Solomon Bibo

This 1885 photo is listed as "Solomon Bibo governor of Acoma & his officers 1885 - 1886". Solomon is marked as #15. Solomon Bibo (July 15, 1853 – May 4, 1934) was a German-Jewish trader in the American Old West who became governor of Acoma Pueblo, equivalent to tribal chief. He was the only non-Native person ever to serve as a governor of the Acoma Pueblo.

Early life Bibo was born in Brakel, Westphalia, then part of the Kingdom of Prussia, to Isak and Blümchen Bibo; his father was a cantor. He was the sixth of eleven children. After the suppression of the liberal government in the mid-19th century, his older brothers Nathan and Simon left for the United States in 1866; he eventually joined them, moving on October 16, 1869, at age 16. He arrived in New York City and, after spending some time learning English on the East Coast, he moved out to meet his brothers in Santa Fe, then part of the New Mexico Territory. His brothers had established themselves as traders, initially using capital provided by the Spiegelberg family, a pioneer Jewish family that arrived with Stephen W. Kearny's army during the Mexican–American War. The Bibo brothers were able to establish stores at Laguna, Fort Wingate, Cebolleta, Bernalillo, and Grants. The brothers learned several Indigenous languages of the Americas in addition to their German, Yiddish, and English.

In 1885, the Acomas elected Solomon Bibo as their new governor, the equivalent of the tribal chief. "Don Solomono", as he was known by the tribe, served as governor four times. The Acoma asked the United States to recognize Bibo as their leader and, in 1888, he was recognized as such by an agent of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The film has won awards including Best Short Film, Orlando Film Festival 2013, and has been selected for inclusion in more than 30 other film festivals.