Post by jones on Feb 27, 2016 21:37:34 GMT -5
Initially, in 1840, George Catlin was simply exhibiting his many artworks and Indian artifacts in the Egyptian Hall in London.
His rent for the hall was expensive, and after a few months his exhibit wasn't attracting enough people to pay expenses, so he added a stage production to lure more customers. By hiring white people, disguised as Indians, to perform dances, mock scalpings and general savage cruelty, his audience numbers increased for a short time. In 1843, when his audience began to decline once again, he linked up with a guy named Rankin, who had brought a group of genuine Indians to Britain. They were Canadian Ojibwa Indians brought over to negotiate annuity payments with British agents. After they completed their business, Rankin saw an opportunity to exploit them, and he eventually went into partnership with Catlin, which allowed Catlin to replace his fake Indians with real Indians.
Over the course of three years, Catlin's art exhibit had morphed into a wild west show, but his partnership with Rankin quickly soured; Rankin took his Ojibwas away, and Catlin again found himself struggling to pay expenses.
His rent for the hall was expensive, and after a few months his exhibit wasn't attracting enough people to pay expenses, so he added a stage production to lure more customers. By hiring white people, disguised as Indians, to perform dances, mock scalpings and general savage cruelty, his audience numbers increased for a short time. In 1843, when his audience began to decline once again, he linked up with a guy named Rankin, who had brought a group of genuine Indians to Britain. They were Canadian Ojibwa Indians brought over to negotiate annuity payments with British agents. After they completed their business, Rankin saw an opportunity to exploit them, and he eventually went into partnership with Catlin, which allowed Catlin to replace his fake Indians with real Indians.
Over the course of three years, Catlin's art exhibit had morphed into a wild west show, but his partnership with Rankin quickly soured; Rankin took his Ojibwas away, and Catlin again found himself struggling to pay expenses.
When built in 1812, Egyptian Hall was a natural history museum, for which Catlin's art and artifact collection was a perfect fit, but within a few decades it was a venue for acts resembling circus sideshows, and in 1844, P.T. Barnum brought his "General Tom Thumb" to the hall.
War Department, Washington City, Sept. 14th, 1843.
Barnum's exploitation of a six-year-old dwarf was incredibly successful, whereas Catlin's show in another room of the hall was struggling for survival. It was then that Catlin learned that an old acquaintance of his, G.H.C. Melody, then an agent for Barnum, was bringing a group of Ioway Indians to London, at which point, Catlin entered into a partnership with Barnum.
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War Department, Washington City, Sept. 14th, 1843.
Dear Sir,
In answer to your application relative to Mr. Melody's making a tour to Europe with a party of Ioway Indians, as well as to a similar one on his behalf from the Rev. Wm. P. Cochran, of Marian County, Missouri, I beg leave to say, that it has not been usual to grant any permissions of the kind, and the verbal instructions to the Agents, Superintendents, &c. have been against permitting such tours, for the reason, I presume, that the persons having them in charge are usually men who merely wish to make money out of them by exhibitions, without taking any care of their habits or morals, or inducing them to profit by what they see and hear upon their route.
In the present case, however, I do not think that the evils usually to be apprehended will occur, from the character of Mr. Melody, and the mode in which the Indians are proposed to be selected. This I understand is to be done by the Chief, White Cloud, with the full assent of the individuals thus selected, and their continuance on the tour to be their own act.
Under all the circumstances, I suppose all the Department can do, is to allow Mr. Melody and the Chiefs of the tribe to do as they please, without imposing the usual or any prohibition.
I am, yours, very truly,
J. M. Porter,
Secretary at War
Vespasian Ellis, Esq.
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Barnum and Melody handled the promotional end of the deal, and Catlin continued with the show's management.
Initially fourteen Ioway Indians arrived in London, but the baby, Corsair, (named after the riverboat they'd taken on the Ohio River) died shortly after their arrival.
As with any and everything associated with Barnum, sensationalism was the key to success, and Catlin's scalping and waring acts became progressively more realistic. The act was performed in a nearby park for four hours each day, and then taken indoors for two more hours in the evening. Some critics said watching a real scalping would be less gruesome than watching Catlin's show.
