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

The photographic collection of the National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., has a photograph of a Southern Cheyenne, identified as Lame Bull (neg. no. 330)(Fig. 13). The negative was copied by DeLancey Gill in 1907, five or six years after the death of Lame Bull. The name of the original photographer, and the date is not recorded, consequently the circumstances of this photograph will remain a mystery. A strong, stocky man in his fifties looks into the camera. He has a broad face, large nose and penetrating eyes. He wears a unique headdress ornamented with upright eagle spike feathers, and clusters of other feathers and fluffs at either side. Six grizzly bear claws decorate the brow, giving a more astonishing effect to this singular headdress, which is unlike anything else known from the 19th century Cheyennes. Although this headdress might cause us to question whether the man is actually the Cheyenne, the John W. Painter collection has a vintage photograph showing the same person with a woman, probably his wife (Fig. 14). This photo was preserved by the family of Lame Bull, and is identified as their grandfather, and the owner of the flat case and bandolier shown in Figs. 1 and 12

14 (Painter 1995). Now we have an exceptional instance in the history of Plains Indian art when, after reconstructing the spiritual oeuvre of a dreamer and visionary, we can familiarize ourselves with his facial features too. We can not forget, however, that this case is the rare exception, since the majority of nineteenth-century Plains Indian art will remain anonymous. APPENDIX Fire Dance = Hostáwaw'túts fire: hoist dance: hosóistuts Informant: Harvey White Shield. Born ab. 1867. February 26, 1906. Warpath Bear near [the] Bents is participant. Chief Killer - takes part. Lone Wolf [also] takes part and probably knows the songs. Leader = Lame Bull = Hotóa-viá = „Lame, or limps like a bull." Died about 1901, nearly 60 years old. Others claim power, but only he seems to have full power over fire. Harvey saw it eight times. The first time at Fort Supply, just before the outbreak of 1874. Took part in it himself four times, first when he was about 7 years old (1874 or 1875), during the outbreak, near the salt beds on the Cimarron, Cherokee strip. At the other three times near Darlington during a vacation, when he was about nine years old, or possibly one time a year later. (The first of these was done east of El Reno, about three miles northeast near the river, during the measles epidemic.) He saw it the last time near Kingfisher in 1890. Lame Bull led them all. 73