Scope and Contents
The collection consists of nine (9) Plains Indian drawings on the leaves of a book created by stitching together four folded sheets of printed forms, yielding eight leaves. One leaf has drawings on both sides, for a total of nine (9) drawings executed in graphite and colored pencil. The paper is unused forms for ration issue at Fort Peck, Montana, with the printed dated 188_. Some leaves are printed with the names of family heads to receive rations, rendered in both a Native language (not identified) and English.
Drawings are of intertribal warfare, the capture of horses, and a meeting between Brotherton and an Indian leader, identified in an inscription as Wetcohu or Wetcohee.
The authorship of the drawings is unknown. They appear to be by a single hand, whose work also appears in MS384176 and MS28804 "Anonymous Plains Indian Drawings, n.d." . The original identification as "Sioux," subsequently changed to the more specific Lakota, may be in error as the hair and attire of the Native man in the Brotherton image as well as other drawings is inconsistent with that tribe. Other possible tribal origins include Assiniboine, Arikara, and Crow, the latter two groups a source of Army scouts. The drawings can be dated to 1880-1884, the period of Brotherton's western service, based on the depiction of him in one image (384177 002), and the printed date of 188_. While the forms are from Fort Peck, Montana, Brotherton never served there. However, bands from several tribes once at Ft. Peck, including Assiniboine, Yanktonai, and Hunkpapa, subsequently passed through Ft. Buford during Brotherton's service there (Miller et al 2008).
References cited: Miller, David Reed, and Fort Peck Community College, eds. 2008 The History of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, 1800 - 2000. Poplar, Mont. : Helena, Mont: Fort Peck Community College ; Montana Historical Society Press.
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 As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today.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.
