Indians of North America -- Great Plains Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Ledger drawings
Date:
1904-1906
Scope and Contents:
Tablet containing 16 drawings including pictures of tipi designs, camp scenes, games, and Sun Dance ceremony. Inscribed, "Cheyenne Indian Sketches, Tipis No. 2" and "Drawn by Nakoimens = Bear Wings, alias Charles Murphy. Cheyenne, Cantonment, Okla"
Arrangement:
Subgroup
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 2531 Vol. 10
Place:
United States Oklahoma Territory Cantonment.
United States Oklahoma Canton.
Album Information:
MS 2531-10 000
Genre/Form:
Ledger drawings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 2531, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Ledger drawings
Date:
1904
Scope and Contents:
Tablet, now disbound, containing 20 drawings including pictures of warriors carrying shields and a few shield designs. Cover inscribed "Cheyenne Shields No. 2" and "From Book Captured at Mackenzie Fight 1876, Field Museum, Chicago." The artist and date for this book were established by reference to inscriptions in vol. 13 of the same manuscript.
Arrangement:
Subgroup
Biographical / Historical:
Carl Sweezy (ca. 1879-1953), Arapaho. For biographical information, see The Arapaho Way, by Althea Bass, NY: Clarkson N. Potter, 1966. For information on his work with Mooney, see Carl Sweezy: Arapaho Artist, by Althea Bass, Chronicles of Oklahoma 34: 429-31, 1956.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 2531 Vol. 14
Place:
United States Oklahoma Territory.
United States Oklahoma.
Album Information:
MS 2531-14 000
Genre/Form:
Ledger drawings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 2531, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Volumes
Ledger drawings
Date:
ca. 1897-1904?
Scope and Contents:
Bound volume of 109 pages containing James Mooney's notes and descriptions of Kiowa shield and tipi designs, including 10 drawings by Silver Horn, dated 1904. Two of the drawings are on small pieces of paper which have been inserted between pages 65 and 66. A printed page number appears in black in the upper left corner of each verso. This is the same style of book as Volumes 2 and 3 of this manuscript. "Kiowa Heraldry, Mooney, 1897," title printed by hand on spine of original binding.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 2531 Vol. 1
Place:
United States Oklahoma Territory.
United States Oklahoma.
Album Information:
MS 2531-01 000
Genre/Form:
Ledger drawings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 2531, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
The collection consists of twenty-five (25) drawings depicting warfare, courting, hunting, dances, a horse race, and an intertribal meeting. Also included are five (5) pages with pictographs representing various words and the rosters of the Fort Marion prisoners listing the prisoners' names and tribal affiliations. Several drawings are inscribed with the name of Koba, some with the name Etahdleuh. Most were probably drawn by Koba. All drawings have been laminated.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Biographical Note:
Koba (Wild Horse) was born in 1848. During the Red River War he was a member of the Kiowa band that surrendered on February 18, 1875. Following his surrender, he was confined at Fort Sill, Indian Territory. He was accused of stealing horses and mules in Texas and participating in the August 22, 1874 skirmish at the Wichita Agency, one of the opening engagements of the Red River War. He was among the Kiowa prisoners who were incarcerated in Fort Marion in St. Augustine, Florida following the end of the conflict. He arrived at Fort Marion on May 21, 1875. After his release from Ft. Marion, Koba attended the Hampton Institute in Virginia. He arrived at Hampton on April 14, 1878. In June of 1879, he left Hampton to work on a farm in Lee, Massachusetts. He then enrolled in the Carlisle Institute in Pennsylvania, where he studied to be a tinsmith. He arrived at Carlisle on October 7, 1879. On September 10, 1880, Koba left Carlisle on what was intended to be a brief trip to Indian Territory. Although his health was failing, he was deemed fit to travel. He died of tuberculosis on September 24, 1880, only three days after arriving at his destination.
Etahdleuh (1856-1888) was also known as Etahdleeuh, Etadeleuh, Etahdleuh Doanmoe, Boy, and Boy Hunting. He was imprisoned at Fort Marion in St. Augustine, Florida from 1875-1878. After his release from Fort Marion, he attended the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia, arriving in April, 1878. In 1879, he travelled to the Indian Territory to recruit pupils to attend the Carlisle Institute in Pennsylvania, where he would study and work on and off from 1879 to 1887. He made two extended trips back to the reservation during this period and from February to May 1880, he worked at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. He was trained as a Presbyterian missionary and returned to the reservation in January 1888 to serve in this capacity.
Historical Note:
Fort Marion, also known as Castillo de San Marco, is a stone fortress in St. Augustine, Florida. Between 1875 and 1878, seventy-two prisoners from the southern plains were incarcerated in the fort. Captain Richard Pratt supervised the prisoners during their incarceration at Fort Marion. The prisoners consisted of 27 Kiowas, 33 Cheyennes, 9 Comanches, 2 Arapahos, and a single Caddo. With the exception of one Cheyenne woman, all the prisoners were men. They had been accused of participating in the recent Red River War, earlier hostilities, or both. With the exception of the wife and daughter of one of the Comanche men, the prisoners families were not allowed to accompany them to Fort Marion.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 39C
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Works of art
Ledger drawings
Drawings
Pictographs
Citation:
MS 39-c Kiowa drawings by Koba, Etahdleuh, and others, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
The collection consists of a bound notebook, slip case, and three inserted letters. The notebook contains 89 drawings on ruled paper, primarily scenes of warfare. The drawings are the work of several different artists and depict battles with several different tribes as well as with White civilians and Army troops. The slip case is embossed with title "Outbreak of the Cheyenne Indians 1878. Sign Language Written by the Chief 'Little Skunk.'"
