Ralph Waite and Will Geer refused to appear in The Warrior (1977) unless an actual Native American was cast in the role of the grandfather. Jerado Decordovier was eventually cast as he was the only Native-American who auditioned who was old enough to play the character. Although he had worked in films for 24 years, most of that experience was as an extra in non-speaking roles; his inexperience caused multiple retakes and delays in filming.
Grandpa Walton mentions that he is much younger than Grandfather Teskigi. In real life, Will Geer was 8 years older than Jerardo Decordovier.
The Cherokee Indian, Grandfather Teskigi that this Walton's program refers to, pronounces his name like the city in Alabama, Tuskegee. A movie was made, The Tuskegee Airmen (1995), about two African-American citizens and their willingness to fight in World War II.