Post by grahamew on May 11, 2023 14:08:10 GMT -5
I'd saved these scans years ago, but couldn't remember where I'd taken them from or who the artist was - until I got hold of a copy of American Indian Art Magazine, Summer 1994 and saw the article, Autobiography of Moses Old Bull, by Ray Miles and John Lovett. Old Bull was a Hunkpapa and adopted nephew of Sitting Bull who he had followed into Canada, The drawings were made for W.S. Campbell and reside in his collection at the University of Oklahoma Archives. The scans I have don't have the captions, so I'll try and sum up what the writers say in theirs. There are none of the usual courting and dancing scenes and only one of a hunt, but he may well have been providing just what Campbell wanted while he was compiling material for his book on Sitting Bull.
1. Nineteen year-old Old Bull counting coup on two Crows in 1870
2. Counting second coup on a Crow who had been killed by Runs at the Bear, during a raid led by Sitting Crow, 1872.
3. Lone Man and Sitting Crow fighting off a large group of Crow and Nez Perce, 1873. Note the fox skin over Sitting Crow's wrist.
4. Old Bull rescues Lone Man and Sitting Crow from the dilemma in the previous image; however, both died of their wounds later.
5. Old Bull stealing a horse and a mule from Fort Totten, 1874.
6. Old Bull, aged 24, steals an Ojibwe horse on a raid into the north, 1875. Note the Kit Fox Society regalia.
7. Old Bull and Loop Cloud at the Battle of the Rosebud, 1876.
8. Old Bull, leader of this particular raid, stealing a Crow horse, 1876
9. Old Bull's favourite horse and best runner (which he stole from the Crows) is shot by the Crows in 1879. This took place during a raid on the Crows to recover horses they stle from the Lakota. When the Crow pursued them, Old Bull and his men stood their ground to fight them. This is part of the same event as No. 12 and the colour paintings below.
10. On a raid led by Kicking Bear in 1879, Old Bull and 24 others raid a Crow village near Bear Butte Mountain (he makes it clear that it's not THE Bear Butte but one that resembles it, possibly in Montana) where a young boy, a woman and a man were killed.
11. On a raid led by Kicking Bear (the same one as above), Old Bull steals some curley horses from the Crow, 1879
12. Old Bull rescues a boy, Wanagliyaku, after leading a party to recover horses stolen by the Crow, January 1879. The Lakota took about 50 horses back, but the Crow pursued them and a fight broke out and they killed or scared off all the horses except for a white mule, to which Old Bull hotched a travois to take the wounded boy back to camp, whwere he died a few days later.
13. Old Bull kills a buffalo.
On top of that, we have this painting by Old Bull in colour, which depicts events referred to in No. 12 and which can be found here:
collections.artsmia.org/art/4709/winter-horse-raiding-episode-old-bull
There's also a piece on Old Bull on the Colonel Welch website, where he realtes the story of the 1879 fight in which the boys was fatally wounded. Welch refers to a oiting he made for him of the event, so I assume that's what is posted above.
“While I was away on a hunting trip, the Crows attacked the camp of my people. They came fast. When they left they run off a lot of good horses. I had a sister. She had a splendid well-trained buffalo horse. It was a black one. It was fast. They took that horse. They killed other horses. I found that when I got back with meat. I was mad then. I made a vow to have revenge for that thing. I would go to their camp. Then attack them. I would run off their horses. All that would I do. I would do that now.
“It was winter time then. It was cold. I carried the pipe to five of my warriors. They smoked. We got ready then. We carried many moccasins. We had wasna (pemmican). We left the camp. We went to the first fork of the Missouri river (where the Yellowstone empties). Then we went for eight days up the Yellowstone (He called this river ‘Hehaka’ or ‘Elk’). We found the camp of the Crows. They had many horses with herders. They were in the flat and among the timber. It was a large camp. We must be brave to attack them. We watched several days. We knew how they did then. One night we went into their camp. We were on foot. We cut several horses from the lodges. We got them going. We drove the herd. Many, many horses. We drove all night and the next day without stopping. Then we camped on the river in the trees.
“During the night we saw them. They were coming. We rounded up the herd. We went under a hill. We had a big fight that time. Many horses were killed. Several Crows were killed too. We got the horses again. The next day they came again. We got behind rocks and little hills. When we left our own camp a boy came with us. He wanted to be brave. So we allowed him to go with us. We did not want to turn back for that thing.
“This boy was wounded with arrows in the fight. He killed a Crow enemy on horseback. That made it hard for us to travel fast. We run at night. We hid in the day time among the trees. Sometimes behind hills. We were riding now. The boy was sick with his wound. I made a travois for a mule. I placed him on that. After a long time we came home. We drove many horses. We made many gifts then. We danced. We gave the boy a new name. We called him Brings Arrows. He had two in his body. Then after eight days he died. This was one of my brave deeds. All the people know about it. I was young then. I was strong and brave. I remember that time well. I made good my vow. The men who were with me were Black Pheasant, Bear Eagle, Hunts the Enemy, Eagle Weasel, Takes Horses and the boy, Brings the Arrows. I am Old Bull. I have much to say. I am Chief here. You are my brother.”
www.welchdakotapapers.com/2011/10/indian-histories-from-lean-elk-to-porcupine-3o-individuals/#old-bull
