museum in 1941, Mrs. Cody returned to work in show business as a technical advisor on projects that depicted Native Americans. From the 1950s to the 1970s, she served as a trustee on the board of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, now called the Autry Museum of the American West. She also spent time consulting and acting in Hollywood alongside co-hosting alongside her husband, Iron Eyes Cody, a KTLA Tv program on Indian lore.[9] In the 1950s, Bertha and her third husband, the Italian actor Espera Oscar de Corti, also known as, “Iron Eyes Cody,” together hosted and presented a television program that featured Native history and folklore.[10]Bertha was married three times during her life, she first married a movie extra by the name of Joseph Pallan in the mid-1920s, having one daughter together, Wilma Mae. Joseph Pallan passed away in about 1928. Tragically Wilma Mae was killed in an accident at the age of seventeen.[11] It was following her first husband’s death that she began to work for her uncle and that is where she met her second husband. Her second marriage was to James E. Thurston, a Canadian collector, preparator of vertebrate fossils, a paleontologist with the British Museum, and former curator of the Calgary Museum. [12] In 1932, James Thurston fell ill and passed away in February at twenty-seven years old.[13] Bertha’s third marriage was to movie star and Indian “wannabee” as he was sometimes called, Iron Eyes Cody. Iron Eyes Cody’s given name was Espera “Oscar” DeCorti, an Italian American who was born in Kaplan, Louisiana in 1907. In the 1920s, DeCorti capitalized on the need for Native actors to be in Westerns, so he adopted the name Iron Eyes Cody. Hollywood agents advertised him as the adopted son of William Cody, aka Buffalo Bill. But later he claimed he was of Cherokee or Cherokee-Cree descent.[14] It was Iron Eyes Cody’s ego that caused much of Bertha’s contribution and accomplishments during her career to be largely unrecognized.[15]

In recent years, she has been honored by the creation of a scholarship in her name by the Society for American Archaeology. The Bertha Parker Cody Award for Native American Women is awarded to Native American, Native Alaskans, and Hawaiian Women who are undergraduate or graduate students in the fields of archaeology or museum studies. The SAA explains the significance of this award, as Bertha was the daughter of the association’s first president and first Native American President as well. The current president and the second Native American President of the SAA, Joe E. Watkins of Choctaw released a statement about the award and honoring Bertha. “Bertha was a gifted and devoted archaeologist and she made many important contributions to the field of archaeology, we are all delighted to bring attention to her legacy and help advance the careers of other Native American women through the Bertha Parker Cody Award.”[16]

Despite her remarkable contributions to the field of archeology, the majority of her accomplishments and well-documented findings are relatively unknown to the majority of people. This could be due to how she is often referred to in various accounts of findings or scholarly works as simply wife, daughter, or niece, very rarely is there a mention of her name or her achievements. Bertha Parker Pallan Cody passed away in 1978. Even in death, her gravestone is inscribed with “Mrs. Iron Eyes Cody” and mentions nothing of her contributions to science.[17]It is only with education and awareness of our nation’s trailblazers that Native American men and women and people of all nations, nationalities, and creeds that people like Bertha Yewas Parker can have their contributions to our world recognized. Bertha Parker provided significant contributions to the field of Archaeology and science as the first Native American Archaeologist, I hope that with increased education of the impact that Native Americans have had on our country and world, that people like Bertha will get the recognition.

Blog by Lauren Rosenbaum

 

 
 
 


Footnotes

[1]Bruchac, Margaret M., and Zobel Melissa Fawcett Tantaquidgeon. “Collaborative Kin: Bertha Parker and Mark Harrington.” In Savage Kin: Indigenous Informants and American Anthropologists ; 84–109. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 2018. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=i45JDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA84&dq=bertha+birdie+parker&ots=Dj-Kw2P3NL&sig=AJyoBbs4GFkPon_4BaNPNAHL2Q#v=onepage&q&f=false.

[2] Bruchac, M. (2005). First Female Native Archaeologist. H-Amindian Discussion Logs, Retrieved from http://repository.upenn.edu/anthro_papers/146 

[3] Krol, Debra Utacia. “Bertha Parker Pallan Cody: Taking A Scientific Approach to The Ancestral Record.” Winds of Change, January 22, 2015. https://woc.aises.org/content/bertha-parker-pallan-cody-taking-scientific-approach-ancestral-record. 

