Usage conditions may apply for digital images, video, and sound recordings linked within SOVA collections. While digital content may be restricted, SOVA collection descriptions and catalog records are available CC0 for re-use. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
National Anthropological Archives
Guide to Tichkematse and Etahdleuh drawings, 1879-1890
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NAA.MS290844
- Creators:
-
Tichkematse, 1857-1932Etahdleuh, 1856-1888
- Dates:
-
1879-1880
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
29 Drawings (visual works)
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of twenty-nine (29) loose drawings on various types of paper, some double-sided, with scenes of warfare, hunting, and camp life. They were probably produced at different times during the period 1879-1880. Four are inscribed with the name Etahdleuh Doanmoe and the majority of the remainder with the name Tichkematse, plus other descriptive elements in the artists' hand. Two pencil drawings, which lack any identifying name, are in a Western style and may not be by either artist. In two instances, the figures in the drawing have been cut out and pasted to a new backing [08519400; 08601400].
Most of the images adhere to Plains conventions of close up views of encounters, but in three drawings, Etahdleuh used a more distant perspective to show a Kiowa village along the Washita River (08601800), a buffalo hunt (08601900), and a battle against US troops (08517900). Also unusual are two drawings by Tichkematse showing details of tipi life, including women cooking and children playing (08601500-08601600).
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 As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today.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.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The drawings are unarranged. They have been ordered in the same sequence as the original cataloging under MS 290844-290845 when possible.
Biographical Note
Biographical Note
Tichkematse, or Squint Eyes (Quchkeimus), 1857-1932 was a member of the Southern Cheyenne. Together with other Southern Plains warriors he was held prisoner at Fort Marion in St. Augustine, Florida from 1875-78, during which period he and others became well known as artists. While imprisoned, he learned to speak English and to read and write. Upon release he attended school at the Hampton Institute in Virginia for about a year before coming to work at the Smithsonian Institution. During his time at the Smithsonian (1879-1880) he was trained to prepare bird and mammal specimens for study and display, participating in field expeditions to Florida and the American Southwest. He also served as a gallery guide, a source on Plains gesture language, and acquired cultural materials for the collections from Cheyenne friends and relatives, as well as producing drawings. Upon his return to Oklahoma (then Indian Territory), he served as an Army scout at Fort Supply.
Etahdleuh (1856-1888) was also known as Etahdleeuh, Etadeleuh, Etahdleuh Doanmoe, Boy, and Boy Hunting. He was imprisoned at Fort Marion in St. Augustine, Florida from 1875-1878. After his release from Fort Marion, he attended the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia, arriving in April, 1878. In 1879, he traveled to the Indian Territory to recruit pupils to attend the Carlisle Institute in Pennsylvania, where he would study and work on and off from 1879 to 1887. He made two extended trips back to the reservation during this period. From February to May 1880, he worked at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. He was trained as a Presbyterian missionary and returned to the reservation in January 1888 to serve in this capacity.
Edwin Porter Upham (1845-1918) was a museum assistant who worked with the Smithsonian Institution's archeology collections for forty years. Born in Massachusetts, he received a public education there before joining the army during the American Civil War. In 1878, he was hired as an assistant to Dr. Charles Rau, an archeologist at the Smithsonian. After Rau's death, Upham worked with Dr. Thomas Wilson, with whom he cowrote a book entitled Prehistoric Art; Or, The Origin of Art as Manifested in the Works of Prehistoric Man (1898). In 1906, Upham was appointed aide in the division of prehistoric archeology, a position he held until his death.
Administration
Custodial History
These drawings together with a photograph of Tichkematse were received in May 1916 from E.P. Upham, an employee of the United States National Museum (USNM). They were entered into the Anthropology collections as Accession 59,767, and assigned catalog numbers 290,844 (14 drawings) and 290,845 (5 drawings). They were transferred to the National Anthropological Archives (NAA) in the 1970s, where they retained their original catalog numbers. The total quantity of drawings does not agree with the count as originally recorded by the museum. It is not possible to determine which items were assigned to which catalog number, but as the original record offers no information on provenance, they have been treated as a single set under MS 290844. The majority of the drawings bear the signatures of the artists, either Etahdleuh Doanmoe (Kiowa) or Tichkematse (Cheyenne). Both men were held as prisoners of war at Fort Marion, Florida (1875-1878), and remained in the East for education upon release, becoming literate in English. Both men spent a period of employment at the Smithsonian, and this is likely when all the drawings were produced. One drawing signed by Tichkematse is dated Nov. 8, 1879.
Using the Collection
Preferred Citation
Tichkematse and Etahdleuh drawings (MS 290844), 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.
Related Materials
Related Materials
Other drawings by Tichkematse are held by the National Anthropological Archives (NAA) in MS 7500, MS 39D2, and in Photo Lot R79-24. For other drawings by Etahdleuh in the NAA, see MS 39C and MS 39D2. Two photographs of Tichkematse in Photo Lot 24 (00438200 and 00438300) are attributed to this accession.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Works of art | 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 |
| Kiowa | Cultural Context | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Osage | Cultural Context | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Niuam (Comanche) | Cultural Context | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Ute | Cultural Context | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| North America | Geographic | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Fort Marion artists | Corporate Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
National Anthropological Archives
Museum Support Center
4210 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, Maryland 20746
Business Number: Phone: 301.238.1300
Fax Number: Fax: 301.238.2883
naa@si.edu
