Phil Raymond “Joe Fish” Dupoint walked on Jan. 2 at age 70.

Many in the Kiowa community remember the respected elder and spiritual leader for his work as the tribe’s cultural preservation director and the principal singer for the Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society. He was also an officer at the Kiowa Chapter of the Native American Church.

Chairman Lawrence SpottedBird remembered him in a statement, saying, “He touched the hearts of all his Kiowa People and countless Native People nationwide through his songs and example of what it is to be a true Kiowa Spiritual leader.”

Bacone College awarded him an honorary degree, or a Doctorate of Humane Letters, in 2020 for his Kiowa knowledge of history, philosophy and ceremonies.

In an interview with Red Buffalo Images, Dupoint reflected on receiving the title and told a story about how he called “one of his brothers” to discuss it. Dupoint said he wasn’t sure if he deserved this title because he only had a high school education. But Dupoint said his brother told him, “You had the best classroom, and you had the best teachers—and that was the elders.”

KOSU interviewed DuPoint last year for a story about the cultural significance of Handgame in his tribal nation. At that time, he said he and his peers have an obligation to pass along Kiowa knowledge.

“Us older generation. We got to carry it on, but we got a lot of young people that are participating,” Dupoint said. “And so with that, well, then I know this culture is going to go on.”

Details on a memorial service Tuesday morning in Carnegie are available here.