Photographs of Tichkematse drawings of Fort Supply hunt, 1887

Scope and Contents note

Photographs made from drawings by Tichkematse. The drawings document an 1887 hunting trip made by Colonel Bliss of Fort Supply and Major John Dunlop, a visitor to the fort from Washington DC. Most of the figures depicted in the drawings are Cheyenne men who were enlisted as United States Army scouts; many are identified.

Biographical/Historical note

Tichkematse (1857-1932, also known as Squint Eyes) was a Cheyenne artist, Smithsonian Institution employee, and Army scout. From 1875-1878, he was among a group of Plains Indians held as prisoners of war at Fort Marion in Saint Augustine, Florida. While at Fort Marion, he learned to read, write and speak English. Upon release he attended the Hampton Institute for about a year before starting employment at the Smithsonian in 1879. As a Smithsonian employee, he prepared bird and mammal specimens for study and display and produced drawings illustrating his life on the Plains. Tichkematse returned to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Reservation in 1880, but continued to collect bird and mammal specimens as well as Cheyenne craftswork for the Smithsonian. In 1885, he enlisted as a scout for the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Supply.

Location of Other Archival Materials

Additional drawings by Tichkematse can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in MS 290,844-290,845, MS 290845-c, and MS 39D-2.

Location of Other Archival Materials

A photograph of Tichkematse at Fort Marion can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in the BAE historical negatives.

Location of Other Archival Materials

Tichkematse donated items to the Department of Anthropology in accessions 009922 and 019931.