Her grandparents were William Workman (1799-1876), a native of England, and Nicolasa Urioste (1802-1892), who hailed from the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico. According to the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, her paternal grandmother Nicolasa was of Taos Pueblo descent. Her mother was of Scottish and Chilean descent. Darkfeather claimed Spanish ancestry as well. She was a member of the prominent pioneer Workman family of Los Angeles. In 1870, her grandfather, William Workman (1799–1876), deeded of land, a portion of the Rancho La Puente, to his son, Joseph M. Workman. Through this deed, the land would go to Joseph's children upon his death.