Ledger Art

[gary]

I don't know if this has been posted previously, but there is a very interesting site called Plains Indian Ledger Art. It has reproductions of complete ledger books and lots of useful information. Go to:

www.plainsledgerart.org/

They also sell books, but they are a bit pricey. Check Abebooks and Amazon before buying!

[harpskiddie]

You may also find individual images for sale on Ebay - likely pages from one or another of these volumes, or other portfolios. There were several on the other day. You never know what you might luck onto. I got a copy of Visions of the People for only five bucks.

Gordie
MC

[gary]

I've always been a bit wary of the ledger art for sale on ebay. It's difficult to know what you are getting. There are some good books available there from time to time at a good price. I picked up a book on Cheyenne stories for $18, inc postage. On Abebooks they had two copies of the same book, one at about $300 and the other for over $400. They must have been in better condition!

[Diane Merkel]

Speaking of book deals . . . . Our local Barnes & Noble has a beautiful HUGE book of the photos by Edward Curtis in their half-price section. It is tagged at about $25, which would be a bargain at that price, so I'm guessing it goes for half that. I'm still debating whether I should have bought it. It's a bit beyond the Indian Wars period, but they are great photos!

To see his work, go to memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ienhtml/curthome.html but be forewarned that a lot of the images don't show for some unknown reason.

[gary]

A good site for Curtis pictures (and the complete text of his master work) is:

www.curtis.library.northwestern.edu/

[HinTamaheca]

Some interesting sites on Ledger Art for those who may have an interest.

www.masshist.org/cabinet/october2001/october2001.html

www.msstate.edu/Fineart_Online/Gallery/Trophies/espirit.htm

www.nmnh.si.edu/naa/kiowa/kiowa.htm

si.unm.edu/cmcauley/timeline-Cathrene/ledgerart

www.rbhayes.org/papertrail/pictographs.htm

www.collectorsguide.com/fa/fa056.shtml

www.wheatoncollege.edu/arts/flett/ledgerart.html

...and has already been mentioned,

plainsledgerart.org/

*******

Plains Indian Ledger Art Project | University of California San Diego

A sample taken from:

www.plainsledgerart.org/view.pila?action=list&LEDGER_ID=9

Arrow's Elk Ledger - Southern Cheyenne
Plate 13:


ETHNOGRAPHIC NOTES:

Wearing the same protective hawkskin talisman as in Plate 2, Arrow charges a well-armed enemy.

"It was regarded as evidence of bravery for a man to go into battle carrying no weapon that would do harm at a distance. It was more creditable to carry a lance than a bow and arrows; more creditable to carry a hatchet or war club than a lance; and the bravest thing of all was to go into a fight with nothing more than a whip or a long twig---sometimes called a coupstick" (Grinnell, 1923, II: 30-31).

The forked implement shown here, however, is more than a simple coup stick. Many war parties included one or more youngsters, apprentice warriors who acted as servants to the leaders. The Histahevikuts (heart bladder), or simply Vikuts, was the emblem of their apprenticeship. Between the forked ends of the stick a bag made from the pericardium of a buffalo was attached, used by the youth to dip water from a stream or spring, and carry a refreshing drink around to the senior warriors whenever a party rested on the march.

In any conflict, the "waterboy" proudly carried his Vikuts into battle, using it as a coup stick with which to strike the enemy. Some men, such as Arrow on this occasion, who had enjoyed early success as a Vikuts bearer, later carried such a forked stick for luck, sometimes transforming it into a genuine lance, with deadly iron spearpoint (Grinnell, 1923, II: 23-25).

Here, no metal point is in evidence, so Arrow's actions are brave, indeed. The end of the stick was sharpened, however, so that it could be stuck upright in the ground when not in use. That sharpened end is about to transfix the enemy's throat, regardless of the bullet that has been fired literally in Arrow's face.

Since he is a member of the Elk Society, Arrow has decorated his Vikuts with a split otterskin, similar to the pendants seen on Elk Society swords. Unlike the sword shown in Plates 2 & 3, however, these otter pendants have only three eagle feathers on each half, rather than three pairs. Each prong of the forked end of the Vikuts is also decorated with an eagle feather: and all of these feathers are tipped with yellow-dyed horsehair. Although we cannot see the flesh side of the otter pelt, it would certainly be colored yellow, like the wrappings on the Elk lances. With the celestial hawk on his head, and a forked lightning bolt in his hand, Arrow is a personification of the Thunderbird, Cheyenne icon of War.

The Cheyenne's hair is wrapped on the left side with plaited strips of red and dark blue wool cloth, like the style he wears in Plate 1. The right side of his hair is wrapped with red cloth alone, a stylish alternation. The end of his scalplock is bound with zigzag strips of otter fur, like those on the Elk Society lances.

Arrow is dressed nearly the same as in Plate 1, except that here he wears beaded moccasins, and his leggings have an added strip of beadwork in a zigzag lightning design. Armbands of nickel-silver are worn over the calico shirt. Like glass mirrors, such polished silver ornaments reflected sunlight as a man moved, again connoting lightning.

Arrow wears the same pistol holster on his belt that we have already seen in Plate 2. Here, however, the revolver is in his hand, although unused. The artist's purpose in displaying it is to demonstrate that he might have shot this enemy from afar. Instead, he has thrown himself against the blazing muzzle of the Whiteman's rifle, to wound him with a simple stick. Moments later, as the enemy lies choking on blood from his ruptured throat, Arrow will circle back to finish him off with the revolver.

Arrow's bay-colored horse has a white blaze on the face, and a white spot on the belly. Its notched ears mark it as a champion racer, reserved for favored use in war, or in running buffalo. When horses were herded together, the notched ears made it easier to pick out the select animals in a hurry. The silver-mounted headstall is distinguished by an eagle feather tied to the browstrap. Compare Plate 32, where Arrow gives a frontal view of the entire headstall. The long hair of the horse's tail has been folded several times, wrapped with strips of red trade cloth, and ornamented with the tail feathers of a golden eagle. Associating the eagle's tail with that of the horse is a metaphor for swiftness, and a symbolic transformation of the quadruped into a raptor. Like his owner, this horse is after prey. In Plains Indian drawings, the wrapped tail on a war horse always indicates the conflict was anticipated, and the rider had time to sanctify and prepare his mount.

Arrow's bearded opponent wears a black pullover shirt, with its long tail hanging outside his light-colored trousers, and black, high-heeled boots. His partial state of dress suggests that the Cheyennes have waited for an unguarded moment to launch their attack. The make of this enemy's rifle is somewhat problematical. The double-looped trigger guard, center-mounted hammer, squared steel receiver, single barrel and short, wooden forestock suggest that it may be a .44-caliber, rimfire Ballard carbine (compare Woodhead, 1996: 62-63). During the last two years of the Civil War, troops from the state of Kentucky were outfitted with over 20,000 Ballard carbines (Coates & Thomas, 1990: 37). Many of these weapons later found their way to the frontier.

The identity of Arrow's victim is something we shall probably never learn. Most likely he was one of the unnumbered hundreds of commercial hide hunters seeking to make a quick profit, who invaded Cheyenne lands in the 1870's, in violation of the Treaty of Medicine Lodge.