Dohasan III

[Dietmar]

Koos van Oostrom has sent me this interesting discussion on Dohasan, third man of the Kiowa bearing that hereditary name, which has been variously translated as Little Mountain, Little Bluff, or Top-of-the-Mountain (Thanks again for sharing, Koos!!!):


"This item was discussed a few months ago in an email group (in which Mike Cowdrey and some others participated). It is a previously unknown tintype of Kiowa hereditary chief Dohasan III and his wife Ankima:

www.cowanauctions.com/lot/tintype-of-identified-kiowa-husband-and-wife-mr-and-mrs-tohasan-4029615


Dohasan III and wife Ankima


In this tintype (the earliest photo we have of the pair) Dohasan is wearing his well known Crow shirt (now in the NMNH) in its original state.
In the course of the discussion, I made a comparison of the 3 photos we have of Dohasan wearing the shirt. The first two are not dated - of the 1891 Mooney photo’s I chose the one that shows the front in it’s entirety (at right).

The comparison illustrates the changes the shirt went through.
From left to right:

1 - In Cowan’s “new” tintype, the shirt appears to be in its original state.
2 - Something must have happened with the shirt that necessitated the removal of most of the front’s leather - only two patches of it remain at the shoulders (still visual in the surviving shirt at the NMNH). The neckflaps are taken off as well.
3 - In Mooney’s photo, the front’s leather is renewed - new neckflaps are also added.


Dohasan shirt comparison


The surviving shirt in the NMNH - note the patches of the original front at the shoulders.


Crow shirt of Dohasan III - NMNH


Retained patches


The furry strap over Dohasan’s shoulder in Cowan’s tintype is the support strap for a leather bag (partly visible under the arm)."


Furry strap for bag

Koos van Oostrom

[Dietmar]

here´s an additional portrait of Dohasan III wearing the same shirt:

[charlie]

DOHASAN III: born in 1843 in Kata band of Kiowa tribe. Nephew of great chief Dohasan II (painted by Catlin in 1834). He was a noted warrior, often leading war expeditions with his brother Honemida (Charging Man).That he was a man of great courage is attested by the fact that he eloped with Ankima, the wife of Zepkoette (Big Bow), one of the most dangerous warriors in the tribe. Shortly before his death he changed his name to Dánpä′ , shoulder-blade.
The younger Dohäsan took part in many important forays and battles staged by the Kiowas. He was part of the delegation to Washington in 1872 and participated in the Lost Valley Fight (July 1874) and the siege of Lyman's wagon train in 12 September 1874. He was among the last of the Kiowa leaders to surrender at the end of the Red River War in February 1875. Afterward, he lived with his family in peace on the reservation near Fort Sill until his death. In 1892 he gave his annual family calendar history, begun by his uncle, to Capt. Hugh L. Scott, who in turn donated it to the Smithsonian Institution. Dohäsan the younger died in 1893.