[4] Hayden, Julian D., Bill Broyles, and Diane E. Boyer. “Early Field Work.” Essay. In Field Man Life as a Desert Archaeologist, 17–36. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 2016. https://books.google.com/books?id=RXS7sqWb180C&q=Bertha#v=snippet&q=Bertha&f=false

[5] Poc2. “Bertha Cody – Archaeologist.” POC Squared, January 23, 2019. https://poc2.co.uk/2018/11/14/bertha-cody-archaeology/. 

[6] Krol, Debra Utacia. “Bertha Parker Pallan Cody: Taking A Scientific Approach to The Ancestral Record.” Winds of Change, January 22, 2015. https://woc.aises.org/content/bertha-parker-pallan-cody-taking-scientific-approach-ancestral-record. 

[7] Las Vegas Sun. “Southern Nevadans Work to Save State's Historic Roots.” Las Vegas Sun, November 3, 1996. https://lasvegassun.com/news/1996/nov/03/southern-nevadans-work-to-save-states-historic-roo/. 

[8] Bruchac, Margaret M., and Zobel Melissa Fawcett Tantaquidgeon. “Collaborative Kin: Bertha Parker and Mark Harrington.” In Savage Kin: Indigenous Informants and American Anthropologists ; 84–109. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 2018. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=i45JDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA84&dq=bertha+birdie+parker&ots=Dj-Kw2P3NL&sig=AJyoBbs4GFkPon_4BaNPNAHL2Q#v=onepage&q&f=false.

[9]Bruchac, Margaret M., and Zobel Melissa Fawcett Tantaquidgeon. “Collaborative Kin: Bertha Parker and Mark Harrington.” In Savage Kin: Indigenous Informants and American Anthropologists ; 84–109. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 2018. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=i45JDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA84&dq=bertha+birdie+parker&ots=Dj-Kw2P3NL&sig=AJyoBbs4GFkPon_4BaNPNAHL2Q#v=onepage&q&f=false.

[10] Krol, Debra Utacia. “Bertha Parker Pallan Cody: Taking A Scientific Approach to The Ancestral Record.” Winds of Change, January 22, 2015. https://woc.aises.org/content/bertha-parker-pallan-cody-taking-scientific-approach-ancestral-record. 

[11] Browman, David L. “Women Entering the Field during the Roaring Twenties.” Essay. In Cultural Negotiations: The Role of Women in the Founding of Americanist Archaeology, 95–148. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2013. https://books.google.com/books?id=SYvtYW4jL4gC&lpg=PA128&dq=Bertha+Parker+Pallan&pg=PA128&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

[12]Browman, David L. “Women Entering the Field during the Roaring Twenties.” Essay. In Cultural Negotiations: The Role of Women in the Founding of Americanist Archaeology, 95–148. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2013. https://books.google.com/books?id=SYvtYW4jL4gC&lpg=PA128&dq=Bertha+Parker+Pallan&pg=PA128&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

[13]Rowland, Stephen M. THE CAREER OF JAMES E. THURSTON AND THE EXTINCTION OF THE PROFESSIONAL FIELD COLLECTOR IN NORTH AMERICAN VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY. University of Nevada, October 30, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20180912131148/https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2007AM/finalprogram/abstract_131608.htm. 

[14]Browman, David L. “Women Entering the Field during the Roaring Twenties.” Essay. In Cultural Negotiations: The Role of Women in the Founding of Americanist Archaeology, 95–148. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2013. https://books.google.com/books?id=SYvtYW4jL4gC&lpg=PA128&dq=Bertha+Parker+Pallan&pg=PA128&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

[15]Bruchac, Margaret M., and Zobel Melissa Fawcett Tantaquidgeon. “Collaborative Kin: Bertha Parker and Mark Harrington.” In Savage Kin: Indigenous Informants and American Anthropologists ; 84–109. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 2018. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=i45JDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA84&dq=bertha+birdie+parker&ots=Dj-Kw2P3NL&sig=AJyoBbs4GFkPon_4BaNPNAHL2Q#v=onepage&q&f=false.

[16] Society for American Archaeology. “New Award Honors Bertha Parker Cody, First U.S. Native American Woman Archaeologist.” Society for American Archaeology. SAA, November 16, 2020. https://www.saa.org/quick-nav/saa-media-room/saa-news/2020/11/16/bertha-parker-cody-award. 

