A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Historiae Literarum et Artium, 1. (Szeged, 1997)

Nagy Imre: „The Black Came over the Sun...” Lame Bull’s spiritual oeuvre

expedition which Lame Bull led, and George Bent accompanied (Bent 1906-1917: 17 Dec, 1913).

3 After this review of the historical sources we have a clearer picture of Lame Bull. He was not only the leader of the Fire Dance, but a medicine man, as well as an active war leader. Mooney also informs us that he died about 1901. A few additional references appear in the recent literature.

4 Peter J. Powell mentions him again in his People of the Sacred Mountain, but only repeats the information given by George Bent (Powell 1981: 477, 501-502). In 1988, Nancy L. Fagin described the painted tipi model of Lame Bull, collected by James Mooney, and presently on display at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago (Fig. 3). In the identification of Lame Bull, she simply quoted the known references from George Bent's biography (Fagin 1988: 269-270), and further said: The photocopies of Mooney'

s field notes available to this author are practically illegible and it is difficult to imagine that the pencil originals are much better. In these notes Mooney did not apparently attempt to examine the meaning of the Cheyenne designs (Fagin 1988: 276). Mooney'

s handwriting and abbreviations often are difficult to read. It is really unfortunate, that Fagin failed to decipher the rich information collected by Mooney, and misinterpreted the importance of these notes. Further, she missed the chance to explain the history of each tipi design, including Lame Bull's painted tipis. However, we shall become acquainted with them presently. Finally, the most surprising occurrence of Lame Bull's name is in the recent catalogue of the private collection of John W. Painter. This beautiful volume illustrates a remarkable Cheyenne flat case on p. 101, which „...is reported to have belonged to Lame Bull, Southern Cheyenne" (Painter n.d. [1991]: 102). The flat case was handed down among the descendants of Lame Bull until it ended up in the private collection (Painter 1995). It has a stylized turtle image in the center, much like a compass. Besides, blue dragonflies occupy the four corners of the front of the case, while the perimeter design is a classic Cheyenne-style composition (Fig. 1) (Painter n.d.

[1991]: 101). Lame Bull, the dreamer of tipis There is another document which proves the activity and prominent role of Lame Bull in Cheyenne history. However, it is a visual document, a large-format Cheyenne drawing, preserved in the collection of the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, New York (cat. no. 11/1706). This drawing depicts a Cheyenne Sun Dance camp in a remarkably detailed way. It has been published several times (Fawcett and Callander 1982: 24, PI. 11; Moore 1987: 48, PI. 2; Heth /gen. ed./ 1992: 136-137, Pl. 151; Berlo /ed./ 1996: 132-133)

r and generally is attributed erroneously to Little Chief, a Southern Cheyenne artist, who was incarcerated at Fort Marion, Florida between 18741878. This attribution is definitely wrong. The panoramic view of the Cheyenne camp was certainly prepared by Chief Killer, another Fort Marion prisoner. The Little Chief attribution stems from a superficial comparison of this drawing with the „Rosetta stone" of the Fort Marion art, that is the small drawing-book among the Richard H. Pratt papers in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

5 A careful examina60