Coe-Cheyenne Ledger - Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes

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BLANK (rubbing from facing page) | Courting couple, man in cape, woman sitting on rush mat, with name glyphs; chaperone looking on from tipi opening

Ethnographic Notes

Nineteenth century Cheyenne female names commonly referred to some part of the body. The name glyph floating above the tipi shows that the owner was a woman named Mo-cha-ah, or "Calf'' of the leg (1881 Cheyenne-Arapaho census, Darlington Agency, LT---Oklahoma Historical Society). The young girl standing directly outside would be her daughter---safely under mom's watchful eye.

In every human culture, romance and "dating" are subjects for humor and burlesque. Here, one of the girl's chums, or perhaps a rival, has crept up behind the couple to pull away their concealing blanket, and expose them to public view. We may suppose that a gaggle of young witnesses is in on the joke, and lurking nearby to guffaw and heckle. Presumably the artist found it humorous as well, for he has recorded the incident to be enjoyed by the witnesses yet again. Similar occasions are shown on Pages 36 & 41. Again, these scenes are evidence that the artist was quite young.


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Provenance

• Southern Cheyenne, Darlington Agency, Indian Territory, circa 1885 -86 • Brant Mackley Gallery, Hummels...

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Document Info
Plate No: 23
Page No: 42-43
Media: Pencil and colored pencil
Dimensions: Small commercial notebook: 8.25 x 4.825 inches - cover, 5.625 x 4.75 inches - pages
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Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes
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