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Ohiyesa Smith was the Sheriff of Elkhorn, Oklahoma in the late 1800s.
History[]
Smith settled in Elkhorn, a mining town, shortly after the end of the Civil War. He rose to become sheriff and became well-respected among the townspeople for his ability to keep the peace. Some people who don't share that consideration call him "Pow Wow" Smith, which he considers insulting.
Smith had frequent run-ins with Tobias Manning, though the small-time outlaw was usually no match for the sheriff. However, after Manning stole David Clinton's time belt, he used it to arm himself and his gang with radically advanced weapons. He and his men overpowered Smith, brutally beat him, and threw him out of town, with Manning taking the sheriff's badge for himself.
Unwilling to accept Manning's enslavement of the townspeople, Smith gathered a small force of allies: Bat Lash, El Diablo, and Jonah Hex. After slipping into Elkhorn, they met up with Batman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman, who had been pulled back in time and had just freed Bat and Clinton from the jail.
Ohiyesa recovers the time belt.
Together, they attacked Manning's headquarters in the desert, overpowering his men despite their advanced weaponry. Smith faced off with Manning, who drew his gun, but had it destroyed by the other heroes. Rather than face Smith in a fair fight, Manning jumped onto his robotic winged horse, Nova, and tried to escape, but Smith brought him down. Left with no other choice, Manning drew a knife and took Smith on, but once again proved no match for him. After Manning's defeat, Smith recovered Clinton's time belt. He was last seen gaping with the other western heroes as the League members disappeared into a time portal in pursuit of Clinton.
Abilities and equipment[]
Ohiyesa Smith was an expert fighter. Though he was a superb marksman, he preferred not to use a gun unless necessary, instead settling disputes with his bare hands or feet. He also had a strong sense of justice.
Background information[]
- Ohiyesa Smith first appeared in Detective Comics #151 (September 1949), and his serial became the lead feature of Western comics which ran until 1961. He also appears frequently in the other comics whenever heroes travel back in time to the old west. He is also known as a master detective.
- In the comics, he is nicknamed "Pow Wow" Smith by the townspeople, based on his Native American origins (he is reportedly a member of the Sioux tribe). Though he dislikes the nickname, he eventually comes to accept being called by it. In the episode, by contrast, the only person who calls him "Pow Wow" is from Tobias Manning as an insult, which Smith rebukes him for.
- The name Ohiyesa roughly translates to 'Always wins.'
- Smith is voiced by Native American actor Jonathan Joss, probably best known to television audiences for having replaced late actor Victor Aaron as the voice of recurring character John Redcorn on King of the Hill.