Post by grahamew on Aug 23, 2021 8:29:47 GMT -5
According to Jean Louis Lagere, Steps was actually a "Shoshone-Bannock man...(Eskoomskee or Seeskoomkee means "Cut Off" but he was also called No Feet or Steps, which, to add to the confusion, was sometimes spelled as Steppes; his original name, however, was Attween or maybe Kepgavants Wewowwow), who had gone through the war of 1877 with the Nez Perces." (https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/nepe/greene/chap14d.htm) He had been taken captive by the Nez Perce and fought at Big Hole and Bear's Paw in 1877. After Joseph's defeat, he fled to Canada with White Bird and found refuge among Sitting Bull's people, joining White Dog's family, according to Ephriam's The Sitting Bull Surrender Census, though a note there points out that White Dog and his family "slipped away from army control at Fort Randall in June 1882. No further information is known" but Steps must have continued to live with Sitting Bull's band because he winds up at Standing Rock where he's photographed by Barry a few years later.
The best I can work out, he had lost both feet and his right hand to frostbite during a severe winter storm sometime around 1860, but Jerome Greene tells another version: he had been bought by the Yakima as a slave and was "disciplined for thievery by being left outside one night in subzero temperatures, his hands and feet secired in metal traps, and Steps lost both feet and his right hand." At some point, the Yakima freed him from his obligations as a slave and he went to live with the Nez Perce, fleeing to Canada to live with the Lakota and marrying into the tribe.
Yellow Wolf/McWhorter flesh this story out, reciting the tales told by Tomio, the Yakima leader and son of Kamiakun. Steps was already a slave captive and was purchased by his father on one of his trading trips to the southwest (i.e. California) and it was Kamiakun who left him outside as punishment for stealing. He notes, "It cured him of theft." According to Tomio, after a purchased slave had served his owner long enough to pay off the cost of purchase, he was freed and when Kamiakun sent three visiting Nez Perce back to their village with a gift of cattle, he sent Steps along to help and told him he didn't have to return, so he lived among the lower Nez Perce - supposedly amiong White Bird's Lamtama band - and made a living breaking wild horses.
While he lived with the Lakota, he married into the tribe, but he had a fight with a young man who he fatally stabbed. The dying man said Steps wasn't to blame and dissuaded his father from taking revenge.
McWhorter points out that in another version of the tale, Steps was at no point a slave and he originally came from the Lower Snake River.
There are several photographs depicting this man. I think the earliest are credited to Bailey, Dix and Meade (though WR Cross was the photographer) and were taken at Fort Randall when he was living with Sitting Bull's band who had just returned from Canada.
1882
The reverse of the Cross image - the text fits the story above.
1882
1882
He was also photographed by D.F. Barry at Standing Rock, sitting up against one of the photographer's props:
The Barry photo has to be from 1883 at the earliest and possibly a two or three years later. Note how the story on the image's reverse is different: he was separated from the Nez Perce in a blizzard and the Lakota saved him, so he remained with them - the implication is that the events happened more recently than 20 years previous. Note also the reference to him being Joseph's brother - presumably just hyperbole to sell the images but perhaps it has some basis in some kind of adoption ceremony.
Finally, we have this photo by an unknown photographer:
I don't recognise this backdrop. It's not Barry and I don't think it's Gilbert or Scott. Any ideas? Here - the statemuseum.nd.gov/database/photobook/index.php?content=photobook-itemdetails&ID=PH_I_154329&CollectionNmbr=1952&PBID=94046 - it's credited to Fiske, as is the Barry photo it's combined with, but Fiske didn't arrive at Standing Rock until years later and copied and sold images by Barry
A while back, Dietmar posted this photo:
After a little digging, this is Gregor's summary of the events behind the photo:
"After Sitting Bull’s killing Hunkpapa families fled their Grand River camp. They were badly frightened and were fleeing for safety.
On December 21, Indian Police and Agency Farmers stopped them at the Cheyenne River. 37 of them were brought to the Agency by the Farmers, the others were brought in by Lieut. Hale.
Army reports indicate “… Lieut. Hale …effected the surrender of 294 Indians, including 227 Uncapapa Sioux of Sitting Bull’s Band (81 men, 72 women, and 74 children), 69 Minniconjou Sioux belonging to the Cheyenne River Reservation, 148 ponies and 4 wagons.”
The night of December 22 the group camped at Dupree’s ranch and the next night at Cook’s Camp, twenty-three miles from Fort Bennett. Hale and the Indians, including Hump and his family, arrived at Fort Bennett on December 24.
Among them were tiyospaye elders Sleep, Medicine Man, Crow Indian, His Running, Old Bull, Standing Cloud, Pretty Bear, Old Crow, Kills the Enemy, Yellow Earring, In the Mouth and Afraid of the Hawk.
The Standing Rock Indians were transferred to Fort Sully on the 30th [December?] ultimo as military prisoners, by orders of the Department Commander, numbering 227—81 men, 43 boys, 72 women and 31 girls—148 ponies and 4 wagons, for which the commanding officer, Fort Sully receipted. They remained for five months and Lieutenant Hale was put in charge of the prisoners’ camp at Fort Sully.
By the time of their journey back to Standing Rock (May 1891), the number of Hunkpapa POWs would increase to 254. At least five children were born at Fort Sully according to a letter by May 16, 1891.
