Silver Horn
Encyclopedia
Silver Horn or Haungooah (1860–1940) was a Kiowa
Ledger Art
ist from Oklahoma
.
Silver Horn's father was Agiati or "Gathering Feathers," who was a calendar keeper
. Agiati was the chosen artistic successor of his uncle Tohausen, who was the primary calendar keeper for the Kiowas throughout the 19th century.
, and daily life.
Silver Horn had witnessed traumatic changes as the Kiowa people went from a nomadic way of life a buffalo hunting culture to reservation life and forced assimilation into white society. The traumatic changes were depicted in his artwork.
The depictions that Silver Horn would render were visionary images that were represented in abstract form on shields and events of the years past as a record in the pictorial calendar
. Many tribes of the Plains area used pictorial art to maintain a calendar as means of recording happenings as well as to illustrate stories. Silver Horn developed a complex calendar system with events recorded for summer and winter of each year and most calendars had very simple pictures that helped calendar keepers remember the name of each year. His drawings of warfare depicted events of the past as well as more recent conflicts, while his images of ceremonies included rituals that were beginning at that time. He also created illustrations of myths and other oral traditions such as supernatural figures.
how to paint on hides. Mopope went on to become one of the Kiowa Five
. Today many of his family members are artists. His grandsons James, Dutch, and Max Silverhorn are all known for their German silver work, beadwork, and featherwork. His great-granddaughter, Katherine Dickerson is a Kiowa beadworker, German silver worker, and moccasin
maker.
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
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...
ist from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
Background
Silver Horn was born circa 1860 and was a member of the Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma. His Kiowa name, Haungooah, refers to sunlight reflecting off a buffalo horn, making it gleam like a polished, white metal. He was a well known artist from the early reservation period who was one of the most respected and talented Plains Indian artists in his time.Silver Horn's father was Agiati or "Gathering Feathers," who was a calendar keeper
Winter count
Winter counts are pictorial calendars or histories in which tribal records and events were recorded. The Blackfeet, Mandan, Kiowa, Lakota, and other Plains tribes used winter counts extensively...
. Agiati was the chosen artistic successor of his uncle Tohausen, who was the primary calendar keeper for the Kiowas throughout the 19th century.
Art work
He was mostly known for his skills in working with different mediums and materials such as graphite, colored pencil, crayon, pen and ink, and water color on hide, muslin and paper. He produced over a thousand illustrations and works of art between 1870 and 1920. He developed and created very keen visuals of Kiowa culture, from traditional images, warfare, and coup counting to depictions of the sun dance, early Peyote religionNative American Church
Native American Church, a religious denomination which practices Peyotism or the Peyote religion, originated in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and is the most widespread indigenous religion among Native Americans in the United States...
, and daily life.
Silver Horn had witnessed traumatic changes as the Kiowa people went from a nomadic way of life a buffalo hunting culture to reservation life and forced assimilation into white society. The traumatic changes were depicted in his artwork.
The depictions that Silver Horn would render were visionary images that were represented in abstract form on shields and events of the years past as a record in the pictorial calendar
Winter count
Winter counts are pictorial calendars or histories in which tribal records and events were recorded. The Blackfeet, Mandan, Kiowa, Lakota, and other Plains tribes used winter counts extensively...
. Many tribes of the Plains area used pictorial art to maintain a calendar as means of recording happenings as well as to illustrate stories. Silver Horn developed a complex calendar system with events recorded for summer and winter of each year and most calendars had very simple pictures that helped calendar keepers remember the name of each year. His drawings of warfare depicted events of the past as well as more recent conflicts, while his images of ceremonies included rituals that were beginning at that time. He also created illustrations of myths and other oral traditions such as supernatural figures.
Legacy
Silver Horn taught his great-nephew, Stephen MopopeStephen Mopope
Stephen Mopope was a Kiowa painter, dancer, and flute player of Spanish descent, from Oklahoma. He was the most prolific member of the Kiowa Five-Early life:...
how to paint on hides. Mopope went on to become one of the Kiowa Five
Kiowa Five
The Kiowa Five or Kiowa Six is a group of six Kiowa artists from Oklahoma in the 20th century. They were Spencer Asah, James Auchiah, Jack Hokeah, Stephen Mopope, Lois Smoky, and Monroe Tsatoke.-Background:...
. Today many of his family members are artists. His grandsons James, Dutch, and Max Silverhorn are all known for their German silver work, beadwork, and featherwork. His great-granddaughter, Katherine Dickerson is a Kiowa beadworker, German silver worker, and moccasin
Moccasin
A Moccasin is a form of shoe worn by Native Americans, as well as by hunters, traders, and settlers in the frontier regions of North America.Moccasin may also refer to:* Moccasin , an American Thoroughbred racehorse-Places:...
maker.