Robert Kaniatobe was born in Tom, Oklahoma and attended Idabel Public Schools during his early years.  He graduated from Chilocco Indian School in Oklahoma.  He served in the U. S. Army in the Medical Corps and was stationed in both Alaska and France.  After his military service, he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from San Francisco State University. 

As an artist, his specialties were designing and carving fetish figures out of ivory and antler, designing artworks out of silver, and sculpting in clay. In the 1980s, he began putting his carved fossilized fetish carvings together with various beads and forming exquisite necklaces.  As a result, Robert's small sculptures and marvelous necklaces comprised of a multitude of materials are in collections all over the world.

Robert Kaniatobe died in Oklahoma City.