Dan Battise (Alabama-Coushatta) was born in 1917 in the "piney-woods" country between Indian Village and Livingston, Texas. As a child he became interested in photography when he saw a man with a box camera. He cut grass for people to earn enough to purchase his first Kodak camera, and he kept up his photography hobby ever since that time. He came to Chicago in 1949, and frequently travelled to pow wows and other Indian events taking photographs. Battise was involved with the American Indian Center when it was first started and was an active volunteer. He also received an award from the Indian Council Fire. A member of the first Chicago American Indian Camera Club, he took many photographs of Native American community clubs, and organizational photos for many years.