National Anthropological Archives

Guide to Book of Cheyenne drawings by Yellow Nose and unidentified artists, circa 1889

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.MS166032
Creators:
Yellow Nose, 1848-1910
Unknown
Voth, H. R. (Henry R.), 1855-1931
Dates:
circa 1889
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1 Volume
disbound and laminated; 85 drawings
graphite, colored pencil, and ink
12.25 x 8.75 inches
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection consists of a ledger book, now disbound and laminated, containing 85 drawings of warfare, courtship, hunting, and ceremony. The pages are numbered 1-113, with the following numbers missing: 5-6, 27-28, 31-32, 69-70, 93-96. An endpaper is inscribed "Cheyenne Agency, Darlington Ind[ian] Terr[itory]" and an additional laminated sheet contains the original collector's tag, an associated note, and an early museum label. The drawings are by several artists, the most prominent being Yellow Nose. When possible, individual drawings have been assigned to Yellow Nose on stylistic grounds by comparison to his other known work.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.

Biographical Note

Biographical Note
Yellow Nose (also known as Little Face, Hehuwesse, and He-her-we) (1848-1910) was a Ute captured as a young boy by Dives Backward and raised within Northern Cheyenne society by his adopted father Spotted Wolf. He is recorded to have participated in the Battle of Rosebud (June 17, 1876) and the Battle of Little Bighorn (June 25-26, 1876) where he reportedly 1) lost a famous shield made by Whistling Elk; 2) captured the guidon of the 7th Cavalry; and 3) strangled George Armstrong Custer to death with his bare hands. After the Battle of Little Big Horn, Yellow Nose traveled with a group of Northern Cheyenne led by Little Wolf and Dull Knife, eventually making camp along the Powder River. The group was attacked by General Ranald McKenzie in the Battle of Crazy Woman Fork (November 20, 1876). During this battle Yellow Nose distracted the U.S. soldiers, allowing the women and children to escape, and sustained a shot to the chest. Eventually, the group, including Yellow Nose, was captured and removed to the southern Cheyenne reservation in present-day Oklahoma, where Yellow Nose remained for the remainder of his life.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Heinrich (Henry) Richert Voth (1855–1931) was an ethnographer and Mennonite missionary and minister. Voth was sent by the Mission Board of the General Conference Mennonite Church to work among the Arapaho and the Hopi people, and was stationed at the Darlington Agency, Indian Territory from June 1882 to January 1892.

Administration

Custodial History
The specimen tag indicates that the book was collected by H. R. Voth in 1889 from H. Spotted Wolf. Voth acquired it on the Cheyenne-Arapaho Reservation in Indian Territory, where he served as a missionary from 1882-1893. The book was purchased from Voth by the Bureau of American Ethnology through James Mooney on January 25 1893 as a part of a larger collection of Cheyenne and Arapaho materials for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. (USNM Accession 26674). The book was transferred from the object collections of the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives in 1970.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Book of Cheyenne drawings by Yellow Nose and unidentified artists (MS 166032), National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.

More Information

Local Numbers

Local Numbers
NAA MS 166032
USNM Accession 26674


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Works of art Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ledger drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tsitsistas/Suhtai (Cheyenne) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Indian Territory Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
North America Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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