The first letter is dated September 10, 1892, and signed by A. Wernher. It states: "this book was presented to me in 1879 by Hermann Hauser of the Q[uarter] M[aste]r Dep[artmen]t at Fort Reno, Ind[ian] Terr[itory] Hauser was affiliated by marriage to the Cheyenne tribe of Indians and assured me that the book represented in sign language the outbreak of the Cheyenne Indians at Fort Reno Ind[ian] Terr[itor]y and their raid through Kansas to the North in 1878, written by the Cheyenne Indian "Little Skunk." However, the content of the images is not consistent with the accompanying identification. The names "Little Skunk" and "Hermann Hauser" do not appear in the index to the records of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency held at the Oklahoma Historical Society, but the latter's name appears as "Herman Hauser" in separate material at the Oklahoma Historical Society relating to Fort Reno.
The second letter is dated February 2, 1897, and written by Frank Hamilton Cushing on Bureau of American Ethnology letterhead. The note returns the book to a Colonel Cushing and asks to see it again later.
The third letter is dated March 11, 1902, and written by P. C. Knox to Colonel William C. Sanger with thanks for letting him see the book.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 7463
OPPS SLIDE 22,227-22,297
USNM Accession 380496
Variant Title:
Outbreak of the Cheyenne Indians, 1878 / sign language written by the Chief "Little Skunk"
Related Materials:
The National Anthropological Archives holds MS 7567 Miscellaneous specimen tags and newspaper clippings, which were also donated by W.H. Kelly. Artifacts donated by Kelly are held in the Department of Anthropology object collections (Accession 380486).
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Works of art
Ledger drawings
Citation:
MS 7463 Book of Cheyenne drawings by Little Skunk and unknown Cheyenne artists, with correspondence concerning drawings, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
The collection consists of a book of fourteen (14) drawings on eight (8) leaves of unruled paper in a commercial drawing book. The book was rebound by the Bureau of American Ethnology and the original covers are no longer visible. The drawings depict hunting, travelling, and camp scenes. The inside front cover is inscribed "Drawn by Buffalo Meat." The inside back cover is inscribed "Soaring Eegle [sic]." Buffalo Meat and Soaring Eagle were among the Cheyenne men imprisoned at Fort Marion. Although both men were artists, the drawings in this book are Kiowa, not Cheyenne.
Although the drawings were originally cataloged as Cheyenne by Buffalo Meat, neither Candace Greene nor Karen Daniels Petersen agree with this attribution. They note that the drawings can be identified as Kiowa based on elements of clothing, as well as shield and tipi designs. Furthermore, Greene compared the drawings with other works by Buffalo Meat and determined that they do not correspond with the artist's style. Both Greene and Petersen note that the drawings are the work of at least two artists. The inside of the front cover is inscribed, "Drawn by Buffalo Meat, Cheyenne." Petersen notes that the handwriting matches an inscription written inside the cover of MS 39-b, a drawing book that is known to have been collected at Fort Marion by George Fox, who inscribed the cover and captioned the drawings. (Candace Greene and Mike Jordan compared the inscriptions in MS 4656 and MS 39-b and agree that the handwriting is the same.) George Fox worked as an interpreter at Fort Marion until March 26, 1877. Consequently, the book dates between May 21, 1875, the date the prisoners arrived at Fort Marion, and March 26, 1877, the date George Fox departed.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Historical Note:
Fort Marion, also known as Castillo de San Marco, is a stone fortress in St. Augustine, Florida. Between 1875 and 1878, seventy-two prisoners from the southern plains were incarcerated in the fort. Captain Richard Pratt supervised the prisoners during their incarceration at Fort Marion. The prisoners consisted of 27 Kiowas, 33 Cheyennes, 9 Comanches, 2 Arapahos, and a single Caddo. With the exception of one Cheyenne woman, all the prisoners were men. They had been accused of participating in the recent Red River War, earlier hostilities, or both. With the exception of the wife and daughter of one of the Comanche men, the prisoners families were not allowed to accompany them to Fort Marion.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 4656
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Works of art
Ledger drawings
Citation:
MS 4656 Book of anonymous Kiowa drawings, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
The collection consists of one (1) ledger book, now disbound, containing seventy-six (76) drawings by Cheyenne artists, two (2) additional drawings, and two (2) letters.
The ledger book contains drawings of scenes of warfare, courting, camps, and geometric figures. Many of the drawings have identifying captions in an unknown hand. Some of the drawings have been identified as having been created by a different, most likely non-native, artist. Two additional drawings were received with the ledger book: a drawing on sheet from a small ruled tablet, now torn in two, and a broadside sheet, now torn in two, with site plan and perspective drawing of the trading post of N. W. Evans and Co., Fort Reno, Indian Territory. The collection also includes letters regarding the purchase of the collection from Mr. Dorsey Griffith.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 4653
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Works of art
Ledger drawings
Citation:
MS 4653 Book of drawings by anonymous Cheyenne artists and related drawings and letters, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