[17] Krol, Debra Utacia. “Bertha Parker Pallan Cody: Taking A Scientific Approach to The Ancestral Record.” Winds of Change, January 22, 2015. https://woc.aises.org/content/bertha-parker-pallan-cody-taking-scientific-approach-ancestral-record. 

[18] Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 90-105, Science Service Records, Image No. SIA2009-0779.https://www.si.edu/es/object/bertha-parker-pallan-cody-1907-1978:siris_arc_306365

[19] Unknown. “Hollywood Remains to Be Seen: Iron Eyes Cody 1904 - 1999 .” Iron Eyes Cody. Accessed February 19, 2021. http://www.cemeteryguide.com/cody.html.

[20] Poets.org. “Arthur Caswell Parker.” Poets.org. Academy of American Poets. Accessed February 19, 2021. https://poets.org/poet/arthur-caswell-parker. 

[21] Valley Relics Museum. “Iron Eyes Cody - The Crying Indian.” Valley Relics Museum, July 29, 2015. https://valleyrelicsmuseum.org/general-museum-news/iron-eyes-cody-the-crying-indian/. 

[22] Hayden, Julian D., Bill Broyles, and Diane E. Boyer. “Early Field Work.” Essay. In Field Man Life as a Desert Archaeologist, 17–36. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 2016. https://books.google.com/books?id=RXS7sqWb180C&q=Bertha#v=snippet&q=Bertha&f=false

[23] Spartanburg Science Center. “Wonderful Scientist Wednesday- Bertha Parker Pallan.” Spartanburg Science Center, June 3, 2020. https://www.spartanburgsciencecenter.org/2020/06/03/wonderful-scientist-wednesday/. 

[24] Spartanburg Science Center. “Wonderful Scientist Wednesday- Bertha Parker Pallan.” Spartanburg Science Center, June 3, 2020. https://www.spartanburgsciencecenter.org/2020/06/03/wonderful-scientist-wednesday/. 

[25] Spartanburg Science Center. “Wonderful Scientist Wednesday- Bertha Parker Pallan.” Spartanburg Science Center, June 3, 2020. https://www.spartanburgsciencecenter.org/2020/06/03/wonderful-scientist-wednesday/. 

[26] Spartanburg Science Center. “Wonderful Scientist Wednesday- Bertha Parker Pallan.” Spartanburg Science Center, June 3, 2020. https://www.spartanburgsciencecenter.org/2020/06/03/wonderful-scientist-wednesday/. 

 
 
 
 

Sources

  •    Browman, David L. “Women Entering the Field during the Roaring Twenties.” Essay. In Cultural Negotiations: The Role of Women in the Founding of Americanist Archaeology, 95–148. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2013.

  •  Bruchac, M. (2005). First Female Native Archaeologist. H-Amindian Discussion Logs, Retrieved from http://repository.upenn.edu/anthro_papers/146

  • Hayden, Julian D., Bill Broyles, and Diane E. Boyer. “Early Field Work.” Essay. In Field Man Life as a Desert Archaeologist, 17–36. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 2016. https://books.google.com/books?id=RXS7sqWb180C&q=Bertha#v=snippet&q=Bertha&f=false

  •  Krol, Debra Utacia. “Bertha Parker Pallan Cody: Taking A Scientific Approach to The Ancestral Record.” Winds of Change, January 22, 2015. https://woc.aises.org/content/bertha-parker-pallan-cody-taking-scientific-approach-ancestral-record. 

  •  Poc2. “Bertha Cody – Archaeologist.” POC Squared, January 23, 2019. https://poc2.co.uk/2018/11/14/bertha-cody-archaeology/. 

  • Rowland, Stephen M. THE CAREER OF JAMES E. THURSTON AND THE EXTINCTION OF THE PROFESSIONAL FIELD COLLECTOR IN NORTH AMERICAN VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY. University of Nevada, October 30, 2007.https://web.archive.org/web/20180912131148/https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2007AM/finalprogram/abstract_131608.htm.

  •  Spartanburg Science Center. “Wonderful Scientist Wednesday- Bertha Parker Pallan.” Spartanburg Science Center, June 3, 2020. https://www.spartanburgsciencecenter.org/2020/06/03/wonderful-scientist-wednesday/. 

 

 
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