Anthropologist. A member of the Gros Ventre tribe, George Paul "Nay Gyagya Nee" Horse Capture, Sr. experienced the explosion of Native American pride at the empty prison island in San Francisco Bay changed everything — including his name. Before Alcatraz, his last name was Capture — an adjustment his father had made to afford his children an easier time off the reservation. Mr. Horse Capture also changed his career path. In 1974, he received a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley and, five years later, a master's in history from Montana State University. The next year he joined the Plains Indian Museum of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, becoming one of the first Native American curators in the country. "He was a legend as a fellow museum professional," said Rick West, the founding director of the National Museum of the American Indian. "Before the last 20 years or so, native people were rarely consulted about material in museums and had a very tortured relationship with them. All of that got turned around during the era when George was active." In Cody, Mr. Horse Capture placed certain sacred artifacts in a room where only tribal elders or ceremonial leaders were permitted. "He even installed a device that shut off the alarms so they could smoke or make a smudge while praying."
Anthropologist. A member of the Gros Ventre tribe, George Paul "Nay Gyagya Nee" Horse Capture, Sr. experienced the explosion of Native American pride at the empty prison island in San Francisco Bay changed everything — including his name. Before Alcatraz, his last name was Capture — an adjustment his father had made to afford his children an easier time off the reservation. Mr. Horse Capture also changed his career path. In 1974, he received a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley and, five years later, a master's in history from Montana State University. The next year he joined the Plains Indian Museum of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, becoming one of the first Native American curators in the country. "He was a legend as a fellow museum professional," said Rick West, the founding director of the National Museum of the American Indian. "Before the last 20 years or so, native people were rarely consulted about material in museums and had a very tortured relationship with them. All of that got turned around during the era when George was active." In Cody, Mr. Horse Capture placed certain sacred artifacts in a room where only tribal elders or ceremonial leaders were permitted. "He even installed a device that shut off the alarms so they could smoke or make a smudge while praying."
Bio by: Sharlotte Neely Donnelly
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