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Set Project: Native American Art and History

Today I have a tutorial regarding my project process.


In 19 century, Native American people developed their own style to memorised the tribe history on paper. It has a symbolic character. They made it with ink, pencil and watercolours.

It created the specific system, which can be called a ledger ''The men then memorialized their deeds in pictures that they used with their oral recollections of bravery and battle, victory and loss.''(NMAH | Albert H. Small Documents Gallery - Keeping History: Plains Indian Ledger Drawings, 2010) the well-known pieces are from 1875/78 in today Oklahoma territory. Probably young warriors based in one of the Cheyenne and Kiowa tribe.

This knowledge we only appreciate The Bear's Heart Ledger Book. This book of twenty-four drawings prepared by Bear’s Heart, one of the Fort Marion prisoners of war.

How did that happen? Do that Native Americans have access to pencils and watercolours? It begins with civilized prisoners by Richard Henry Pratt. He also promotes the plan to educate Native Americans in a special school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. ''More than 10,000 students, both men and women, were instructed there in trades such as farming, carpentry, and domestic arts.'' (NMAH | Albert H. Small Documents Gallery - Keeping History: Plains Indian Ledger Drawings, 2010). The school closed in 1918.

When I compared the picture of 'students' from 1875 after three years, I could not believe how civilisation changed those people. They seemed to be calm and proud of carrying the spades and hoes. Furthermore, they got rid of traditional wearing. In the last picture, well-groomed men wearing hats. For me, it is propaganda directed at new-settled Americans. With reminder - they are now kept on a leash. 

Drawings have a unique character, like I mentioned, they described scenes like injuries and death. But the most interesting is the horse's appearance. This explains how important those creatures were for tribes, even in daily life. 

Prisoners were reflecting on their 'previous life'. They needed to fill what they were missing; ceremonials, Sun Dance or courting women. But it could not just finish on that point. As with introducing to prisoner life, they ledger new perspectives. As we can notice from those pieces: ''They showed themselves in the very process of change, in the forced abandonment of the lifeways they valued.'' (NMAH | Albert H. Small Documents Gallery - Keeping History: Plains Indian Ledger Drawings, 2010)

On the Lookout for GameKoba, Wild Horse, or Etahdleuh (Kiowa), 1875 - 1878

I like how they showed the details of each person. The portrait facial features are very specific. I can not believe that was made based on their memory. These were surprisingly accurate, who can expect that precision even in uniforms of U.S military?

In Lakota Sioux band, there was a 'community historian' who kept track of events through the years. It was even long before Ledger drawings. I especially like the emphasizing horses on those drawings, it illustrates the values of their life and how they live. The interesting fact is, that they used split complementary colours then. 

Honored, Francis Yellow (Francis J. Yellow), Lakota (Teton/Western Sioux), n.d

It is an inspiring example, which I definitely use for my piece. I will consider the appearance of native Americans drew by themselves. Also the colours of clothes what they have been wearing. 

Another system had Kiowa tribe, by marked history on calendars with small pictogram drawings. Those elements I found out significant for my story basis.

In further researches, I will share my finds about Sioux and Lakota people.




Resources:

Yellow, F., n.d. Honored. [Watercolor on paper].

Koba, 1875. On the Lookout for Game. [Watercolor on paper].

Americanhistory.si.edu. 2010. NMAH | Albert H. Small Documents Gallery - Keeping History: Plains Indian Ledger Drawings. [online] Available at: <https://americanhistory.si.edu/documentsgallery/exhibitions/ledger_drawing_1.html> [Accessed 18 February 2021].



Comments

  1. Sam Dargan20 February 2021 at 23:13

    I might have misunderstood what you meant here, but 'Ledger' refers to the TYPE of books they were given - these were notebooks often used for accounting or book keeping by American settlers that were distributed amongst the Native American tribes by (as you say) those members of the American community that were helping with education.

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