Horses & the Art of War

Images of conflict pervade the pictorial art of the Plains Indians. Men proclaimed their deeds in drawings on robes and tipi liners. Later, as new materials became available, vivid battle scenes sprang to life on cloth and paper.

The best-known examples of Plains art are drawings made by Southern Plains fighters held prisoner at Fort Marion in Florida. Men from the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa tribes were arrested at the end of the Red River War in 1875 and held as hostages to ensure the peaceful behavior of their tribes. At Fort Marion, many turned their hands to recording scenes of battle and traditional life on the Plains, in army-issued ledger books.

Ledger book, 1884. Drawings by His Fight (Hunkpapa Lakota). South Dakota or North Dakota. (25/4575)

Ledger book, 1884. Drawings by His Fight (Hunkpapa Lakota). South Dakota or North Dakota. (25/4575)

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Meeting of the Blackfeet Little Dog Society, ca. 1903. Fred R. Meyer. Montana. National Museum of the American Indian. (N21868)

The tipi is painted with warrior society imagery: guns, hatchets, and scenes of war. The Blackfeet continue to use traditional tipi designs such as this.

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Portrait of High Wolf, ca. 1879–80. Drawing by Yellow Nose (Ute, raised as Cheyenne). (23/4368)

High Wolf “counts coup” against a Nez Perce, touching him with a riding quirt in a daring act of bravery. The imitation scalp under his horse’s chin indicates victories in battle for both horse and rider.

Viewable online and in the gallery kiosk.

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Man Who Carries the Sword, ca. 1875. Oglala Lakota drawing. (10/9628)

The artist is Lakota, but the subject may be from a southern Plains tribe. Man Who Carries the Sword wears an impressive bonnet with many feathers and carries a shield with feathers as well, indicating that he was a prominent warrior. The single horn on his headdress may refer to an image seen in a dream. His horse wears a silver bridle.

Viewable online and in the gallery kiosk.

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Exploits of Poor Wolf, Hidatsa Second Chief, probably early 1900s. Hidatsa drawing. (4/2446A)

At upper left, Poor Wolf sports a military coat and saber, possibly won in battle. The eagle feathers tied to the tail of his very elegant horse suggest that this was a highly prized animal, as does the fancy Spanish bridle.

Viewable online and in the gallery kiosk.

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Horse Dance, ca. 1885. Ledger drawing by Rain In the Face (Hunkpapa Lakota), South Dakota or North Dakota. (20/1628)

Note that the dancer carries a horse dance stick.

Viewable online and in the gallery kiosk.

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