Daughter of Dawn (1920)
Set among the Kiowa and Comanche, the film follows Dawn, a chief's daughter, as two suitors vie for her hand — the noble White Eagle and the wealthy but scheming Black Wolf — across buffalo hunts, tribal dances, and a mountain showdown.
Daughter of Dawn cast more than 300 Kiowa and Comanche people as themselves, using their own tipis, horses, and regalia; presumed lost for decades, its negative resurfaced in 2005, and the film now stands as one of the rare silent-era features made with an entirely Native American cast.
Background
Daughter of Dawn was directed by Norbert A. Myles and released in 1920, with a cast drawn largely from Kiowa and Comanche people who performed in the film using their own tipis, horses, and regalia. It was long considered lost, and its surviving material was later restored and made available to audiences. The story depicts a chief’s daughter caught between two suitors, and it is among the few silent features with an almost entirely Native American cast. The film is valued today as a rare record of Native performers in the silent era.
What to watch for
The story follows Dawn as two suitors compete for her hand, one noble and the other wealthy but scheming. The buffalo hunts, tribal dances, and mountain climax show Kiowa and Comanche life as the production presented it. Watch how the film stages its community scenes, since much of its interest lies in the people on screen rather than in studio technique. Viewers should keep in mind that the film was made within the conventions of 1920s American silent drama and that its narrative shape reflects those conventions. The surviving print is a historical document as much as a story.
