Northern Cheyenne Ledger-Kansas State Historical Society

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ANIMALS, ELK: Bull; WAR, BATTLE: Cheyenne Shield Carrier on White Horse Attacks Two Crow Men

Ethnographic Notes

36 A bull elk runs from right to left across the page (extended legs show motion). He has dark shoulders and yellow body. He has a small rack of antlers (three by three points), and his round eye is created by an outlined circle of unpigmented paper, contrasting with the dark hide around it. Penciled details include antlers, ears, beard, split hooves, dewclaws, genitalia, midsection (ribs?), and tail. Composition of the drawing resembles the same right-to-left, full-page orientation of human warrior portraits. Twelve nearly identical images of this male elk appear in this ledger (plates 19-23; 30, 32, 37-41). See further discussion for plate 19. 37 WAR, BATTLE. A Cheyenne horseman with a war shield attacks two Crow men on the left. This is one of the few scenes of combat in this and related ledgers. The enemy is not a settler or U.S. military personnel, but rather one of the tribes the Northern Cheyennes often fought on the northern plains of Montana. The man wears his braids tied up with red trade cloth. He is dressed in a large black-cloth shirt styled in the full cut favored by Cheyenne men (Lanford, 2003: 159). His leggings are beaded in horizontal black-and-white stripes. His black trade-cloth clout has a white selvedge edging. He carries a war shield, which is red with a black crescent-moon design in the center, horns pointed down, and a white shape within the horns. A trailing streamer attached to the shield appears to be two layers of immature golden eagle feathers. His arms are outstretched, but he does not carry any weapon besides the spiritually powerful shield. The horse has the same silver or German silver headstall as other horses in this ledger. Additionally, it is prepared for war with the scalp tied at its bridle (see discussion for plate 10; other examples are plates 13, 14). The tail is not visible. The two Crow men have distinctive hair spreaders that identify their nation. Their foreheads are painted red up to their scalp locks. Both carry red carbines, which show smoke from their discharge. They are bare above the waist. They wear belts of striped black-and-white cloth and solid black cloth. They both wear red leggings. The Crow to the far left wears �blanket� leggings cut from Hudson�s Bay blanket to create a contrasting band (Lanford, 2003: 164). These only appear on enemy combatants in the Pamplin Ledger. The Crow warrior in the center has two short red-cloth fringe or streamers attached to his leggings. Media: Lead pencil outline, detail, and fill; red water color


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Drawn in 1879 by one or more Northern Cheyenne prisoners in the Dodge City jail held for trial after breaking ...

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Document Info
Plate No: 20
Page No: 36-37
Media: Lead pencil outline, detail, and fill, yellow crayon; Lead pencil outline, detail, and fill, red water color
Dimensions: 3.25 x 5 in (8.5 x 12.75 cm)
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