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Princess Mona Darkfeather

Background

Mona Darkfeather was an American film actress who regularly starred in Native American and Western dramas. She was given the title “Princess” by a Chief Big Thunder when the Blackfoot Native American Tribe made her a blood member. Her birth name is Josephine M. Workman. Josephine Workman was born on January 13, 1882 in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Darkfeather was a descendent of the Workman family pioneers who emigrated from Northern England to Southern California in the late nineteenth century. She was the daughter of Joseph Manuel Workman, who was of Northern England/Native American descent, and Josephine Mary Workman, who was of Scottish and Chilean Descent. She also claimed Spanish ancestry as well.

Married Life

Mona Darkfeather married film director and actor Frank E. Montgomery (born Frank Akley 1870-1944) in 1912. In 1914, Frank E. Montgomery moved to Spokane, Washington to open and direct at the Frank E. Montgomery of the Spokane School of Motion Picture Acting. Princess Darkfeather became associated with the company as an instructor. Darkfeather and Montgomery divorced in 1928. In late 1928, Darkfeather went on to marry banker and financer Alfred Wessling until their divorce in 1935. On December 23, 1937, Montgomery and Darkfeather remarried after nine years of separation and remained married until Montgomery’s death in 1944.

Film Career

Darkfeather was a noted moving picture artist who regularly starred in roles of Indian and Western dramas. Darkfeather regularly appeared in Montgomery’s films through various motion picture companies that he worked for, including Bison Company, Universal, Kalem Company, and Sawyer Inc. Under the tutelage of her husband/director Frank E Montgomery, Darkfeather played Indian and several Spanish leads in many Bison Company Productions. Although she was from European and Chilean descent, Darkfeather was trumpeted as a full-blooded Seminole Indian when she first appeared in pictures produced by the Bison Company in 1909. Later, when she sought to diversify her screen portrayals, she merely claimed to be “of Spanish descent”. Darkfeather and signed with Universal in later 1912 and stayed with the company for a year, producing films such as Darkfeather’s Sacrifice and Juanita before setting up their own production company, which released pictures through the Kalem Company.

Filmography (not all films included):

• At Old Fort Dearborn (1912), Bison. 2 r. Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather and Charles Bartlett

A romantic drama about the love of an Indian maiden for a white soldier, the film ends in tragedy when she rescues him from her tribe. Singing Bird, portrayed by Mona Darkfeather, is killed by her own tribe members after she releases her lover who had been captured by the Indians.

• Crucial Test, A (1912), Dir. Frank E Montgomery; Cast includes: Hobart Bosworth, Herbert Rawlinson, Tom Santschi, Mona Darkfeather, Fred Huntley, Roy Watson
• Darkfeather’s Sacrifice (1912) Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather
• Big Rock’s Last Stand (1912), Bison. Dir. Frank Montgomery; Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather, William Bertram, Art Ortega, Virginia Chester, Roy Watson
• Black Foot’s Consipiracy (1912), Bison. Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather
• At Old Fort Dearborn (1912) Bison. Cast include: Mona Darkfeather, Charles Bartlett
• Apache Father’s Vengeance, An (1913) Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather.

The U.S. Army has problems with the Apaches in this drama set in the Southwest.

• Apache Father’s Vengance, An (1913) Bison. Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather.

The U.S. Army has problems with the Apaches in this drama set in the Southwest

• At the End of the Rope (1914), Kalem. Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather
• Bottled Spider, The (1914) Kalem. Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather

The story depicts the “Spider’s” wild dash into the mountains; Anna’s awful predicament while her captor and husband fight on the narrow mountain ledge

• Brought to Justice (1914) Kalem. Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather
• Call of the Tribe, The (1914) Kalem. Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather, Art Ortega, Big Moon, Eva Smith

Ouray, a young Native American, is sent to medical college by Captain Huff. He bids his sweetheart goodbye. The boy makes his home with Dr. Huff, and falls in love with his daughter. She consents to marry him, but her father sternly states she shall never marry a red man.

• Cave of Death, The (1914), Kalem. Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather
• Coming of Lone Wolf, The (1914) Kalem. Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather
• Vengeance of Winona, The (1914)

A Native American Story which is interesting though without a plot. Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather

• Circle of Death, The (1916), Cast includes: Mona Darkfeather

Works Cited

Birchard, Robert S. "Golden Oak Ranch." Images of America: Early Universal City. Chicago, IL: Arcadia, 2009. 30. Print.

Aleiss, Ang. "Hollywood and the Silent American." Making the White Man's Indian: Native Americans and Hollywood Movies. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005. 11+. Print.

Mallenby, Patricia & Jeremy. Essays in World History. Canada: n.p., n.d. 226. Print.

"Faust Second Child Drama." Motion Picture News 14.16 (1916): n. pag. Archive.org. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.

"Advance information on Film Releases” Motion Picture News 24. (1921): n. pag. Archive.org. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.

"News of the Week in Portland” Motion Picture News 18. (1918): n. pag. Archive.org. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.

"Spokane Manager Tells of Pictures’ Value” Moving Picture World 35. (1918): n. pag. Archive.org. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.

"She’s at Home in any Indian Role” Moving Picture World 35. (1918): n. pag. Archive.org. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.

"She's at Home in any Indian Role." The Day [New London CT] 13 July 1914: 5. Print.

"Mona Dark Feather, Movie Star, Coming to Visit Spokane." Spokane Daily Chronicle 17 Dec. 1917: 7. Print.

Langman, Larry. A Guide to Silent Westerns. Westport, CT: Greenwood Group, 1992. 10-25. Print.

"Sound Technician and Actress Remarry After Nine Years." Los Angeles Times 14 Dec. 1937: A2-1. Print.

"Amusements." Sun Journal [Lewiston, Maine] 26 June 1914: 11. Print.

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