Black Horn

[Dietmar]

Hans has provided a wonderful collection of photographs of Black Horn. I post them here again, because I think Black Horn deserves an own thread.

What do we know about this man? He was a prominent "Show Indian", as Hans said, in the 1920s and 1930s Black Horn, with quite a large Lakota group, worked for the German Circus Sarrasani, traveling in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

I placed him here in the Sicangu section, I hope it is correct. Luther Standing Bear stated that Black Horn was his father´s brother-in-law.
Other sources have Black Horn as a head soldier or akicita leader in Red Leaf´s Wazhazha/Wajaje band. It is possible that both statements refer to an older Black Horn though, perhaps the father of our man here.

Please add whatever you have on Black Horn.




Black Horn by Ch. H. Carpenter 1904 (SIRIS)


Black Horn by Ch. H. Carpenter 1904 (SIRIS)


Black Horn in group with Bird Head and others


Black Horn by Rinehart


Black Horn with Circus Sarrasani at Arnhem Station Sept. 1931


Black Horn with Circus Sarrasani at Arnhem Station Sept. 1931


Black Horn in 1930s


Black Horn by Fred R. Meyer 1902


Black Horn in group (from ebay)


Black Horn (from Cowan´s auction site)


Black Horn in Dresden 1930


Black Horn & Spotted Weasel an others at World fair Louisiana 1904


Black Horn with James Red Cloud and Jim Grass in 1940s

[Dietmar]

Here are some more photographs I found in the net:


Black Horn & his wife Bessie (Denver Public Libbrary)





Black Horn & Italo Balbo 1933





Black Horn touring with the Sarrasani Show, in front row his wife Bessie



Indian cast members of Buffalo Bill's Wild West, seated in and on an English drive automobile, at Grant's Tomb, New York. Sam Lone Bear and Iron Tail(center of back row); Whirlwind Horse (second from top, far right); (center, 3rd from left) Black Horn; (next man to the right) Comes Out Holy. Others unidentified.



Indian cast members of Buffalo Bill's Wild West, seated in and on an English drive automobile, at Grant's Tomb, New York. First row: Iron Tail (third from left); Comes Out Holy (4th from left); Black Horn (6th from left); Sam Lone Bear (7th from left). Others unidentified.

[Dietmar]

Two more Black Horns, at least the first a different man from Rosebud:


Black Horn by John A. Anderson


Black Horn by Alexander Gardner

[kingsleybray]

Some notes on the Black Horn family, 1839 - 1871.

The Black Horn (He Sapa) family was a very important one among the Wazhazha band. The first reference I've found naming a Black Horn is Nicollet's 1839 listing of Teton sub-divisions and their leaders. Black Horn is named as the chief of the Wazhazha band of Brules. A possibly different Black Horn was listed by Gen. Harney in 1856 in a document preliminary to his treaty negotiations with the Lakotas at Ft Pierre. Again he is noted as a Wazhazha.

In 1867 (the same?) Black Horn is listed in a contemporary diary as one of the major Teton chiefs then among the Powder River Country hunting bands, engaged in the hostilities against the Bozeman Trail. The long list starts

Man Afraid of His Horse and son
Red Cloud
Black Twin
Black Horn
Lone Horn

- so he's in very prestigious company. Red Leaf, usually regarded as the Wazhazha chief in the period 1856-80+, is well down the list and classed as one of the "old men".

In 1868 he signed the Ft Laramie treaty as Brule signatory no. 3 (after Iron Shell and Red Leaf, ahead of Spotted Tail; an indication of tribal seniority - that year anyway). In August 1869 fifty lodges of Wazhazhas, led by Red Leaf and Black Horn, arrived at Whetstone Agency on the Missouri river.

In December 1871 Col J. E. Smith c/o Ft Laramie reported to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs on the status of Indians of the Red Cloud Agency. The Wazhazha band is in a number of sub-camps, e.g. Red Leaf (30 lodges), Stabber (17 lodges), White Tail (17 lodges). These groups had all been to RCA during the late summer-early fall and received annuity goods. Another Wazhazha camp, that of Black Horn, 12 lodges, was reported as located "In the vicinity of Black Hills". In the same locality were noted the Miniconjou camps of Lone Horn and Roman Nose, and the Oyuhpe band camp of Charging Hawk and High Back). All three camps had visited Ft Laramie in May 1871, Smith reports, but had not been seen on the Platte since.

[grahamew]

The two Dietmar has posted seem to be the same man.

[wanbliho]

Thank you for posting these photos of my great-grandfather. I am always looking for photos of him and have a few. Where did you find most of these? The beaded hands on his shirt are my father's at the age of two. That is when he and Bessie's youngest daughter died. My father was an only child. I think grandpa needs to be moved to the Lakota's tho. However, Bessie was a Sicangu, her maiden name was Burning Breast/One Feather and she was the older sister of Ben Reifel's mother. Grandpa was a son of Young Bad Wound. You have a picture of hima dn Red Tree Top posted under the Bad Wound topic. Thank you so much for the gift! Wanbliho

[wanbliho]

I forgot to say that my other great-grandfather, Peter Iron Cloud, is in the photos with the cars. In one he is standing next to Iron Tail and in the other he is the man with the feather in his hair in the top right. Two of his sons married grandpa Black Horns only two children, Emily and Stella. Thanks again. Wanbliho

[wanbliho]

Dietmar, I don't think I mentioned that Grandpa Black Horn/Bad Wound was a brother of Robert Bad Wound, Noah Bad Wound and Nellie Bad Wound. Wanbliho

[heidi]

My grandfather (through marriage, though the only I ever knew) was Al Reifel, the brother of Ben Reifel. He was a doctor and passed away December 16th of 2003. I have a colorized photo that has been turned into a painting of whom I believe to be Chief Black Horn. It was given to me by my Grandmother before she died. I've had it a long time, and all I knew about it was that it was a relative of my Grandfathers. After doing some research recently, I am fairly certain that that is indeed who it is. I can take a picture of it and post it later if you like.

[Dietmar]

Welcome Heidi,

great to have a relative of the Black Horn Family at our site. Yes, please share the picture with us. Thank you!

Dietmar

[gregor]

In 1933 Daniel Black Horn was member of the Tribal Council for the Pass Creek district on Pine Ridge.

And here a funny anecdote:
The New York Times passed down a little anecdote that happened in 1935. On April 25, 1935 Daniel Black Horn and a group of Sioux Indians from Pine Ridge entered the Gare St. Lazare at Paris to travel to the Brussels Exposition. A reporter mustered up Indian vocabulary and asked Chief Daniel Black Horn: “Heap-big Injun likum Paris?” Daniel Black Horn answered kindly: “I think it might facilitate matters for you if I refer you to our interpreter, Sam Lone Bear.” The reporter decided to take it for granted that Mr. Lone Bear spoke English and said: “I don’t suppose you speak French?” “Oh yes,” said Sam Lone Bear. “I also speak German.”

Toksha
Gregor

[gregor]

Here  a photo of Black Horn from a German Newspaper about 1950 (?). The paper wrote he was 97 years at that time.
I am not sure whether this data match.

[kingsleybray]

thanks gregor, that's the funniest story. And another great picture

[wanbliho]

I used to wonder why grandpa had owl feathers on his wapaha. One day I reading about the different bands in Pass Creek and learned about the owl feathered headless band. Wanbliho

[matho]

After reviewing this thread, I noticed that chief Black Horn had two different peace medals. I can not tell for sure by the photos posted in this thread. The photo of him wearing his hands shirt medal is different from one that his is wearing in the European styled shirt. Does anyone know what peace medals he was wearing in the photos?