Skunk, Lakota

[grahamew]

Is he? Do we know anything more about him? Is it the Oglala, Young Skunk?

[kingsleybray]

Young Skunk, Maka cincala, age 24 (born c. 1865-66), was listed as part of the Badger Eaters (Hokayuta) community in the White Clay District of Pine Ridge Reservation: source 1890 Pine Ridge Census.

His family consisted of wife Whirlwind (age 24) and their daughter White Day (age 5).

The Badger Eaters was the band associated with the brothers Black Twin, White Twin (both dead before 1890) and No Water. Young Skunk was still alive in the early 1930s and a prominent man in his community. I presume he was closely related to the No Waters, but I don't know exactly how.

This is a lovely photo!

[grahamew]

I took it from ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310642369382), but there was no more information except to suggest it dated from the 1880s. If it's the same man, born c. 65, I would think this photo was taken 35-40 years later. I have to admit, I didn't think it to be as recent as that. I've noticed dentalium chokers aren't that frequent in later photos where men are in traditional dress; they're replaced with neckerchiefs or fur chokers with shell disks - though they can often be seen in photos of Northern Cheyennes from the 1890s (see the Barthelmess photos, for example). There appears to be a star on his waistcoat; I wonder if this is some kind of Wild West Show insignia. It's great to see it in such close detail.

[kingsleybray]

How old do you think the man is in this photo?

That style of bandolier he is wearing might be indicative of a date.

[grahamew]

40-ish. Maybe.

As for the bandoliers, I think the short answer is that they were probably worn over a long period. I've seen them in Bad Heart Bull's work, illustrating 4th of July celebrations in 1903 - and they may well appear in illustrations of earlier events, but I don't have access to my copy at the moment; there's at least one in the Grabill photo of Big Foot's band at a Grass Dance taken in the autumn of 1890; I've seen one in the Kelvingrove Museum with a note associating it with the Ghost Dance, claiming it's a war necklace, though I suspect it's a little bit of sensationalism as it was undoubtedly bought from Indians on the 1891-2 Wild West Show visit which included Kicking Bear and Short Bull. There's one, referred to as a dance sash, in the Ogden Read Collection, traded or bought by Read from a Yanktonai in 1882. Read's original identification was as a "necklace" but the compilers of the catalogue (1986) point out that it was worn over one shoulder. However... there's another illustrated by Thunder Bear for James Walker, and here it's identified as a war charm, part of the 'war insignia' of a Kit Fox Society leader, worn over his shoulder. I wonder if the man's fur cap has any significance in this respect...

[Dietmar]

This is the same man:

[grahamew]

Nice one. Who's the photographer?

Perhaps there's a gun expert on the board who can date the rifle.

Do you think the fox skin in his hand is the same one wrapped around his head in this first photo? The photos have clearly been taken within a short time of each other - one interior; one exterior - by the same photographer.

[Dietmar]

Both photos were uploaded by the same ebay seller around the same time. I don´t think there was a photographer mentioned. Apparently the seller didn´t realize that the pictures show the same man, because he assumed that the studio one possibly shows One Bull.

Two wonderful pictures... and yes, I agree regarding the fox skin.

The Smithsonian also has a photo of Young Skunk, but unfortunately there isn´t a sample image online:

siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!92448!0

[carlo]

Doesn't help much in dating the photos, but the gun he's holding is without doubt a Winchester Model 1873 rifle.

This was a popular rifle model that was manufactured even up to the turn of the century.

[grahamew]

"there's another illustrated by Thunder Bear for James Walker, and here it's identified as a war charm, part of the 'war insignia' of a Kit Fox Society leader, worn over his shoulder. I wonder if the man's fur cap has any significance in this respect..."

This one, in fact:

[eric]

Apr 12, 2013 7:14:46 GMT -5 grahamew said:

Nice one. Who's the photographer?

Perhaps there's a gun expert on the board who can date the rifle.

Do you think the fox skin in his hand is the same one wrapped around his head in this first photo? The photos have clearly been taken within a short time of each other - one interior; one exterior - by the same photographer.

In my opinion, the Fox or Coyote turban headress and the Fox or coyote skin in the other Photograph are not the same Item.
I believe the second one is a pipe/tobacco bag, under his left hand you can see what I believe is the opening (at the neck of the animal) of the bag.
In the old days pipe bags made of animal skins were not uncommon.

The deer hoove bandolier he is wearing is commonly concidered grass dance regalia, it doesn't help much in dating the Photograph since the Dakota and lakota bought the Grass dance in the late 1860's. The dress worn in the picture is clearly later than that, the model winchester might tell us more, it is round barreled, I'm not a gun buff but I believe the earliest round barreled lever action winchester was the 1894 model.

Interesting and rather uncommon is the mocassin design, it looks like the Spider web motive, a square with zig zag (power) lines at the four corners.
He is also wearing an army issue vest, maybe he was in the indian police or a scout at some time. The star he is wearing is no Indian police badge though.

[grahamew]

Thanks, Eric. Good spot about the moccasin design