Elizabeth Thunder Bird Haile Remembered For Love Of Dancing, Teaching

Growing up as a child in the Haile household was, as the Reverend Dr. Holly Haile Davis recalled, “exciting.”There were always family activities. Love was never absent. And dancing was more than just a source of entertainment. “We could dance before we walked,” Rev. Davis said.

That’s because dancing was a passion for Rev. Davis’s mother, Elizabeth Thunder Bird Haile. Ever since she was a teenager, Ms. Haile had choreographed and performed a dance based on “The Lord’s Prayer” at the annual Shinnecock Indian Nation Powwow, and she did so on her own until the 50th powwow, when she began inviting her granddaughters to dance with her.

Dancing is also what brought Ms. Haile and her husband, Richard, together.

That love of hers, and more, is how many people remember her as they look back on her life—the respected Shinnecock elder died at her home on Friday, surrounded by family, at the age of 85.

Ms. Haile’s family would not disclose the cause of her death because, Rev. Davis explained, “this is not about her death. This is about her life.”

And her life is one that touched many people, within and outside of the tribe.

Born on July 26, 1930, in Southampton to Edith and Henry Bess—Mr. Bess was also known as Chief Thunder Bird—Ms. Haile, also known by her tribal name, Chee Chee, showed interest at an early age in both dancing and teaching. Inspired to learn and go to college, she broke away from the traditional path of a future housewife, graduating from Riverhead High School in 1948 and becoming the first in her family to pursue higher education.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from New York State Teachers College at Oneonta in 1952, and then a master’s degree from New York University. She worked at several different schools upstate in Schenectady as a physical education teacher and a dance instructor.

She left her mark on education in that upstate city by being one of the founders of the Refreshing Spring Child Day Care Center. She was also known as one of the region’s leading Native American consultants.

“She was smart. She was a very serious person because she was a very intelligent person,” Rev. Davis said of her mother. “She would encourage anyone to get busy, start doing your best … and then share that with people. That’s the kind of person she was.”

Schenectady is also where Ms. Haile met her husband, Richard, in 1952, while attending an international folk dancing class. She told The Press in February 2014 that she immediately knew they had a connection, and they were married five years later. They had four children—Scott, Rev. Davis, Christina (now Tina Tarrant), and Benjamin—and lived in Schenectady until moving to Long Island in 1989 to a home on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation.

Ms. Haile became a household name on the South Fork, dedicating much of her energy to various organizations on the reservation. She was a founding member of the Shinnecock Tribal Council, served as both secretary and vice president of the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum, was a member of the advisory board for the Wuneechanunk Shinnecock Preschool that opened earlier this summer, and helped establish The Padoquohan Medicine Lodge Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Shinnecock families in need.

Members of the tribe recall being inspired by Ms. Haile at a young age.

Alli Hunter Joseph remembered spending her summers on the reservation and visiting with “Cousin Chee Chee” at almost every powwow she attended, where the elder essentially shaped her views of being a part of the tribe. “She would say, ‘Sit down, come and tell me how you are.’ She always made time for people, no matter what she was doing,” Ms. Joseph said.

As an adult, Ms. Joseph got to spend more time with Ms. Haile as they worked together on a documentary about the Shinnecocks and their attempt to recover and save their land. Although the film is still in the works, Ms. Joseph said it allowed her to see a different side of her cousin, one that showed a wise woman with a wealth of knowledge of her deep native roots.

“She was such a well-loved and well-versed woman in so many things,” Ms. Joseph said. “She had such a zest for life and an appreciation of different cultures.”

Ms. Haile’s touch reached well beyond the reservation. She was one of the founders of the Hayground School in Bridgehampton in 1996, and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the former Southampton College in 2002 for her endeavors in education. She was an active member of both the Shinnecock Presbyterian Church and the Hamptons United Methodist Church in Southampton Village. She and Mr. Haile often danced at various clubs several times a week and sometimes even instructed classes.

Ms. Haile served on the board of the Southampton Historical Museum, educating many about the history of the Shinnecocks. She incorporated her expertise into the celebration of the 375th anniversary of the settling of Southampton, having written, directed, and narrated the Shinnecock reenactment of the landing of English pioneers at the Founders Day event in June.

“She was a historian and an advocate for keeping the Shinnecock history alive. She was key,” said Tom Edmonds, executive director of the Southampton Historical Museum. “She was about fun, about joy, about love, no matter what ethnic background you had. She expressed her joy all the time. How many people do you know like that? Eighty-five years old—she wasn’t a grumpy old lady.”

Family, tribe members, and friends all agreed that Ms. Haile’s death will prove to be a tremendous loss to the entire community. But they also all concurred that they will continue to honor her in any way they can.

As per her wishes, Ms. Haile was cremated following services that took place at the Hamptons United Methodist Church on Tuesday. At a repast that evening, where many gathered to enjoy some of her favorite foods—venison, fish, cornbread and pudding, sweet potato souffle, and organic vegetables, to name a few—Rev. Davis said Ms. Haile brought up the idea of establishing a nursing home on the reservation while she was staying at Stony Brook University Hospital this summer, and that it is something the family will try to follow through with, as many native communities have their own nursing home.

And because it is tradition for tribal families to mourn their loss for a year, a tribute for Ms. Haile will take place during next year’s powwow.

Rev. Davis said she is proud that her mother has made such an impact on not only the Shinnecocks but outside communities as well. She said that her mother was always spreading the ideology of native people, which is to live harmoniously with everyone and pray for all creation.

Picking out a favorite memory of her mother, however, was not an easy task—there are a collage of favorite memories, she explained.

“Words fail,” Rev. Davis said. “She had something.”