Allan Houser aka Allan C. Haozous was born on June 30, 1914 in Apache, Oklahoma. Allan's father, Sam Haozous, and Geronimo were first cousins. In 1934 a notice for an art school in Santa Fe attracted his attention, and he enrolled in the Painting School at the Santa Fe Indian School. Commonly known as the Dorothy Dunn School after its prominent teacher, Allan became its most famous student and by 1939 his work was exhibited in San Francisco, Washington D. C., and Chicago. In 1962 Allan was asked to join the faculty of the newly created Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. There he created the sculpture department and began focusing his own artistic output on three-dimensional work. He passed away on August 22, 1994 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.