Molly Spotted Elk

Biography

Mary Nelson Archambaud (born Mary Alice Nelson; Penobscot pronunciation: Molly Dellis; November 17, 1903 – February 21, 1977), best known by her stage name Molly Spotted Elk, was a Penobscot Indian dancer, actress, and writer who was born on the Penobscot Indian Island Reservation, in Maine, U.S. She starred in The Silent Enemy, a 1930 silent-film drama of American Indian life. Sometimes she worked as an artists' model; among the artists for whom she modeled was Bonnie MacLeary. Description ab…