Archdale librarian’s research helps actor locate his ancestry

ASHEBORO — When Derek Hinkey asked Instagram followers for help with his ancestry, Ashley Rose answered the call.

Rose, director of the Archdale Public Library, said she was watching “American Primeval” on Netflix when she realized pretty soon that her favorite character was Red Feather, portrayed by Hinkey. So she “started following him up on Instagram and he followed back.”

Then, Hinkey reached out to his followers for help locating his ancestry. Rose saw the request and, seeing that it was “a chance to learn about the library’s (genealogy) database,” she looked into it. She then emailed Hinkey what she learned.

Once finding herself in Hinkey’s good graces, she took a chance by asking him, “Would you like to speak in Asheboro? That’s how it started. I’m the kind to take a chance even if the answer is ‘no.’”

But there was no “no” from Hinkey. Instead, through his wife and agent Malia, “He said ‘yes.’”

And that’s how Hinkey, aka, Red Feather or Shorty Bowlegs in AMC’s adaptation of Tony Hillerman’s Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee novels, is scheduled to appear in The Friends of the Library Sunset Signature Series kickoff to the 2025-26 season. The event is at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, at the Sunset Theatre for a talk titled “Behind the Scenes with Derek Hinkey: Boxer, Firefighter, Actor: Lessons from a Life of Courage and Transformation.”

Joining him onstage for the conversation will be Rose as well as students from the Guilford County Schools American Indian Education Program performing powwow and social dancing.

The event is free to the public.

Hinkey is a Paiute-Shoshone actor and professional boxer having grown up on the Fort McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribe reservation on the border of Oregon and Nevada. 

In a telephone interview on Oct. 21, Hinkey said he’s the descendant of tribal chiefs but he had little knowledge of his maternal ancestors in Oklahoma. That’s why he made the request on Instagram.

“I wanted to represent them,” he said of his mother’s side of the family. “(Rose) helped out a lot.”

Asked why he chose to come to Asheboro with all the requests for appearances he receives across the country, Hinkey credits his wife for finding that “the schedule worked out better. We’ve been to different parts of the country but we’ve never come out to North Carolina. I met some people from North Carolina in Kansas once and they were the best people. So I want to get to know the region and I want to be accessible.”

Hinkey was asked if he sees himself in his acting roles or as an individual as just a Native American. He said he realizes that’s what people see.

“If I show up, they know I’m Native American,” he said. “But anything I do I want people everywhere to walk in my shoes, see from my eyes. I’m Native American, but I try to reach for the world. In my culture, there’s no exclusion. I want the world to see my people, that we come from inclusion, not exclusion. I want all children to see that, whether it’s Black, white or Indian, whatever.”

Hinkey worked as a professional boxer and as a firefighter for the Bureau of Land Management prior to becoming an actor. How have those roles shaped him as a person?

“I grew up in a small reservation and there were not many opportunities,” he said. “My family did ranching. When I graduated from high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do.”

But he was athletic and used his talents as a boxer, winning nine of 12 professional fights. His time as a firefighter came after he had suffered “pretty bad” burns on his back as a youth.

“I’m attracted to what scares me,” Hinkey said. “It’s the same with boxing. I never worked a day of my life. I’ve always loved what I do.”

He didn’t say if acting scared him, but he’ll get more into that when he comes to Asheboro.

“Whenever I talk about myself, I tell how I got where I am, the challenges of what I’m doing and what I plan to do,” he said. When he’s on stage at the Sunset, Hinkey said he’ll open up the conversation to the audience.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Also on this year's Sunset Series slate

All events are at the Sunset Theater and are free.

TEMPLE GRANDIN

Animal behavior researcher and autism activist, “Great Minds are Not All the Same,” Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

LT. COL. WALTER JOSEPH MARM, JR.

Medal of Honor recipient, Memorial Day weekend event Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

ELIZABETH HUDSON

Our State Editor, “Full Circle,” Friday, September 25, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.