Tommy Wildcat
Encyclopedia
Tommy Wildcat is a Native American flutist, storyteller, lecturer, and traditionalist. He is a fullblood Native American
of Cherokee
, Muscogee Creek, and Natchez
ancestry.
and is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation
. His parents are Annie and the late Tom Webber Wildcat, and he has a twin sister named Tammy. He graduated from Sequoyah High School in Tahlequah, Oklahoma
. He is a hereditary member of the Wolf Clan.
Since 1988, Wildcat has educated the public about traditional Cherokee cultural. He and his family performed demonstration stomp dances in the past. His father, Tom Wildcat was designated a Cherokee National Treasure in 1995 for his skill in making stomp dance regalia, especially turtle-shell shackles. Tommy Wildcat is a founding member of the Cherokee Honor Society.
.
Tommy hand makes authentic five-hole Cherokee river cane
flutes. He was awarded flutist of the year in 2002 at the Native American Music
Awards (Nammys).
Tommy Wildcat's company, A Warrior's Spirit Productions, has produced four full length albums. His first was released in 1997. His albums are distributed through several Native American distributors. Tommy has performed throughout the United States and Europe.
's Native American Series "How the West Was Lost (The Trail of Tears
)" (1993); Schlegendger's production of "The Cherokee People"; Greystone Productions' "The Trail of Tears" (1994); Arkansas Educational Television Network
's "The Cherokee People"; TNT World Premiere of "Tecumseh
, The Last Warrior"; and special credits in Lee Johnson's "The Trail of Tears"; A New World Symphony Orchestra
Platinum Entertainment Records, and Tom Richard's "The Real Outdoors" on the Nashville Network.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
of Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
, Muscogee Creek, and Natchez
Natchez people
The Natchez are a Native American people who originally lived in the Natchez Bluffs area, near the present-day city of Natchez, Mississippi. They spoke a language isolate that has no known close relatives, although it may be very distantly related to the Muskogean languages of the Creek...
ancestry.
Background
Wildcat lives in Park Hill, OklahomaPark Hill, Oklahoma
Park Hill is a census-designated place in southwestern Cherokee County, Oklahoma in the United States. The population was 3,936 at the 2000 census. It lies near Tahlequah, east of the junction of U.S. Route 62 and State Highway 82.-History:...
and is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It was established in the 20th century, and includes people descended from members of the old Cherokee Nation who relocated voluntarily from the Southeast to Indian Territory and Cherokees who...
. His parents are Annie and the late Tom Webber Wildcat, and he has a twin sister named Tammy. He graduated from Sequoyah High School in Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It was founded as a capital of the original Cherokee Nation in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee forced west on the Trail of Tears. The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census. It...
. He is a hereditary member of the Wolf Clan.
Since 1988, Wildcat has educated the public about traditional Cherokee cultural. He and his family performed demonstration stomp dances in the past. His father, Tom Wildcat was designated a Cherokee National Treasure in 1995 for his skill in making stomp dance regalia, especially turtle-shell shackles. Tommy Wildcat is a founding member of the Cherokee Honor Society.
Music
Wildcat learned traditional songs of his tribes from his father, Tom M. Wildcat, who was one of the last speakers of the Natchez languageNatchez language
Natchez was a language of Louisiana. Its two last fluent speakers, Watt Sam and Nancy Raven, died in the late 1930s. The Natchez nation is now working to revive it as a spoken language.-Classification:...
.
Tommy hand makes authentic five-hole Cherokee river cane
Arundinaria
Arundinaria, commonly known as the canes, is the sole genus of bamboo native to South Africa and eastern North America and the only temperate bamboo in North America. The genus is endemic to the eastern United States from New Jersey south to Florida and west to Ohio and Texas...
flutes. He was awarded flutist of the year in 2002 at the Native American Music
Native American music
American Indian music is the music that is used, created or performed by Native North Americans, specifically traditional tribal music. In addition to the traditional music of the Native American groups, there now exist pan-tribal and inter-tribal genres as well as distinct Indian subgenres of...
Awards (Nammys).
Tommy Wildcat's company, A Warrior's Spirit Productions, has produced four full length albums. His first was released in 1997. His albums are distributed through several Native American distributors. Tommy has performed throughout the United States and Europe.
Film and video
In the past, Tommy Wildcat has appeared in the Discovery ChannelDiscovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
's Native American Series "How the West Was Lost (The Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
)" (1993); Schlegendger's production of "The Cherokee People"; Greystone Productions' "The Trail of Tears" (1994); Arkansas Educational Television Network
Arkansas Educational Television Network
Arkansas Educational Television Network is a state network of simulcast non-commercial educational public television station covering the state of Arkansas...
's "The Cherokee People"; TNT World Premiere of "Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
, The Last Warrior"; and special credits in Lee Johnson's "The Trail of Tears"; A New World Symphony Orchestra
New World Symphony Orchestra
The New World Symphony is the United States' only full-time orchestral academy preparing musicians for careers in symphony orchestras and ensembles...
Platinum Entertainment Records, and Tom Richard's "The Real Outdoors" on the Nashville Network.
Discography
- A Warriors Spirit
- Warrior's Flutes: Flames of Fire
- Pow Wow Flutes 1: Wildcat's Flute Music
- Powwow Flutes 2
- The Fire People
- Cherokee Flutes Ah-Nee-Yvh-We-Yvh