The collection consists of a ledger book, now disbound and laminated, containing 85 drawings of warfare, courtship, hunting, and ceremony. The pages are numbered 1-113, with the following numbers missing: 5-6, 27-28, 31-32, 69-70, 93-96. An endpaper is inscribed "Cheyenne Agency, Darlington Ind[ian] Terr[itory]" and an additional laminated sheet contains the original collector's tag, an associated note, and an early museum label. The drawings are by several artists, the most prominent being Yellow Nose. When possible, individual drawings have been assigned to Yellow Nose on stylistic grounds by comparison to his other known work.
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 As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today.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:
Yellow Nose (also known as Little Face, Hehuwesse, and He-her-we) (1848-1910) was a Ute captured as a young boy by Dives Backward and raised within Northern Cheyenne society by his adopted father Spotted Wolf. He is recorded to have participated in the Battle of Rosebud (June 17, 1876) and the Battle of Little Bighorn (June 25-26, 1876) where he reportedly 1) lost a famous shield made by Whistling Elk; 2) captured the guidon of the 7th Cavalry; and 3) strangled George Armstrong Custer to death with his bare hands. After the Battle of Little Big Horn, Yellow Nose traveled with a group of Northern Cheyenne led by Little Wolf and Dull Knife, eventually making camp along the Powder River. The group was attacked by General Ranald McKenzie in the Battle of Crazy Woman Fork (November 20, 1876). During this battle Yellow Nose distracted the U.S. soldiers, allowing the women and children to escape, and sustained a shot to the chest. Eventually, the group, including Yellow Nose, was captured and removed to the southern Cheyenne reservation in present-day Oklahoma, where Yellow Nose remained for the remainder of his life.
Biographical / Historical:
Heinrich (Henry) Richert Voth (1855–1931) was an ethnographer and Mennonite missionary and minister. Voth was sent by the Mission Board of the General Conference Mennonite Church to work among the Arapaho and the Hopi people, and was stationed at the Darlington Agency, Indian Territory from June 1882 to January 1892.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 166032
USNM Accession 26674
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
Drawings
Ledger drawings
Citation:
Book of Cheyenne drawings by Yellow Nose and unidentified artists (MS 166032), National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Drawings (visual works) (graphite, colored pencil, and ink)
Container:
Box 166032, Folder 3
Type:
Archival materials
Graphic Materials
Drawings (visual works)
Scope and Contents:
One drawing on two leaves. Drawing was most likely completed by Yellow Nose and another artist. Numbered pages 22 and 23. Inscriptions read "Me-Thow-You-us-a," "Clyde C. Bear Robe," and "Owl Bare Billy."
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 166032 016
NAA INV 08703400
NAA INV 08703500
OPPS NEG 57,148-A
OPPS NEG 57,149-A
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Book of Cheyenne drawings by Yellow Nose and unidentified artists (MS 166032), National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
