Amos Bad Heart Bull
Encyclopedia
Amos Bad Heart Bull was a noted Oglala Lakota
artist in a style which adapted traditional Native American pictography to a new European style medium known as Ledger Art
for the accountants ledger books they were originally done in. He also fulfilled the role as tribal historian
for the Oglala as his father Bad Heart Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Čhaŋtéšiča) was before him.
and a nephew of the famous Oglala chief Red Cloud
. Known as Eagle Bonnet (Waŋblí Wapȟáha) as a young man, Amos grew up living the traditional life of the Oglala. His family belonged to an Oglala camp known as the Soreback Band. He was eight years old when Custer's column attacked the large Indian village in the famous Battle of the Little Bighorn
.
At the end of the Great Sioux War of 1876-77
, the Bad Heart Bull family surrendered at the Red Cloud Agency
on April 18, 1877, several weeks before Crazy Horse
. Following the killing of Crazy Horse in September 1877, the family stampeded with other northern Oglala to the nearby Spotted Tail Agency. The family then fled north with other Oglala, eventually joining Sitting Bull
in Canada. The Bad Heart Bull family probably returned to the U.S. with other Oglala who surrendered at Fort Keogh
in 1880. They were transferred to the Standing Rock Reservation in 1881 and the following spring, sent home to join the rest of the Oglala at the Pine Ridge Reservation.
with his uncle Grant Short Bull
. During this time, he purchased a ledger book from a clothing dealer in nearby Crawford, Nebraska
and began to draw a series of pictures.
Returning to Pine Ridge after serving his enlistment, Amos married and made his living as a small cattleman. His only daughter, Victoria, was born in 1909 but died four months later. He received his land allotment on the Pine Ridge Reservation along Black Tail Creek northwest of Oglala, South Dakota, near other members of the Soreback Band. His wife died in 1910 and Amos died on August 3, 1913.
In the years that have followed the manuscript's publication, scholars have come to view the Amos Bad Heart Bull manuscript as a very important contribution to Lakota history and culture.
Oglala Lakota
The Oglala Lakota or Oglala Sioux are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people; along with the Nakota and Dakota, they make up the Great Sioux Nation. A majority of the Oglala live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the eighth-largest Native American reservation in the...
artist in a style which adapted traditional Native American pictography to a new European style medium known as Ledger Art
Ledger Art
Ledger Art is a term for Plains Indian narrative drawing or painting on paper or cloth. Ledger art was primarily from the 1860s to about 1900, although some of the old style drawing continues to the 1930s. There is also a contemporary group of accomplished Native American artists who work in the...
for the accountants ledger books they were originally done in. He also fulfilled the role as tribal historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
for the Oglala as his father Bad Heart Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Čhaŋtéšiča) was before him.
Early years
Born about 1868 or 1869, Amos was the son of Bad Heart Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Čhaŋtéšiča) and his wife Red Blanket (Tȟašína Lúta Wiŋ). Amos' father was a brother of the headman He DogHe Dog
He Dog . A member of the Oglala Lakota, He Dog was closely associated with Crazy Horse during the Great Sioux War of 1876-77.-Biography:...
and a nephew of the famous Oglala chief Red Cloud
Red Cloud
Red Cloud , was a war leader and the head Chief of the Oglala Lakota . His reign was from 1868 to 1909...
. Known as Eagle Bonnet (Waŋblí Wapȟáha) as a young man, Amos grew up living the traditional life of the Oglala. His family belonged to an Oglala camp known as the Soreback Band. He was eight years old when Custer's column attacked the large Indian village in the famous Battle of the Little Bighorn
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
.
At the end of the Great Sioux War of 1876-77
Great Sioux War of 1876-77
The Great Sioux War of 1876, also known as the Black Hills War, was a series of battles and negotiations which occurred between 1876 and 1877 involving the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne, against the United States...
, the Bad Heart Bull family surrendered at the Red Cloud Agency
Red Cloud Agency
The Red Cloud Agency was an Indian agency for the Oglala Lakota as well as the Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho, from 1871 to 1878. It was located at three different sites in Wyoming Territory , before being moved to South Dakota. It was then renamed the Pine Ridge Reservation.- Red Cloud Agency No...
on April 18, 1877, several weeks before Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
. Following the killing of Crazy Horse in September 1877, the family stampeded with other northern Oglala to the nearby Spotted Tail Agency. The family then fled north with other Oglala, eventually joining Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
in Canada. The Bad Heart Bull family probably returned to the U.S. with other Oglala who surrendered at Fort Keogh
Fort Keogh
Fort Keogh is located on the western edge of Miles City, Montana. Occasionally spelled Fort Keough. Originally a military post, today it is a United States Department of Agriculture livestock and range research station. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
in 1880. They were transferred to the Standing Rock Reservation in 1881 and the following spring, sent home to join the rest of the Oglala at the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Becoming an artist
As a young man, Amos Bad Heart Bull showed interest in the history of the Oglala and began to draw pictures depicting their traditional lifeways and history. In 1890, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as an Indian scout (where he learned how to speak English), serving at Fort RobinsonFort Robinson
Fort Robinson is a former U.S. Army fort and a present-day state park. Located in the Pine Ridge region of northwest Nebraska, it is west of Crawford on U.S. Route 20.- History :...
with his uncle Grant Short Bull
Grant Short Bull
Grant Short Bull . Member of Soreback Band, Oglala Lakota, and participant in the Battle of the Little Bighorn...
. During this time, he purchased a ledger book from a clothing dealer in nearby Crawford, Nebraska
Crawford, Nebraska
Crawford is a city in Dawes County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 997 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1886 and was named for the late Captain Emmet Crawford who had previously been stationed at nearby Fort Robinson.-Geography:...
and began to draw a series of pictures.
Returning to Pine Ridge after serving his enlistment, Amos married and made his living as a small cattleman. His only daughter, Victoria, was born in 1909 but died four months later. He received his land allotment on the Pine Ridge Reservation along Black Tail Creek northwest of Oglala, South Dakota, near other members of the Soreback Band. His wife died in 1910 and Amos died on August 3, 1913.
Bad Heart Bull Manuscript
At the time of his death, Amos' sketchbook was given to his younger sister, Dolly Pretty Cloud, who later allowed a young graduate student from the University of Nebraska, Helen Blish, study it for her master's thesis. When Dolly died in 1947, the original ledger was buried with her. Hartley Burr Alexander, Blish's professor, however had fortunately had the drawings photographed in the thirties. Those images were published in Sioux Indian painting ... With introduction and notes by Hartley Burr Alexander, 1938 by Szwedzicki in Nice France. In 1967, the original prints of the photographs were used by the University of Nebraska Press to publish Blish's study and figures of Amos Bad Heart Bull's drawings.In the years that have followed the manuscript's publication, scholars have come to view the Amos Bad Heart Bull manuscript as a very important contribution to Lakota history and culture.