In a letter (May 13, 1891) to Commissioner of Indian affairs McLaughlin wrote:
“Yesterday I sent transportation to Cheyenne Agency to bring to this Agency the 254 Standing Rock Indian prisoners now at Fort Sully and expect their return in about 10 days.”"
Is Steps the man kneeling at the left of the photo wearing an army cap and some kind of military coat? According to Jerome Greene, he was living among Hump's followers on Cheyenne River in 1890 though left there for Fort Bennett before the fighting broke out.
There is a reference to Steps being at Fort Bennett in The New York Herald on NOvember 24, 1890. Does anyone have any idea what happened to him?
The best I can work out, he had lost both feet and his right hand to frostbite during a severe winter storm sometime around 1860, but Jerome Greene tells another version: he had been bought by the Yakima as a slave and was "disciplined for thievery by being left outside one night in subzero temperatures, his hands and feet secired in metal traps, and Steps lost both feet and his right hand." At some point, the Yakima freed him from his obligations as a slave and he went to live with the Nez Perce, fleeing to Canada to live with the Lakota and marrying into the tribe.
Yellow Wolf/McWhorter flesh this story out, reciting the tales told by Tomio, the Yakima leader and son of Kamiakun. Steps was already a slave captive and was purchased by his father on one of his trading trips to the southwest (i.e. California) and it was Kamiakun who left him outside as punishment for stealing. He notes, "It cured him of theft." According to Tomio, after a purchased slave had served his owner long enough to pay off the cost of purchase, he was freed and when Kamiakun sent three visiting Nez Perce back to their village with a gift of cattle, he sent Steps along to help and told him he didn't have to return, so he lived among the lower Nez Perce - supposedly amiong White Bird's Lamtama band - and made a living breaking wild horses.
While he lived with the Lakota, he married into the tribe, but he had a fight with a young man who he fatally stabbed. The dying man said Steps wasn't to blame and dissuaded his father from taking revenge.
McWhorter points out that in another version of the tale, Steps was at no point a slave and he originally came from the Lower Snake River.
There are several photographs depicting this man. I think the earliest are credited to Bailey, Dix and Meade (though WR Cross was the photographer) and were taken at Fort Randall when he was living with Sitting Bull's band who had just returned from Canada.
1882
The reverse of the Cross image - the text fits the story above.
1882
1882
He was also photographed by D.F. Barry at Standing Rock, sitting up against one of the photographer's props:
The Barry photo has to be from 1883 at the earliest and possibly a two or three years later. Note how the story on the image's reverse is different: he was separated from the Nez Perce in a blizzard and the Lakota saved him, so he remained with them - the implication is that the events happened more recently than 20 years previous. Note also the reference to him being Joseph's brother - presumably just hyperbole to sell the images but perhaps it has some basis in some kind of adoption ceremony.
Finally, we have this photo by an unknown photographer:
I don't recognise this backdrop. It's not Barry and I don't think it's Gilbert or Scott. Any ideas? Here - the statemuseum.nd.gov/database/photobook/index.php?content=photobook-itemdetails&ID=PH_I_154329&CollectionNmbr=1952&PBID=94046 - it's credited to Fiske, as is the Barry photo it's combined with, but Fiske didn't arrive at Standing Rock until years later and copied and sold images by Barry
A while back, Dietmar posted this photo:
After a little digging, this is Gregor's summary of the events behind the photo:
"After Sitting Bull’s killing Hunkpapa families fled their Grand River camp. They were badly frightened and were fleeing for safety.
On December 21, Indian Police and Agency Farmers stopped them at the Cheyenne River. 37 of them were brought to the Agency by the Farmers, the others were brought in by Lieut. Hale.
Army reports indicate “… Lieut. Hale …effected the surrender of 294 Indians, including 227 Uncapapa Sioux of Sitting Bull’s Band (81 men, 72 women, and 74 children), 69 Minniconjou Sioux belonging to the Cheyenne River Reservation, 148 ponies and 4 wagons.”
The night of December 22 the group camped at Dupree’s ranch and the next night at Cook’s Camp, twenty-three miles from Fort Bennett. Hale and the Indians, including Hump and his family, arrived at Fort Bennett on December 24.
Among them were tiyospaye elders Sleep, Medicine Man, Crow Indian, His Running, Old Bull, Standing Cloud, Pretty Bear, Old Crow, Kills the Enemy, Yellow Earring, In the Mouth and Afraid of the Hawk.
The Standing Rock Indians were transferred to Fort Sully on the 30th [December?] ultimo as military prisoners, by orders of the Department Commander, numbering 227—81 men, 43 boys, 72 women and 31 girls—148 ponies and 4 wagons, for which the commanding officer, Fort Sully receipted. They remained for five months and Lieutenant Hale was put in charge of the prisoners’ camp at Fort Sully.
By the time of their journey back to Standing Rock (May 1891), the number of Hunkpapa POWs would increase to 254. At least five children were born at Fort Sully according to a letter by May 16, 1891.
In a letter (May 13, 1891) to Commissioner of Indian affairs McLaughlin wrote:
“Yesterday I sent transportation to Cheyenne Agency to bring to this Agency the 254 Standing Rock Indian prisoners now at Fort Sully and expect their return in about 10 days.”"
Is Steps the man kneeling at the left of the photo wearing an army cap and some kind of military coat? According to Jerome Greene, he was living among Hump's followers on Cheyenne River in 1890 though left there for Fort Bennett before the fighting broke out.
There is a reference to Steps being at Fort Bennett in The New York Herald on NOvember 24, 1890. Does anyone have any idea what happened to him?