His father, George Washington Dailey, was a member of the Eagle Clan of the Missouria and belonged to a traditionalist group within the combined Otoe-Missouria tribe called the "Coyote Band."
By 1938, Truman and Lavina were conducting their own church services, where he was considered a Road Man (ceremonial leader).
When Walt Disney hired him, he allowed Dailey to use one of his own Indian names in the show, simply changing it to "Chief White Horse".
In 1974, he testified in Washington, DC, and in Omaha, NE, regarding the ceremonial use of feathers and other natural objects in opposition to the Migratory Bird Law.
The resulting legislation, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, was signed into law by President Carter but was only partially successful, so that in 1992, Dailey, now 93 years of age, was called upon once again to give testimony to the Senate committee.