Guide to Arikara and Cheyenne drawings collected by William Babcock Hazen, circa 1875

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of three (3) volumes of drawings collected by William Hazen around 1875. Two of the volumes are by Arikara artists; one volume is a by a Cheyenne prisoner at Fort Marion.

The collection was identified by the donor, Mildred Hazen, as Sioux material collected by her late husband Gen. William B. Hazen during his military service in the West. The original identification of these books as Sioux has been changed as the style of dress, body decoration, and hair are not consistent with that tribe. Two of the books are consistent with an identification as Arikara made by Candace Greene in 2004. During the 1870s many Arikara men enlisted as scouts with the U.S. Army and a number were posted at Fort Buford during the time that the collector was there. Both books contain pictures of friendly encounters with Army officers, and one (08510521) depicts an Indian scout in uniform. The third book has been identified as Cheyenne on authority of Karen Peterson and Ray DeMallie, Guide to Siouan Manuscripts (1969). Per Father Peter Powell (October 1971) the drawings are Cheyenne, probably by Cohoe and certainly by a Fort Marion prisoner. The Sun Dance scene was verified as Cheyenne by William Fletcher and Gordon Yellowman, Cheyenne Sun Dance priests, in 2000.

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 As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today.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

William Babcock Hazen (1830-1887) was born in Vermont and spent his boyhood in Ohio. In 1855, he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy ranked Twenty-eight in his class. Prior to the Civil War, Hazen served with the Fourth and Eighth Infantry regiments, earning distinctions in the field while fighting against Indians in Oregon and southwestern Texas. Hazen went on to serve in the Civil War, where he fought in the Battles of Shiloh and Bentonville. After the war, he served as Inspector General of the Department of the Platte and did a tour at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In 1869, he was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and later at Fort Smith, Arkansas, becoming Superintendent of Indian Affairs in 1870. While serving in this capacity, Hazen worked with various tribes in Oklahoma, including the Comanches and the Creeks. After publicly criticizing the role of the U.S. military in the Indian Wars, Hazen was posted to Fort Buford in Dakota Territory, where he stayed off and on from 1875 through 1880.

Historical Note

Fort Marion, also known as Castillo de San Marco, is a stone fortress in St. Augustine, Florida. Between 1875 and 1878, seventy-two prisoners from the southern plains were incarcerated in the fort. Captain Richard Pratt supervised the prisoners during their incarceration at Fort Marion. The prisoners consisted of 27 Kiowas, 33 Cheyennes, 9 Comanches, 2 Arapahos, and a single Caddo. They were accused of participating in the recent Red River War, earlier hostilities, or both.

Related Materials

The Department of Anthropology object collections holds artifacts collected by Hazen under Accession 25748 and

Archives Center, National Museum of American History holds the William B. Hazen Papers, 1855-1909.