Red Shirt

[crzhrs]

Cheyenne Autumn was based on the book by the same name written by Marie Sandoz. She allowed the movie to use the name but not the gist of the text. Some of the movie was based on fact regarding the Cheyenne after the LBH and the Indians break out from the barracks is right on. However the scene with James Stewart playing poker is spurious and has nothing to do with the plot.

It was a good movie, but the book is much better . . . I highly recommend the book!

[fred]

"mort aux vaches"--

Thank you.

Best wishes,
Fred.

PS-- Horse-- I agree w/ you; an awfully good movie.
FCW

[ephriam]

Good morning, everyone:

During the early reservation period, there were three men named Red Shirt living on Pine Ridge. Just a caution for the possibility of confusing the various individuals.

The Red Shirt appearing in the photographs and who traveled with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show was, as already noted, a member of the Wagluhe or Loafer Band, generally considered to be a mixture of Oglala and Brule.

In an interview in 1923, Red Shirt noted that he was born near a fort on the Platte River in Wyoming, the name of which he could not recall. Hans recently forwarded a reference to me that indicated Red Shirt was born near Orin Junction. For those of you not from Wyoming, Orin is roughly twenty miles downstream from Fort Fetterman.

Several books have indicated that Red Shirt was the son of Red Dog. This is incorrect. I have not been able to locate the original reference for this information but it is possible that this was a reference to one of the other Red Shirts (Remember, Red Dog was a Hunkpapa who married into the Oyuhpe Oglala).

Several sources indicate that our Red Shirt was the son of a white man and a Lakota mother. We do not yet know their names.

A young man named Red Shirt was part of the 1870 delegation to Washington D.C., though I can not say for certain that this was him. By the time of the Great Sioux War of 1876-77, he was a rising young man within one of the military societies, an "up and coming" individual among the Wagluhe. This band had been led by the prominent headman Big Mouth, until he was shot and killed by Spotted Tail; Big Mouth's brother Blue Horse by the mid-1870s was the most influential member of this band. In the fall of 1876 as the army dismounted and disarmed the agency bands, Blue Horse was arrested by Gen. Mackenzie for not turning in northern Indians slipping into his village. After that, Blue Horse seems to disappear from prominence, perhaps he stepped back from active political engagement. In this vacuum, several young men emerged as leaders among the Wagluhe, most prominently American Horse and Three Bears. Red Shirt seems to be most closely associated with Three Bears during this period; perhaps kind of his lieutenant.

Given his association with the Loafers, I doubt that Red Shirt was at the Little Bighorn, though we should note that a number of young men had gone out independently from their band. In later years, newspaper articles about the Wild West Show specifically stated that Red Shirt was at the Little Bighorn, but that should be taken with some skeptism, given the Buffalo Bill Cody PR machine. No doubt it was good for business for the Indians in his show to be advertised as having been at the LBH. But the possibility cannot be entirely discounted without further research.

Red Shirt became leader of a small band of Loafers on Pine Ridge about 1878-79. In his 1923 interview, he showed commissioners his chief's certificate dated 1879 signed by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs and the Secretary of the Interior. In 1880, he traveled to Carlisle Barracks and on to Washington D.C. with Red Cloud.

Red Shirt's leadership role appears to have only lasted a few years. He soon became involved with the Wild West Shows which seems to be his main economic support for the next several decades. We will have to do some more research into his final decade to know if he became involved again at all in Oglala politics. He died in 1925 (I have the actual date at home, but cannot recall it off the top of my head).

Hope this is helpful.

ephriam

[Dietmar]

Great information Ephriam.
Indeed I always thought that Red Shirt was a son of Red Dog, not only because I read it somewhere but also because he was in that 1880 delegation photo as the youngest member and so he seemed like a son of one of these chiefs to me.



There are many more photos of this Red Shirt, here are some:


Red Shirt in Buffalo Bill´s Wild West Show


Red Shirt (center) and other Sioux of Buffalo Bill´s WWS



Dietmar

[grahamew]

The last one's an Elliott and Fry photo from London, isn't it? I'm sure I've got a couple on my computer - although not of Red Shirt. I wonder if he went to Berlin with Cody, because I've seen a couple of photos of Indians when the show visited there.

[Diane Merkel]

We are blessed to have a couple of extremely talented artists among us. Shan sent me the following earlier today, and I asked if I might post it for all to enjoy. Computer monitors can't do his art justice, especially when it's reduced in size, but you'll get the idea. I love the name: Summertime. Thanks, Shan!

I have been reading the stuff about Red Shirt on the message board, and I enclose an attachment of a painting which Agnes might find amusing. I had Red Shirt in mind for the main Indian figure when I painted it although, as you can see, it is not strictly a portrait of him. It is one of a series I have been working on, which concerns the Indians who visited Europe with Buffalo Bill's circus.

[agnes]

admin said:

He looked better at a distance.

Thanks, Agnes, but I have a live husband!

You are right. A living husband far the better!

[agnes]

fred said:

Does anyone know-- for sure!-- if he was or was not at the Little Big Horn battle?

(I would kill for that guy's hair! And Diane! Not even a smirk, understand?)

Best wishes,
Fred.

Dear Fred!

Please, dont' kill, but rather buy a wig

Yours sincerely:
Agnes

[agnes]

Dear Ephriam!

Excellent writing!
I feel that Red Shirt had some white blood, judging from his face and eyes.
And what year he was born?

Sincerely:
Agnes

[fred]

agnes--

You are much too kind, but a wig would never help me; I'm too far gone.

And he certainly does look like he may have some white blood, doesn't he?

Best wishes,
Fred.

[agnes]

For shan:

I saw some of his painting. My best favorite the "Trapped" one. That's so real and it's feeling almost sensible. The other paintings a bit bizarre.. But not bad. Those repetitive motifs surely have symbolical meaning such as the Indian. To looking this picture I could visualize the details of the life of touring Indians, and the impact of an alien culture to the Indians. Although he isn't Red Shirt, the picture is interesting. Thanks You!

[agnes]

I congratulate You Fred!

Yes, he looks a bit "white". Probably somebody know something about his parent?

[Dietmar]

First I want to thank Shan for posting his excelent painting!

Here is another photo of Red Shirt (I hope the ladies like it )



Red Shirt by Henry W. Wyman, St. Louis Fair 1904

[agnes]

Thanks Dietmar, but Red Shirt was more pretty in his prime of life!

[grahamew]

Red Shirt while working for Cody -probably taken in London in the mid-80s: