W. R. Cross photographs

[buffaloman]

Yes shatonska, the poor man died on this trip. The man behind him is Yellow Buffalo (behind him is Mary Lincoln). I was mistaken, it was Kiowa chief Little Heart (other man wearing hat in 2nd row) who was photographed by Brady wearing shoes.

[grahamew]

Thanks. I remember reading about Barnum being involved, but how? Were the Indians on exhibition, as it were?

[shatonska]

buffaloman said:

Yes shatonska, the poor man died on this trip.

George Bent said Yellow Wolf died at the Sandy Creek massacre or you say that this is Yellow Wolf a Kiowa?

[Dietmar]

Too bad, I missed this conversation so far.
But anyway, I am glad you discussed the 1863 delegation photos, because I always loved them very much.

I am not sure about the identification of Lean Bear. I have seen the names of the three Cheyenne delegates mixed up in various publications. Most important to me are the comments of Father Peter Powell. He stated that only council chiefs of the Cheyenne were allowed to wear pipes as a sign of their office. Starving or Lean Bear was nearly 55 years old. He and War-Bonnet (59 years old) as another of the 44 council-chiefs at that time were holding pipes in the photograph. Standing-in-the-Water was the youngest delegate (49) and only a warrior society headman, so he does not carry the long-stemmed pipe of a council chief.
So according to Powell the names of the Cheyennes must be left to right:

Standing-in-the-Water, War-Bonnet, Lean Bear


The full delegation from the Southern Plains in 1863 was:
Cheyenne: Lean Bear, War-Bonnet, Standing-in-the-Water
Kiowa: Lone Wolf, Yellow Wolf, Yellow Buffalo, Little Heart, White Bear (& two women)
Arapaho: Spotted Wolf, Neva
Comanches: Ten Bears, Pricked Forehead
Kiowa-Apache: Poor Bear
Caddo: Jacob

Does anyone have a better scan of White Bear/Satanta in his individual photograph? I would be very thankful for it. I have scans of the rest of the delegation, if you like to have them.



To Charlie: The Little Thunder in the Cross photograph must be another Sioux of that name, he looks much too young for being the renown chief of 1855. I think most of the Cross photos were made at Spotted Tail agency, so he could be Brule. Maybe he is a son or nephew, who had taken his father´s or uncle´s name.
I don´t think there is an photograph of the chief you wanted to see, but there is another Brule Little Thunder in an Anderson group photo in “Sioux of the Rosebud”.

Shatonska,
the Yellow Wolf who died at Sand Creek was one of the most important chiefs of the Southern Cheyenne. He was the leader of the Hair Rope band and the man who brought the tribe south to trade with the Bent brothers in the 1830s.

You can find several more images of Minimic or Eagle Head in the photographs made of the Cheyenne, Kiowa and Comanche prisoners at Fort Marion, Florida.

Best wishes
Dietmar

[grahamew]

That jacket Satanta's wearing... White Mountain Apache?

[charlie]

Dietmar, i have a individual portrait of Satanta, but i don't know the correct manner to post it.
How i can do it? Anyone can tell me some bio-news on Cheyenne Chiefs Turkey Leg and Minimic? (date of birth and death, band to belonged, indian name....). Thanks. Charlie

[grahamew]

Not the picture of Satanta you wanted, but a less common angle of a fairly common photo. What on earth is he wearing? A knitted cardigan?

[Diane Merkel]

Below are the Satanta photos from Charlie. He would also like to see photos or paintings of Black Moon (Hunkpapa), Gray Beard (Cheyenne), Nuked Head (Nez Percè), and Juh (Apache).

[Dietmar]

This is all I could find on Minimic and Turkey Leg:

Minimic or Eagle Head/Eagle´s Head
- headman/chief of the Bowstring Society (Southern Cheyenne), not before 1870 a council chief
- first came to notice in 1864 carrying a message of peace with One-Eye from Black Kettle to Fort Lyon, generally belonging to the peace faction of Black Kettle
- signed the treaty of the Little Arkansas in 1865
- present at the Medicine Lodge treaty in 1867
- after Washita one of the first leaders to surrender at Fort Sill in April 1870
- later in 1870 moved his camp to new reservation at Fort Supply and became leading spokesman there
- according to George Bent he fought in June 1874 at the battle of Adobe Walls
- although he represented the peace faction of the Cheyenne, he was arrested as a prisoner to go to Fort Marion, Florida
- principal Cheyenne leader among the Florida prisoners from 1875 to 1878
- after returning from Florida he was what you can call a “friendly” Indian, trying to make a living at Darlington agency in Indian Territory. He lobbied his kin to cut their hair, adapt white man´s clothes, seek work and attend school. He always carried a photograph of Captain Pratt of Fort Marion with him and became a regular visitor of church. He became ill and died in the spring of 1881.

Turkey Leg
- council chief of the Omisis (Eater band, Northern Cheyenne) since 1864
- generally peaceful and friendly to whites
- roamed often between Platte and Republican Rivers
- often accompanied by southern Sioux bands (his friend Pawnee Killer, Little Wound, Whistler, etc.)
- he and his band were involved in the derailment of a Union Pacific freight train in 1867, near Plum Creek Station, Nebraska
- had about 20 lodges at Red Cloud agency in June 1876
- one of the few chiefs who favoured moving south to Indian Territory in 1877
- decided to stay there and take not part of the flight north with Little Wolf

Hope it helps, maybe someone can add some information.

Dietmar

[Dietmar]

Thank you for the photos. Maybe we should have an extra main thread for the southern plains or other indian tribes, Diane?

[inkpaduta1981]

According to me, in the first picture, the man that is identified as Set-tain-te (White Bear), indeed is Tsein-tain-te (White Horse). There' s no similarity between the man in that photo and White Bear, who in 1863 was 42, 43 years old. White Bear was tall, vigorous, powerful....unlike the man.
The man in the photo has a young warrior about 30 years, feminine and delicate face, as White Horse. I think that perhaps there's an identification mistake.

[Dietmar]

Inkpaduta,
I am not absolutely sure about the identification, too. That´s one reason why I am looking for a higher resolution picture from the individual photograph of the man. But I don´t think he could be White Horse, because he had a very broad face in all the photos I have of him.
In some sources the man in the 1863 delegation is identified as White Bull, but I don´t know if that´s a better identification...

[shatonska]

dietmar said:

Inkpaduta,
I am not absolutely sure about the identification, too. That´s one reason why I am looking for a higher resolution picture from the individual photograph of the man. But I don´t think he could be White Horse, because he had a very broad face in all the photos I have of him.
In some sources the man in the 1863 delegation is identified as White Bull, but I don´t know if that´s a better identification...

you can notice that satanta has the washington medal in latest photos too, the same medal that little heart has too, in first photos in Leavenwhort they have no medal later in the trip there are photos with that medal, when did he went to washington if not in that occasion?

some say satanta was born in 1830 not 1820

it would be good to have more news about him

[Dietmar]

Good point!

[Dietmar]

Okay, here is a rare photo of Satanta with Lone Wolf and Big Tree (?).
Hope you like it