Old Tom (medicine man)
Encyclopedia
Old Tom is the name of an alleged Blackfoot
medicine man
who lived in Montana
during the early twentieth century. Some sources suggest that he may have been Piegan or Sarcee.
photographed a member of the Sarcee or Tsuu T'ina Blackfoot tribe in Calgary
Alberta
whom he identified as Old Tom .
In 1924, T. J. Hileman
photographed a member of the Piegan Blackfeet
tribe of Montana whom he identified as Old Tom. Hileman's photos are notable for showing garments and hairstyles of the Kainai and South Peigan. The Glenbow Museum
has 107 of T. J. Hileman's photos of Montana
Blackfoot
people in their archives, dating from 1924 to 1940, and the 1924 T.J. Hileman Old Tom photo is among them.
founder L. Ron Hubbard
claimed that as a four-year-old boy in Montana, he became the protegé of a Blackfeet
Indian medicine man named Old Tom, who made him a blood brother of the tribe in 1915. Hubbard's claim has been disputed by tribal officials and archivist Hugh Dempsey
, associate director of the Glenbow Museum
. In addition, Dempsey stated that the name "Old Tom" does not appear in the 1907 Blackfeet enrollment register. However, the name does appear in the Glenbow Museum's photo archives, of which Dr. Dempsey was archivist.
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
medicine man
Medicine man
"Medicine man" or "Medicine woman" are English terms used to describe traditional healers and spiritual leaders among Native American and other indigenous or aboriginal peoples...
who lived in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
during the early twentieth century. Some sources suggest that he may have been Piegan or Sarcee.
Historicity
In 1910, Harry PollardHarry Pollard (photographer)
Harry Pollard was a Canadian photographer whose specialty was photographing First Nations people.He was born in Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada. In 1899 young Harry arrived in Calgary, and opened a photography studio there....
photographed a member of the Sarcee or Tsuu T'ina Blackfoot tribe in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
whom he identified as Old Tom .
In 1924, T. J. Hileman
T. J. Hileman
T. J. Hileman was an American photographer born in Marienville, Pennsylvania, who is renowned for his photos of Glacier Park in Montana, and Blackfoot people....
photographed a member of the Piegan Blackfeet
Blackfeet
The Piegan Blackfeet are a tribe of Native Americans of the Algonquian language family based in Montana, having lived in this area since around 6,500 BC. Many members of the tribe live as part of the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana, with population centered in Browning...
tribe of Montana whom he identified as Old Tom. Hileman's photos are notable for showing garments and hairstyles of the Kainai and South Peigan. The Glenbow Museum
Glenbow Museum
The Glenbow Museum in Calgary is one of Western Canada's largest museums, with over 93,000 square feet of exhibition space in more than 20 galleries, showcasing a selection of the Glenbow's collection of over a million objects....
has 107 of T. J. Hileman's photos of Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
people in their archives, dating from 1924 to 1940, and the 1924 T.J. Hileman Old Tom photo is among them.
Anecdotal evidence
ScientologyScientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
founder L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
claimed that as a four-year-old boy in Montana, he became the protegé of a Blackfeet
Blackfeet
The Piegan Blackfeet are a tribe of Native Americans of the Algonquian language family based in Montana, having lived in this area since around 6,500 BC. Many members of the tribe live as part of the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana, with population centered in Browning...
Indian medicine man named Old Tom, who made him a blood brother of the tribe in 1915. Hubbard's claim has been disputed by tribal officials and archivist Hugh Dempsey
Hugh Dempsey
Hugh Aylmer Dempsey, CM is a Canadian historian, an author and the Chief Curator Emeritus of the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta. Dempsey has authored more than 20 books, focusing primarily on the history of people of the Blackfoot Confederacy. He received an honorary doctorate from the...
, associate director of the Glenbow Museum
Glenbow Museum
The Glenbow Museum in Calgary is one of Western Canada's largest museums, with over 93,000 square feet of exhibition space in more than 20 galleries, showcasing a selection of the Glenbow's collection of over a million objects....
. In addition, Dempsey stated that the name "Old Tom" does not appear in the 1907 Blackfeet enrollment register. However, the name does appear in the Glenbow Museum's photo archives, of which Dr. Dempsey was archivist.