Personal details
Also Known As:
Aminah Nieves
Aminah Nieves
Aminah Nieves is an American actress, born on October 3, 1997, in Indiana. She is best known for her breakout role as Teonna Rainwater, a resilient young Indigenous woman of the Apsáalooke (Crow) tribe, in the Paramount+ series 1923, a prequel to Yellowstone. Before achieving this major role, Nieves pursued a career in the arts, initially aspiring to be a traveling symphonic musician before attending acting school in New York City. She supported herself by working multiple jobs simultaneously, including doing background acting for several years, working as an herbalist, a doula, and in a clothing store, even having only a small amount of money to her name when she was cast in 1923. Nieves has discussed the emotional and challenging nature of portraying Teonna, a character whose storyline highlights the trauma and historical injustices of Native American boarding schools. Her film credits also include the short films Dogwood (2021) and Blueberry (2021), and she is slated to appear in upcoming projects, including a Netflix thriller. Nieves has publicly shared that her mother encouraged her to audition for 1923, emphasizing the importance of telling the story for their communities and all Indigenous peoples.
