from a song for the horse nation
DESCRIPTION
From A Song for the Horse Nation: Horses in Native American CulturesTRANSCRIPT
From A Song for the Horse Nation: Horses in Native American Cultures
Ledger book, 1884. Drawings by His Fight (Hunkpapa Lakota). South Dakota or North Dakota. (25/4575)
Portrait of High Wolf, ca. 1879–80. Drawing by Yellow Nose (Ute, raised as Cheyenne). (23/4368)
High Wolf “counts coup” against a Nez Perce, touching him with a riding quirt in a daring act of bravery. The imitation scalp under his horse’s chin indicates victories in battle for both horse and rider.
Man Who Carries the Sword, ca. 1875. Oglala Lakota drawing. (10/9628)
The artist is Lakota, but the subject may be from a southern Plains tribe. Man Who Carries the Sword wears an impressive bonnet with many feathers and carries a shield with feathers as well, indicating that he was a prominent warrior. The single horn on his headdress may refer to an image seen in a dream. His horse wears a silver bridle.
Horse Dance, ca. 1885. Ledger drawing by Rain In the Face (Hunkpapa Lakota), South Dakota or North Dakota. (20/1628)
Note that the dancer carries a horse dance stick.
Exploits of Poor Wolf, Hidatsa Second Chief, probably early 1900s. Hidatsa drawing. (4/2446A)
At upper left, Poor Wolf sports a military coat and saber, possibly won in battle. The eagle feathers tied to the tail of his very elegant horse suggest that this was a highly prized animal, as does the fancy Spanish bridle.
Cheyenne River Lakota shield cover, ca. 1880s. South Dakota. Pigment, hide, and rawhide. Photograph by Katherine Fogden, NMAI. (6/2195)
Piikuni (Blackfeet) elk-skin robe with painted decoration by Mountain Chief, mid-1800s. Montana. Pigment and hide. Photograph by Katherine Fogden, NMAI. (22/1878)
In this scene, the Blackfeet are holding their own against two sets of enemies: other tribes and bears (seen in the lower left corner). The small arcs represent hoof prints, and the arrow-like marks below them indicate the direction in which the
horse was headed.
Winter Count on cloth by Long Soldier (Hunkpapa Lakota), ca. 1902. Fort Yates, North Dakota. Muslin cloth. Photograph by Ernest Amoroso, NMAI. (11/6720)
Lakota Horse Mask, 2008, by Jim Yellowhawk (Cheyenne River Lakota, b. 1958). South Dakota. Acrylic on paper, gold leaf. Photograph by Ernest Amoroso, NMAI. (26/7199)