Within a year, Catlin's partnership with Barnum came to an end. Catlin became thoroughly disgusted with Barnum, calling him a unprincipled Blackguard. The friction between the two, resulting in much name-calling, was actually about money that Catlin owed to Barnum, but Catlin pretended that he was engaged in an educational and cultural exchange, whereas Barnum's goals were purely mercenary.
Catlin's next move was to take his show to France, where his Indians entertained the King and his royal family. Sadly, the mother of the baby Corsair (who had died the previous year), died when they were in France.
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"Tell these good fellows that I (Louis-Philippe, King of France) am glad to see them; that I have been in many of the wigwams of the Indians in America when I was a young man, and they treated me every where kindly, and I love them for it.—Tell them I was amongst the Senecas near Buffalo, and the Oneidas—that I slept in the wigwams of the chiefs—that I was amongst the Shawnees and Delawares on the Ohio; and also amongst the Cherokees and Creeks in Georgia and Tennessee, and saw many other tribes as I descended the Ohio river the whole length, and also the Mississippi to New Orleans, in a small boat, more than fifty years ago." . . The King then took from his pocket two large gold medals with his own portrait in relief on one side of them, and told me he wished to present them to the two chiefs with his own hand . . . The King and Royal Family then took leave; and as they were departing, some one of them being attracted to the Indian drum which Jeffrey had brought in his hand, and had left upon the floor in another part of the room, and inquiring what it was, was told that it was their drum which they had brought with them, supposing it possible they might be called upon to give a dance. This information overtook the King, and he said, "By all means; call the Queen:" and in a few moments the august assembly were all back to witness the dance . . . This information overtook the King, and he said, "By all means; call the Queen" . . . The Doctor led off first in the character (as he called it) of a soaring eagle, sounding his eagle whistle, which he carried in his left hand, with his fan of the eagle's tail, while he was brandishing his lance in the other.
At the first pause he instantly stopped, and, in the attitude of an orator, made his boast of an instance where he killed an enemy in single combat, and took his scalp. The Little Wolf, and Wash-ka-mon-ya, and others, then sprang upon their feet, and sounding their chattering whistles,* and brandishing their polished weapons, gave an indescribable wildness and spirit to the scene. When the dance was finished, the Indians had the pleasure of receiving their Majesties' applause, by the violent clapping of their hands, and afterwards by expressions of their pleasure and admiration, conveyed to them through the interpreter.
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The "head chief" in charge of the Ioway troupe was Mahaska Ii "Francis White Cloud", although, as an Ioway linguist told me, "head chief" is a white man's invention. Some chiefs were more influential than others, but decisions were made by tribal councils. Francis White Cloud inherited the title of "head chief" when his father, also named Mahaska, was killed by his own people in 1834. The original Mahaska's father was Mauhawgaw "Wounding Arrow". The Ioway (Aiouez) lived on the upper Missouri River when he was born.
During Mauhawgaw's lifetime battles with the Sioux were so frequent, the Ioways were compelled to accept an invitation by Pierre Laclede to relocate to what is now southeastern Iowa. Laclede (founder of St. Louis in 1764) promised them protection from the Sioux in exchange for trading privileges. Nonetheless, Mauhawgaw was killed in a battle with the Sioux at their new location.By the early 1800s the Ioways had returned to the Missouri River, but considerably farther downstream than their previous location.
Francis White Cloud was living on the Ioway reservation (in present-day northeastern Kansas) when he joined Melody's troupe in 1844. At that time he said he had never killed nor scalped a man.
Three years after he returned from Europe (1848), Francis White Cloud led raid on the Pawnees. Perhaps he had begun to believe the sham that he had been engaged in with Catlin. As a result of his foolish raid, the Ioway tribal council stripped him of his title, and Notchininga "No Heart" became their most influential leader. No Heart was Mahaska I's brother. Francis White Cloud was killed by Pawnees in December 1851. His son, James White Cloud (maternal grandson of Joseph Robidoux), was born in 1840 (some say 1849), and he died in 1940.
A portrait of Francis White Cloud (Young Mahaska) was painted by Charles Bird King.
King had painted portraits of Francis White Cloud's parents a twelve years earlier.
Catlin painted Francis White Cloud's portrait, as well as portraits of his wife and daughter when they were in London.